To know whether a non-stick pan is poisonous, we must first understand what it is.
Non-stick pan, that is, a pan that does not stick to the bottom of the pan when cooking, is because the bottom of the pan adopts a non-stick coating, and the common non-stick coatings are Teflon coating and ceramic coating. Today we are going to discuss whether it will cause cancer, that is, a non-stick pan coated with Teflon.
Teflon, chemical name polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Teflon itself has very stable chemical properties. What makes people question the safety of non-stick pan is another chemical component used in Teflon production, which is called ammonium perfluorooctanoate (PFOA).
Possible carcinogen: ammonium perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)
The role of ammonium perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) is to firmly fix Teflon coating on the surface of kitchen utensils. Laboratory data show that high dose PFOA exposure is related to the occurrence of cancer in animal models. PFOA may also lead to elevated cholesterol levels, thyroid diseases and infertility. To make matters worse, PFOA virus has also been found in people's blood samples and the environment.
However, it must be noted that at present, no research shows that PFOA detected in human blood comes from the use of Teflon kitchenware. Although PFOA can be detected in some public water sources, scientists do not know how PFOA entered our environment. PFOA is widely used to manufacture other products besides Teflon, including rainproof coat, fabric protective layer, Fire sets and sealant tape, so PFOA can enter our environment in many ways.
On the other hand, during the heating process of non-stick pan manufacturing, most PFOA was destroyed. Therefore, the content of PFOA in the finished non-stick pan should be very small.
Is it safe to use non-stick pan everyday?
A study published in the journal Food Additives and Pollutants tested 26 different brands of non-stick pans, and found that all the tested non-stick pans had no obvious pyrolysis phenomenon, and no chemicals were released after being heated at 250 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
However, if the non-stick pan is not used properly, for example, people in China especially like to wait for the oil to heat and smoke before cooking food, which will lead to the temperature exceeding 230 degrees Celsius. If the heating temperature is too high, the coating will indeed decompose and release toxic gases.
When the coating of non-stick pan is heated at 300℃, a small amount of pyrolysis products will be produced, which has no obvious stimulating effect. However, heating above 400 degrees Celsius for 4 hours can produce hydrolyzable fluoride such as hydrogen fluoride, which has a strong stimulating effect on the lungs. Therefore, the non-stick pan is not suitable for cooking, but it is safe to use the non-stick pan for rice cookers.
Teflon coated non-stick pan does contain carcinogenic substances, but the current research data show that as long as it is used properly, the non-stick pan has no obvious adverse effects on human health. Therefore, the statement that "non-stick pan is toxic and will cause cancer" is not entirely correct.
Matters needing attention in safe use of non-stick pan
Can the coating of non-stick pan fall off and continue to be used?
It is recommended to stop using it after starting to stick to the pot. The original intention of buying a non-stick pan is to cook beautifully and neatly, but once the coating of the non-stick pan falls off, the effect of the non-stick pan will be much worse and cleaning will become very troublesome.
What should I do if the coating of non-stick pan falls off?
1. Although the organic non-stick coating has strong performance, it is really not so wear-resistant. With the extension of the service time of the non-stick pan, the coating will be more or less destroyed or even peeled off.
2. During normal use, you don't have to worry about the health hazards caused by coating shedding. The performance of the coating is very stable at room temperature, even if you eat a small amount of coating particles, it will not affect your health. However, once the coating falls off, the non-stick effect will be greatly reduced and cleaning will become very troublesome, so use these non-stick pans with caution.
3. The service life of non-stick pan is relatively short. It is generally recommended that families change it once a year. If it exceeds one year or the coating falls off, it is recommended to reduce the number of uses.
4. Please use a spatula made of wood or synthetic material, otherwise it would be a tragedy to scratch the coating in minutes.
How to prevent the coating of non-stick pan from falling off
1, cannot be dry-burned.
A non-stick pan can't be dried without oil. Generally, you should put proper amount of oil in cooking, and you can't dry the non-stick pan. Without oil, the temperature in the pot suddenly rises, and the PTFE in the coating will become unstable or even decompose. This is the principle that high temperature will have a certain impact on the non-stick pan and it is easy to make the coating fall off.
2. Don't wash the hot pot cold.
Many people are used to washing the pot after dinner, which is a good cleaning habit, but the non-stick pot is not so clean. Because the non-stick pan has two parts, one is the pan body and the other is the coating, it is easy to separate the pan body and the coating when it is cooled after heating.
Suggestion: Wash the pot with cold water after cooling, or wash it with warm water before cooling.
3. Don't use too much force to clean the tools.
The material of non-stick pan is weaker than ordinary metal pan, so it can't be cleaned with steel balls like iron pan. Cleaning tools that are too hard will damage the coating.
Suggested tool: When cleaning the non-stick pan, try to choose a soft cloth strip for cleaning, and silk pulp with a slightly stronger cleaning power than the soft cloth strip can also be used.
4. Dry when not in use.
When you are not cooking, you should also pay attention to the cleanliness of the cooker. The service life of non-stick pan is not long, so in order to prolong the service life of non-stick pan, you should pay more attention to daily cleaning to prevent additional injuries.
The above is about whether it is harmful to the coating of wok. I believe everyone has understood. The surface coating of the non-stick pan does contain PFOA, which is likely to cause cancer, but it is safe as long as the non-stick pan is used correctly and the temperature is controlled, and it is not used for cooking and frying.