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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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Teflon® is Not PFOA! Teflon® is a Brand! |
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Teflon® is a brand name and a registered trademark of DuPont. Teflon® stands for being non-stick, stain resistant, durable, reliable and innovative in the minds of customers and consumers. The brand has a 40-year history with consumers in non-stick cookware and they associate Teflon® with bringing convenience and easy care to their everyday lives. Teflon® is not PFOA and the improper use of the Teflon® brand as a synonym for PFOA is not only inaccurate but also constitutes a trademark violation.
Consumer Products Sold Under the Teflon® Brand Are Safe to Use
Consumer products made with DuPont materials are safe to use whether they are sold to consumers or to customers who fabricate or use our products as ingredients in consumer products. The U.S. EPA has said that at the present time, it does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products that contain PFOA.
In April, DuPont announced the results of an independent peer-reviewed study of consumer products produced either using PFOA or containing trace amounts of the compound – many of which are sold under the DuPont Teflon® brand. The study found the margins-of-safety for all articles tested ranged from 30,000 to over 9 billion, which dramatically exceeds the margins-of-safety of 100 to 1,000 typically used by regulatory agencies to judge the safety of pharmaceuticals, crop protection chemicals and other industrial chemicals. The study concluded that use of these commercial or consumer products would not result in any quantifiable exposure to PFOA in blood.
Cookware Using DuPont Non-Stick Coatings DO NOT Contain PFOA
Approved standard FDA tests show that non-stick coatings used for cookware including those sold under the Teflon® brand, do not contain any PFOA. Although PFOA is used to make the cookware coating, all of it is destroyed in the manufacturing process. Consumers can continue to use their Teflon® non-stick cookware with complete confidence.
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USING YOUR NON-STICK COOKWARE SAFELY |
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Is Cookware made with DuPont Non-stick Coatings Safe?
Yes. DuPont non-stick coatings on cookware are safe for everyday use. Confidence in the safety and performance of DuPont non-stick coatings is based on more than 40 years of laboratory testing and use in home and commercial kitchens. Moreover, a stringent certification program ensures that non-stick coatings by DuPont are used only in suitable applications.
How Can I be Sure DuPont Non-stick Coatings Are Safe?
Prior to market introduction, DuPont non-stick coatings were subjected to exhaustive studies at the Haskell Laboratory for Health & Environmental Sciences. DuPont provided the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with full disclosure of materials used in its non-stick coatings, and the FDA found them acceptable for conventional kitchen use. In addition, health regulatory agencies throughout the world have approved the use of DuPont non-stick coatings on cookware and housewares.
Cooks in more than 40 countries around the world have purchased billions of pots and pans with DuPont non-stick coatings. In all this experience, there has been no record of serious or chronic health effects, including cancer and birth defects.
Are There Steps I Can Take to Make Sure I Am Using Non-stick Cookware Safely?
Cookware should never be overheated. Low or medium heat is recommended for cookware with non-stick coatings. The coatings are completely safe for normal kitchen use, including baking or frying, and can be used at temperature up to approximately 500° F (260° C).
For example, meat is usually cooked at 204°C/400°F, poultry is generally roasted at 204°C/400°F and cookies and cakes are usually baked at around 190°C/375°F. On the stovetop, water boils at 100°C/212°F, scrambled eggs are cooked at 121°C/250°F while butter and cooking oil will begin to scorch and smoke at about 204°C/400°F. As is the case with most cookware products, non-stick cookware should not be left unattended or allowed to reach extreme temperatures. Additionally, cooking should not be conducted in poorly ventilated areas. Reading manufacturers’ instructions for proper usage before using any cookware is recommended.
Reading the manufacturers’ instructions before using cookware is very important.
What Is "Normal" Or "Conventional" Kitchen Use?
Cookware with DuPont non-stick coatings can be used at temperatures up to approximately 500° F (260° C) without damage to the coating. This is well above the temperatures required for boiling, frying and baking.
Temperatures of 500º F to 550º F are typically used for broiling. DuPont does not recommend use of non-stick coated cookware at those temperatures.
What Happens If Non-stick Coated Cookware is Overheated?
At high temperatures, the quality of the coating may begin to deteriorate - it may dis-color or lose its non-stick quality. This can begin to occur at temperatures above 500º F.
If heated to an extremely high temperature, the coating may begin to decompose and give off fumes. Fats, butter, or cooking oil will begin to scorch and smoke at about 400° F (204° C). DuPont non-stick coatings will not begin to significantly decompose until temperatures exceed about 600° F (316° C) – more than 200º F above the smoke point for cooking oil, fats or butter. It is therefore unlikely that decomposition temperatures for non-stick cookware would be reached while cooking without burning food to an inedible state.
How can I prevent Non-stick Cookware from Overheating?
It is best if a coated pan is used on low or medium heat. Higher temperatures (above 500º F) can be reached while cooking, but the food will likely burn and smoke to unacceptable levels. Even higher temperatures (above 600º F) can be reached within minutes, if dry or empty cookware is left on a hot burner or in a hot oven. Non-stick cookware should not be left unattended or allowed to get very hot without food in the pan.
Are Fumes From Overheated Non-stick Coated Cookware Harmful To People?
All fumes can be irritating or even harmful. Butter, fats, and cooking oils will begin to smoke at 400° F (204° C), producing fumes that can irritate eyes, nose and throat and possibly cause respiratory distress.
DuPont non-stick coatings will not begin to deteriorate in appearance or performance until the temperature of the cookware reaches about 500° F (260° C). The coating will not show significant decomposition unless temperatures exceed about 600° F (316° ). Only at these extremely high temperatures (600º F and above) could non-stick coatings emit fumes that could produce a temporary flu-like condition called "polymer fume fever.
What is Polymer Fume Fever?
"Polymer fume fever" is a temporary flu-like condition that occurs as a result of exposure to fumes from significantly overheated and decomposed fluoropolymer materials. It occurs primarily in industrial settings, in areas where extreme high heat processes such as welding or sintering might occur. "Polymer fume fever" requires no special treatment and has no long-term health effects associated with it.
Can I Get Polymer Fume Fever?
Polymer fume fever occurs primarily in industrial settings, in areas where extreme high heat processes such as welding or sintering might occur. In conventional cooking situations, there is no coating decomposition and therefore no potential exposure to polymer fumes. However, if a consumer believes he or she has overheated a non-stick pan, the pan should be removed from the heat source and the area ventilated. Any pan heated to a high enough temperature to result in coating decomposition would likely be so severely damaged it would be unusable thereafter.
Are Fumes From Over-heated Non-stick Cookware Hazardous To Household Pets?
With the exception of birds, household pets are not adversely affected by fumes from overheated non-stick cookware.
Because they have particularly sensitive respiratory systems, birds can be injured by many kinds of household fumes, including those from aerosol sprays, burning butter or cooking oils, and cleaning solvents.
In addition, with their high respiration rate and low body weight, birds are susceptible to fumes long before they affect people. (You’ve probably heard stories of miners who took canaries into mines with them to detect the presence of dangerous gas because birds would be affected by the gas before the miners would.) The effect of any fumes on a bird depends on the bird’s size and species, and the amount and duration of exposure to the fumes.
Bird owners can take several precautions to protect pet birds from cooking fumes (1) keep birds out of the kitchen; (2) observe good cooking practices and never allow cookware to overheat; and (3) keep the cooking area well ventilated.
Can I Get Sick from Eating Particles Of Non-stick Coatings?
DuPont non-stick coatings on cookware are formulated and quality tested to resist peeling or chipping which will occur if cookware is misused. However, in the event that particles from DuPont non-stick coatings are accidentally eaten, there is no danger. These particles are harmless. They are nontoxic and inert. If eaten, they pass directly through the body and are not absorbed. The FDA has stated that eating particles of non-stick coating poses no health threat.
Are All Non-stick Cookware Coatings Made with Teflon?
No. Consumers frequently use the term "Teflon" to refer to any non-stick coating. However, Teflon® is a DuPont-owned registered trademark for non-stick coatings and other products.
Other companies make non-stick coatings that are marketed under different brand names. While non-stick coatings may vary somewhat, most are based on the same basic materials – known as fluoropolymers.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Cookware Coated with Non-Stick Coating?
Non-stick coating provides an easy and convenient way to enhance your cooking experience. Cookware coated with non-stick is safe at cooking temperatures up to 500° F/260° C, which is beyond the temperature that foods are normally prepared.
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Will the non-stick hurt me if I swallow it? |
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No. Non-stick coatings are safe and pose no hazard to human health.
In the event that particles of non-stick coating are accidentally ingested,
there is no danger because the coatings are inert and non-toxic. The U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FD) has found the composition of non-stick coatings
acceptable for conventional kitchen use.
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Does Cooking in Aluminum Cookware cause Alzheimer's disease? |
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This belief stems from some studies that revealed aluminum
deposits in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, and have raised
concerns that they may have been a connection with use of aluminum cookware.
But this theory remains unproven. The following is important information to
remember about aluminum and cookware:
· Food cooked in Berndes Cookware never actually comes in contact
with the aluminum body of the pan. Berndes cookware is treated both inside
(3 layer) and outside (2 layer) with non-stick coatings. The only area of
exposed aluminum on a Berndes pan is the bottom.
· Only a minute amount of aluminum transfers to food even when
you're cooking in uncoated aluminum cookware. More aluminum may be ingested
in over-the-counter medications (some antacids, buffered aspirin, etc.) than
from eating food prepared in older aluminum cookware.
· The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports there is
no direct correlation between this illness and the eating of food prepared
in aluminum cookware. The latest research available indicates that a heretical
gene mutation is the problem cause.
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Ideas and Uses for Dutch Ovens, Sauteuse Pans and Woks. |
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Dutch Ovens  Click here to see
The Berndes Oven is indispensable for creating one-pot sumptuous meals like chili, braised chicken and beef stew. The 7-qt Oven is large enough for most families to dig in and still get seconds and maybe even leftovers. The oven has a heavy, cast aluminum bottom, excellent for slow cooking. With this oven you can crank up the heat at the beginning to make foods flavorful, crusty and brown and then lower the temperature to a simmer on the stovetop or in the oven. For self-basting, the domed-glass lid lets steam rise, condense and return to the foods. As always with Berndes cookware, the nonstick surface makes for easy cleanup - no need to soak or scrub the pot.
Sauteuse Pans Click here to see
Similar to the Oven but smaller, the Berndes Sauteuse pan is ideal for slow cooking vegetables in their own juices such as artichokes, turnips or tomatoes. To make a tomato puree, for instance, simply place tomatoes in the sauteuse, cover with the domed-glass lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. The tomatoes will be tender and juicy - ready to be blended. As always, the nonstick surface makes for easy cleanup - no need to soak or scrub the pot.
Wok Click here to see
The design of this pan makes it ideal for a cooking a stirfry, risotto or sauces. With risotto for instance, you want to have a small base to speed the boiling time but a large opening at the top to expedite the evaporation process. The uses are almost unlimited making the Gourmet Pan the most versatile pan in the kitchen. The pan is the perfect vessel for a quick, even heat to sauté vegetables or slices of meat and because it is so deep with its sloping sides, you can add any number of ingredients and liquids without splashing over the side. |
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