Foodie Food Tips

Is nonstick cookware harming your health? The safety issues surrounding the toxic chemicals within older nonstick Teflon pots, pans, and bakeware were brought to my attention around 1980. I had been watching a nightly newscast when a segment came on about the sudden deaths of large numbers of household birds who appeared to be dying without a visible reason. The newscast was a warning to consumers of a toxic chemical found within nonstick cookware products. This airborne poison was killing household birds whenever Teflon was overheated. The birds were dropping dead in their cages because they were breathing in a toxic gas known as perfluorooctanoic acid. This gas was being released from Teflon-coated cookware whenever the nonstick pots, pans, or bakeware reached a high enough heating point to enable its escape. That night I walked into my kitchen and threw away every nonstick pan in my kitchen cupboards. The first Teflon products were produced, marketed, and sold by DuPont in 1946. Wit...