A few years ago, my son wanted to get me a Mother’s Day gift I would use… so he asked what I wanted, and I said an egg pan that was not Teflon coated but didn’t take all day to clean.
Tall order, I thought.
He got me two non-stick granite pans made by Michaelangelo. They looked good and worked great and I was really pleased.
Time has passed, and the surfaces have gotten fuzzy from repeated cleaning… and they’ve been pushed to the back of the cabinet as we have used the cast irons more and more.
But I wonder… what are granite pans made of anyway?
I Googled around and found that they are “not actually made of granite stone, but named for its resemblance to the texture.”
Okay, but what are the pans made of?
Seems there are 2 kinds: Teflon (PTFE) and vitreous enamel.
- Teflon (PTFE) cookware can release toxic fumes when used at high temperatures. PTFE stands for polytetraflouroethylene.
- Vitreous enamel cookware is considered safer than Teflon, but chips or cracks in the enamel can allow metal (aluminum) in the pan to leach into food.
For both types, it is recommended that you use soft utensils when cooking and wash them carefully to avoid scratches or pitting.
The Michaelangelo website sells these pans labelled as “100% Toxic-Free — Free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium.” I sure hope that is true!
Anyway, these are too scratched up. Throwing them away!
The Cancer Canary 