the non stick brand Teflon was found to be unsafe and was taken off the market in 2006. I learned about it in my restaurant management class in college. I don’t remember what the exact reason why was, but a study showed that a lot of americans had it in their bloodstreams. I remember this because someone made a joke about it making plaque not stick in your arteries. Teflon’s chemical formula is different than other types though, so you’re fine.

make sure you use nonscratch utensils with it. if it starts to peel, replace it.

The answer is a qualified one. They’re safe, says Robert L. Wolke, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, as long as they’re not overheated. When they are, the coating may begin to break down (at the molecular level, so you wouldn’t necessarily see it), and toxic particles and gases, some of them carcinogenic, can be released.

“There’s a whole chemistry set of compounds that will come off when Teflon is heated high enough to decompose,” says Wolke. “Many of these are fluorine-containing compounds, which as a class are generally toxic.” But fluoropolymers, the chemicals from which these toxic compounds come, are a big part of the coating formula — and the very reason that foods don’t stick to nonstick.

If the danger begins when pans overheat, then how hot is too hot? “At temperatures above 500ºF, the breakdown begins and smaller chemical fragments are released,” explains Kurunthachalam Kannan, Ph.D., an environmental toxicologist at the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center. DuPont, inventor and manufacturer of Teflon, agrees that 500 degrees is the recommended maximum for cooking.
Sticking Point

How fast will a nonstick pan reach 500°F, the point at which its coating can start to decompose? The Good Housekeeping Research Institute put three pieces of nonstick cookware to the test: a cheap, lightweight pan (weighing just 1 lb., 3 oz.); a midweight pan (2 lbs., 1 oz.); and a high-end, heavier pan (2 lbs., 9 oz.). We cooked five dishes at different temperatures on a burner that’s typical in most homes. The results: Even we were surprised by how quickly some of the pans got way too hot.

At very high temperatures — 660° F and above — pans may more significantly decompose, emitting fumes strong enough to cause polymer-fume fever, a temporary flu-like condition marked by chills, headache, and fever. (The fumes won’t kill you — but they can kill pet birds, whose respiratory systems are more fragile.) At 680° F, Teflon releases at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization. “However, even if those gases are formed, the odds that you’re going to breathe enough of them to be sick are low,” says Wolke, a point corroborated by several of the experts we interviewed. What no one has yet researched is whether overheating these pans regularly for a prolonged period might have long-term effects.

Aluminum leaches into the food when you use the cookware. Anything acidic accelerates this process…so tomato products are extremely bad to cook in aluminum cookware.

The safest cookware materials? Iron, glass, enamel, or stainless steel. Unfortunately, glass cookware has become extremely hard to find. Visions™ glass cookware is excellent cookware, but the only place I can find it anymore is on eBay.

Hope this has helped.

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My everyday cookware is aluminum, NOT non-stick (aluminum interior), and has a copper disk on the bottom. It’s very durable, dishwasher safe, don’t have to worry about teflon flaking off or using special utensils for fear of scratching it, and best of all–you can scrub it with a brillo pad if food sticks!

My suggestion to you is to go to Wal Mart or Target (or somewhere comparable) and check out their cookware. Look at the displays and compare pots. Find the cheapest sauce pot you can then lift it up and weigh it in your hand. It’ll be very light weight and almost flimsy. You want good, HEAVY cookware (not including the lid). Target has a brand that’s really quite good, called Bialetti. You can get a 10 piece set (includes the lids) for about $75–less than that if it’s onsale. Reasonably priced, very durable, and works well.

Regardless of what you end up buying, do not EVER EVER EVER take a pan or pot off a hot burner and submerge it in water to cool it down. This will ruin a skillet faster than anything. Maybe not immediately, but over time it’ll warp the bottoms and you’ll have a wobbly pot that won’t sit straight ona burner.

You take care of your cookware and it’ll take care of you.

Pricewise, cast aluminum is every bit as good used as it is brand new. You can even take an abused piece and make it good as new. So that makes it easier to get your hands on.

Cast aluminum is every bit as sturdy as cast iron with none of the high maintenance issues, plus it isn’t heavy. If you heat it before adding the food it won’t stick, but even if you burn something in it, cleanup is a breeze. You don’t have to season it or oil it, just wash well and dry or invert in a dishrack. I don’t have a dishwasher so I don’t know about that.

Another thing I like to use is Pyrex and Corningware. These are baking dishes, but Pyrex also has great mixing bowls and cups, etc as well as saucepans and skillets. The bakeware is so much easier to deal with than metal.

Glass is so much better than plastic for anything in the microwave. It is heavy and breakable but the flavors don’t seep in, they don’t stain, and they are easy to get clean. Plus most glass items go from fridge to freezer to mic, can be used for serving or food prep so it is really nice double duty stuff.

Another good alternative for metal bakeware is ceramic, or a pizza stone. For breads, cookies, pizza.