Non-stick Pans and Canaries - Urban Legend?

I'm sure you've already heard about the lady with the canaries who killed them off by using non-stick, sometimes known by its brand name Teflon, cookware. I know that's why I haven't bought any. If it could kill a bird, what could it do to me and my family? I know birds are sensitive, but I just couldn't get over that minor detail. I happened to do some reading here and there..more here than there lately, and found out there are some myths and things are not totally what they appear to be.

The bottom line is that, yes....non-stick cookware can be dangerous, BUT only if used improperly. Good Housekeeping ran some tests and found out that the coating of these non-stick pans tends to disintegrate at a certain temperature. So, for those of you who like to fry or cook on high heat...nay, nay...don't do that. In their tests, safe temperatures ranged from about 200 deg F to about 470 deg F. When you start getting hotter than that, things start to go badly and the chemicals that can kill birds get leached out and create hazardous polymer fumes...among other things. This is harmful stuff to humans too, not just to Tweetie Bird and his friends.

To eliminate these hazards, keep these things in mind if you plan to continue using non-stick cookware:

• Don't use Teflon (or other non-stick coating) surfaced pots or pans on high....at all! Even an empty pan with or without oil will heat up to over 500 deg F at high heat in under two minutes!

• Don't pre-heat an empty pan.

• Choose a heavier pan over a lighter one.

• Don't use damaged or chipped pans. Throwing them out equals peace of mind.
  

• Keep the airflow going in the kitchen with either a fan or open window.

To read more about non-stick cookware and the latest research, please visit here.