Pans Made with Healthy Technology

In 2006, 90% of all aluminum pans sold had a Teflon (or similar) coating on them which made them easy to clean and needed less oil/butter to cook foods*.  Teflon pans hit households by storm and everyone had one, two, or more.  There’s been
a lot of talk over the years about Teflon pans and their possible health hazards.

A number of conflicting reports have been written up as to whether Teflon is now seen as toxic or not.  According to  Robert L. Wolke, Ph.D.,  professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, Teflon pans are fine, as long as they’re not overheated.  Wolke states*,

“When [Teflon pans are overheated], 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.”

Wolke goes on to say,

“There’s a whole chemistry set of compounds that will come off when Teflon is heated high enough to decompose,” 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 non-stick.”

OK, well, there you have it, that pretty much sums it all up!  So basically, a Teflon pan will begin to decompose when it reaches 500 degrees.  That seems simple enough, just keep the temperature down.  However, unlike an oven, when you turn on the burners on your stove, you simply have no idea how hot your pan is.  The Good Housekeeping Research Institute conducted a test with various types of Teflon pans, from lightweight to heavy, to see how long it took them to reach 500 degrees on a typical household stove.  They were surprised at how quickly this temperature was reached when cooking common foods.

Is Thermolon A Healthy Technology for Pans?

We don’t typically talk about cooking pans…unless there is some sort of electrical unit attached to it.  But in June, we were introduced to a company called Green+Life that caught our interest.  The technology of their product lies in the heat conducting coating of their cooking pans.  They use a patented technology called Thermolon™, which is a superior non-stick layer that is resistant to high temperatures.  Heating up your pan, even up to 850 degrees, will not cause an toxic fumes and their cookware will not blister or peel.

Here’s a comparison of Thermolon’s non-stick technology compared to past non-stick coatings like Teflon…

Thermolon™ healthy ceramic provides for an even heat distribution throughout the pan, is non-stick, and easy-to-clean.  Furthermore, Green+Life products are cadmium and lead-free, without PFOA.  PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), a synthetic chemical compound used to make  fluoropolymer- and telomer-based consumer products, like Teflon.

Originated in Europe, Green+Life was brought to the United States to give American consumers superior pan technology at reasonable prices.  Features include…

Features:

• patented Thermolon™ healthy ceramic non-stick coating
• heat resistant up to 850^oF
• easy-to-clean
• dishwasher safe
• oven safe
• cadmium-free
• lead-free
• contains no PFOA
• scratch resistant

Pros:

• I found the Thermolon pan very easy to clean
• there are a number of fun, vibrant colors to choose to brighten up your kitchen
• the prices are very reasonable
• love the white ceramic look inside the pan, you food really pops on it
• the pans are lightweight, which makes it easier for you and your kids to handle
• pans can be put directly in the oven
• The coating is very scratch-resistant, hard and more resistant to thermal shocks

Cons:

• the rubberized comfortable pan handle can get burned if close to an open burner flame (don’t ask me how I know!)
• unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, some stains would not come off the pan with soap and water

How do Thermolon Pans Cook?

I tried two of the Green+Life pans.  I used the 12″ Fry pan and 12 cup ceramic non-stick Muffin Pan.  Both pans are in a super cool turquoise color.  Such a pleasant look, after using dark pans for years.

My first recipe was to make chicken tacos.  I simply fried up the corn tortillas using a bit of canola oil.  I was impressed at how good they turned out.  Using a white pan to cook with somehow makes the cooking process more fun and the food more robust looking.

Didn’t the taco turn out beautifully?  In fact, they turned out so good, that I made some sort of tacos three days in a row!

The next day, I needed to change the taco bit up again, so I found a good recipe on Pinterest and cooked up Korean Tacos with Slaw.  The recipe was awesome, I highly recommend it.

Good stuff.  The next day I made this recipe again for some families we were having over.  I loved how even the kids wanted the slaw and loved these tacos.  OK, enough tacos, onto something else!

Another great Pinterest find was using this great 2 ingredient recipe using  pre-made Pillsbury dough and adding a full Reese’s peanut butter cup on top!  I had to try it!

I decided to use my GreenLife 12 cup Muffin Pan to make thicker more uniformed cookies…reminiscent in fact of a true Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

As you can see, the cookies turned out beautifully and I was very impressed at how well they came out of the pan.  I cooled them, inside the pan, for about 10 minutes, then I used a flat spatula to lift them out.  Beautiful!  I think from now on, I’m going to make muffin pan cookies, they look so great. Oh, and the cookies were scrumptious!

The muffin pan works wonderfully as well and I’ll tell you, it’s not a lightweight piece of cookware.  It’s very sturdy and lives up to its non-stick promise.

A Couple of Things I Learned

By reading through the Green+Life website, I learned a few interesting tidbits…

Is Oil Necessary with a Non-Stick Pan?

Without an oil or fat in the pan, your food will carbonize even quicker and end up sticking to your pan.  It is recommended to use oil, even in a non-stick pan.  If you are looking for healthier ways to cook your food, try steaming, or other methods such as baking or grilling.

High Smoke Point Oils

Temperatures in pans tend to heat up really fast.  Smoke points are the point in time when fats begin to carbonize, so you want to use oils that can tolerate high temperatures.  Oils with high smoke points include olive oil, peanut oil, corn oil, and (clarified) butter.  Do not use extra virgin olive oil, as it will carbonize very fast.  Once you carbonize oils and fats on your pan, it will begin to deteriorate the non-stick performance quickly.

I found this very interesting because I always cook with extra virgin olive oil and have always wondered why food doesn’t clean up well from my non-stick pans.  This was an Ahaa moment for me.

Green+Life pans are very reasonably priced and available at Walmart and Walmart.com.  The 12″ Fry pan sells for $24.98 and the 12 cup Muffin Pan sells for $14.98.

A Mom’s Perspective

I love that Green+Life offers a wide variety of healthy cookware and bakeware options in a number of stylish colors at affordable prices.  If you haven’t yet replaced your Teflon pans (I’m guilty of still having a few), Green+Life is a good viable solution.  Don’t let its lightweight fool you into thinking that it is not of as good quality as other heavier, more expensive pans.  I have been very pleased with the color, tenderness, and taste of the dishes and sauces I have made in the 12″ fry pan.

Interested in more Green+Life reviews?  Here are a couple more from other Walmart Moms:

Jennae @ GreenYourDecor.com

Jenn @ FrugalUpstate.com

 

 

 

 

* WebMD http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/nervous-about-nonstick