Find Out What’s Wrong with Nonstick Pans And 5 Wrong Ways You Use Them
Every dishwasher knows the struggle of cleaning utensils and cookware because sometimes or most of the time, cleaning them requires extra effort and double checking. What a relief and convenience it has been since nonstick pan came to the picture! Nonstick pans are very popular and marketable because they offer cooks an easier job and shorter time cleaning them.
Unfortunately, nonstick pan’s safety has been questioned because of its chemical contents and manufacturing materials. Studies have found out that nonstick pans may be very hazardous to human health if not used properly.
WHAT’S WRONG?
Nonstick pans are coated with different coating formulas and are heated at high temperatures to polish the surface. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is one of the chemicals contained in the creation of nonstick pans. By sniffing in the strong smoke that comes from cooking using a nonstick pan, you can acquire an unhealthy feeling. For animals, this chemical is said to be related to development concerns and tumor growths. For humans, it could be as dangerous as or more than animals. It can seriously affect children’s development, birth failings, immune system detriment, tumors in the testicle, pancreas, liver, mammary glands and other grave health conditions.
5 WRONG WAYS YOU USE THEM
> PREHEATING
Preheating the pan can trigger its coating to produce hazardous fumes. Do not preheat it when there is nothing in it. In situations wherein you cannot avoid preheating a nonstick pan, the temperature you must apply must to it must not exceed the vaporization temperature. The whole surface of the pan must be covered with oil if you are going to preheat it. The aluminum, which is usually the content of nonstick pans, has faster conduction rate than other materials.
> COOKING ON HIGH HEAT
If the heat is too high, the surface of the pan can diminish, and it can cause those dangerous fumes to rise to the air. Also, if you keep the heat up, your pan will be seen no more after many uses. Don’t do cooking techniques that require high heat just like searing and grilling! There are better and more appropriate cookware for those cooking styles, so don’t settle for less using a nonstick pan just because it’s what you only have. Using a light nonstick pan also requires high heat, so consider buying a heavy one instead. Still, it must be proper health over mere fullness of the tummy.
> POOR VENTILATION IN YOUR KITCHEN
Whenever nonstick pan is used, again, hazardous fumes can be given off to the air. If that is the case, it surely is not safe for human health. If your kitchen is full to bursting due to many stuff piled up, and if the space is too small, it doesn’t help if there is poor ventilation. You need to use an exhaust fan for the harmful smoke to be driven away out of the kitchen. It is very dangerous if you are surrounded and suffocated by those unhealthy fumes as they can affect your health in extreme levels.
> CHIPPING
I bet there’s no one who wrecks the pan by chipping, tearing and damaging the pan intentionally. You might be wondering why your nonstick pan becomes more old-looking and dull. The utensils you use on them play a great role in taking care of your nonstick pan. Using metal utensils lead to scratching and destructing the pan’s cooking surface. It’s best to use others like those coated with silicone or made of wood, plastic or nylon.
> KEEPING FOR SO LONG
If you have been using your nonstick pan for more than 3 years, then it’s probably not the best in this case. Some do not choose to follow because they say that it’s still functioning, but please be mindful that not just because it’s very long-lasting means it’s also very beneficial in all ways.
CONCLUSION
Well, a nonstick pan may be comfortable and convenient in many ways, but always remember that considering those must not go above your heath’s proper condition. The things you use for food must be given extra attention as they are the ones we use to cook and to eat every single day. Nonstick pans are beneficial, but using it in wrong ways makes it dangerous.
AUTHOR BIO
Nicole Ann Pore is a daytime writer for ASP Healthcare, a products supplier and distributor to the health and harm reduction industry in Australia. She believes that healthy individuals form a healthy community, and a healthy community is more attainable if there is discipline and unity. Nicole gives awareness regarding health implications of the things that people usually use; she writes about anything about healthcare.
