Are Nonstick Pans Bad For You? – Lifehacker
Photo: Berka7 (Shutterstock)
Nonstick pans are useful kitchen items. Our senior food and beverage editor Claire Lower won’t cook an over-easy egg or a thin pancake without one. But do you need to worry about the coating being bad for your health? Not exactly, but it’s important to know how to handle a nonstick pan properly.
The coating of concern is the one you might know as Teflon (one nonstick brand name). Chemically, it’s polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE. This substance isn’t a health hazard in itself. It’s inert, meaning it won’t react chemically with your body or anything else. But there are a few related chemicals that may be less safe.
What are the health concerns with the chemicals used in nonstick pans?
The chemical that people are usually concerned with when they talk ab...