Question from Laurie
Help! I want not just great tasting food using my beautiful pots and pans–but one that I can trust for our continued well-being.I have some wonderful pots and pots. By wonderful I mean, they are truly chef-quality. My question is are they safe?
What specific questions should I ask the manufacturer to get this question answered?
Most of my collection is 18/10 stainless steel, some with the heavy bottom, some light weight with added copper.
Though beyond the above, I have a greater concern for the ones in these fine name-brands–but are also non-stick with what I believe a life-time or 75 year guarantee.The coating doesn’t seem to budge. They are from tv like Cooks Essentials, Ultrex, Wolfgang, Emmerilware..and some that are cast iron with a finish that doesn’t stick. The performance is great. How is the safety?
Debra’s Answer
First, about the stainless, it’s not a matter of asking the manufacturer…you can test it yourself with magnets (see Q&A: Magnetically-attractive stainless steel cookware). But even if it passes the magnet test, if you have been using metal utensils or scouring your pans with steel wool, you’ve ruptured the steel and opened the way for the metals to leach into the food.
About the nonstick finish. It’s not a matter of the finish peeling or chipping, but what may be offgassing from it. Most nonstick finishes are made from the same group of chemicals, unless it is a completely different technology, like Thermolon. If I were researching this, I would contact each manufacturer, and ask them the name of the nonstick finish used and find out anything you can about it. Then you can look up those finishes on the internet and find out about the chemicals used to make them. But from my experience looking at the nonstick finishes, most are more or less the same.
