Did You Know – Nonstick Pans
Do you use nonstick pans to cook with? I do, I have for decades and I love cooking with them. Did you know you should never preheat a nonstick pan without adding a small amount of oil or butter first?
Do you see anything wrong with the picture above? When you see the smoke in this picture, think of it as fumes. If you preheat an empty nonstick pan it can reach high temperatures quickly.
Aside from potentially damaging the nonstick coating, it also can potentially release harmful fumes if the temperature gets too high.
Go ahead and keep using your nonstick pans if you have them. They are safe as long as you make sure you never put them on the heat without adding butter or oil first to protect the coating and prevent them from overheating. After all, keeping you and your family safe from potentially harmful fumes is important!
Image: WP AI
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Cooking Tips, Did You Know
Great info. I personal like using ceramic coated or seasoned cast iron – though their a pain to reason if someone happens to was it with soap water ☹️
I love my enamel cast iron pot as well, however, any cast iron is good as far as I’m concerned.
Yes I agree. I just bought an unseasoned cast iron. Now all I need to do is season it.
Have you tried the newer lighter cast iron pans, I think they are made by Lodge, that are less weight? I have so many cast iron pans and the older I get the heavy they get.
Great, well done, good luck and have a nice day
Thank you and you have a nice day too.
Thank you Diane I didn’t know that. x
You’re very welcome Adele!
Another useful tip
Thank you Derrick
Thanks for the tip, Diane…
You’re welcome!
More great advice Diane
Thank you Sheree
I didn’t know that!
You would think they would really stress it can cause harmful fumes. But then again, it’s a skillet, I take it out of the packaging, wash it and use it. Who would think you need to read the fine print. Lol
We’ve replaced ours with PFAS-free nonstick pans.
Good move, we cook a lot on ours but I never heated them without something in the skillet. I was afraid it would crack the coating so I always avoided heating them dry.
I did not know this, Diane. We usually do put butter or oil in first, but we will be sure to do that from now on.
Great because it sounds like the fumes from it is not good for you.
good to know
Thank you Beth, have a great day!
Good info. Thanks, Diane!
Thank you Linda and you’re very welcome!
Thanks Diane! I can’t remember if you also use cast iron?
I have so many cast iron pans and the food always tastes great from them. The only problem I have now is the weight of them. The older I get the harder it is to lift them.
What about cast iron pans? That’s about all I fry with.
Nothing wrong with cast iron, I use them too. They do give us iron every time we cook in them, which is a good thing. The iron from the skillet leaches into our food. It’s just the nonstick coating that gives off the bad fumes if nothing is in the skillet.
That amazes me that the iron from my pans is a good thing for me. I always oil my pans so what will that do for me? Ha ha!
Make the food taste better! 🤣
Good to know about this, Diane! I’ll be sure to use extra butter… you know, for extra safety. 😂
Sounds like the perfect solution Ab! 😉
Yes, scary stuff with those fumes. We could not use Teflon pans or iron with a Teflon iron near our canary as the fumes could harm his airways. Canaries’ throat structures are apparently (according to the canary care book we bought) different than other birds, like a parakeet for instance and the fumes are toxic if they get into their throats.
One year my dad had a fire in the fireplace. He thought the coals were out enough and he closed the damper. When they woke up their canary was dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. Luckily their bedroom was far enough away that it didn’t affect them.
Wow! Yes, canaries throat structure is different and that’s why they sing like they do. They will die of asphyxiation very quickly. That’s what happened to Ann Marie’s first African Grey – her husband was taking bread out of the oven and dropped it and the bread and baking pan (ceramic) caught on fire and Cookie died. It was close to the kitchen.
Didn’t they take canaries into the mines and if the bird died they knew to get out of there?
Yes, you’re right about that Diane … there is even an expression about it. Terrible for the bird, but I guess it would have saved miner’s lives.
Thank you for sharing this helpful information! I’ve been using nonstick pans for a long time too, and I wasn’t fully aware of the risks of preheating them empty. It’s a great reminder to always use a little butter or oil first to protect the coating and ensure safety. Practical tips like these are so valuable for everyday cooking—appreciate you taking the time to highlight this!
You’re welcome!
This is a very good tip Diane! Before we even put our nonstick pan on the plate, it already has butter or oil in it. Hats off to nonstick pans 🎩🎩.
Thank you Corna!
I rarely use a non stick pan only as my own preference. I just don’t think food tastes as good. For example…fry an egg on a non stick. Then try one in stainless or, even better, cast iron. There is a huge difference to me. By the way, wine often ages in stainless steel barrels too! 🍷🍷🍷
Stainless steel barrels! What is different in taste and smell compared to wooden barrels? I can’t cook on stainless steel pans, I always burn the food but cast iron or non stick I never burn it.
No,no. You have mis-written. You don’t burn foods, you cook them a little too well. Goddesses don’t make mistakes. 😃😃
The last time I cooked on them was years ago. It was a cheap set of pans so that didn’t help. Lol
Great information! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
excellent tip! Since I’m basically a humanoid wrecking ball in the kitchen I can use all the help I can get!
Thank you Kristen!
Good tip. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Linda!
I did not know that! Thanks for the info on having to add butter or oil first 🙂
You’re very welcome Tierney!
Thank you so much for the good instructions. I wish you growth and blessings IN Dines kitchen. 🙏🏻🌹🌹🙋🏻♀️
You are so kind, thank you!