You guys. People like to joke "You know you're getting older when you're excited for your new [insert applicable home or cleaning] purchase," and you know what? They're absolutely right! I bought my new favorite pan today, and I never thought I'd be this excited for a fry pan...but I am obsessed with how awesome it is.
Up until moving in with my boyfriend, I was completely happy with my non-stick Teflon pans: their non-stick coating made both cooking & cleaning a breeze, especially compared to the cheap pans I had before back in my college days. I wasn't aware of any health concerns when using these pans, all I knew was that it didn't take a ton of oil/butter to make perfect fried eggs that wouldn't stick to the pan and break the yolk, and if you've ever looked forward to having your eggs sunny side up just to have them scrambled...again...you know my pain. Once I went non-stick, I never looked back!
Until...I moved in with my health nut boyfriend (I say "health nut" with an abundance of affection).
Did you know that many non-stick surfaces release toxic fumes or leach harmful substances into your food during the cooking process?
Well I didn't. And because I wasn't ready to give up that non-stick life, I did my research and was happy to find that if used properly, most pans with non-stick coatings should be safe. From what I read, toxic fumes supposedly aren't released until the pan gets to over 570 degrees, so as long as you aren't cooking on an intensely high heat or trying to use those pans to broil, the chances of toxic fumes being released are low (click here for article reference & more info). You just need to keep an eye out for scratches and wear & tear, since most non-stick coatings aren't scratch proof; and once those appear, it's time to buy you some new pans. What's also great about that article, is that it states that ALL Teflon products since 2013 are now without PFOA's. However, Teflon-coated products made before 2013 will contain those, and PFOA's have been linked to all sorts of health conditions (including thyroid disorders and liver & kidney disease).
OK so your boyfriend was wrong?
Nope! Not quite. I'll be honest and say I'm not qualified to give you the health info correlated with using cooking pans, but Carrie Forrest is, and here's a link to an awesome blog post she wrote where she compares a variety of different pan materials and breaks it down for the laymen people, like me! Bottom line, it is possible to ingest harmful chemicals from aluminum or nonstick Teflon pans.
So, whether the probability is low or not, I don't want to put the extra burden on my body to filter out unnecessary fumes/toxins/metals (the LA pollution is bad enough!) so I went out looking for a pan that was not only safe, but non-stick AND affordable.
And you know what I found?!
The Original GreenPan is not only ceramic non-stick, but it's also free of PFAS, PFOA, lead & cadmium!
Basically, it's not only health-nut boyfriend approved, but Tara approved, as well! I gave it a test run by cooking one of my favorite chicken dinner recipes...and let me tell you, IT'S AMAZING. I barely put any olive oil in the pan, and both the chicken & sauce (which usually stick, making it a nightmare to clean) didn't stick to the pan AT ALL. You all know what I'm talking about: when you're cooking something saucy on the stovetop, and afterwards you've got to soak your pan with hot water and soap for a long time, sometimes even overnight, in order to save yourself all the effort it'll take to scrub the pan clean.
Not with this pan. I even let the pan cool down on the stovetop without soaking, just to see if it would truly be easy to clean if the leftover sauce dried on it.
Everything came right off. So freaking easy to clean.
The next morning I used it to fry my eggs and barely put any oil in the pan...my eggs slid right off the pan and onto my plate!
Do yourself a favor. Do your family a favor! Have the joy of cooking with a nonstick ceramic while also keeping everyone safe from harmful chemicals.
Where can you get one? Well, you can splurge and buy one on their site (you'll have a plethora of options to choose from this way, and there's an option to type in your email for a 10% off coupon). I've also seen their pans at World Market (I've linked some of their selection above if you're part of World Market's reward program and want to earn points with a purchase). However, I cannot believe that I actually found my GreenPan at MARSHALLS!!! I happened to see it at several different locations, so you shouldn't have trouble finding one at your local store, but the only model I've seen available is the one I bought: Gray 10" Fry Pan from the Lima Collection. It seems to be $29.99 or higher everywhere else...at Marshalls? $14.99. For these pans, that is a STEAL. As far as I can tell, you can't purchase from Marshalls online, so I've linked mostly World Market's collection above; but I needed to make sure you knew that you could find their 10" fry pan at Marshalls for an incredible price!!
Don't walk - run!! You can thank me later.
P.S. This is not a sponsored post by Greenpan, I just love their products!
P.S.S. Didn't that chicken look SCRUMPTIOUS? Click here for the recipe!
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