Which Frying Pan? Why not Teflon?


One of the reasons Teflon is still in wide use in cookware is that has been difficult to determine what the real source of these chemicals in the people’s bodies is. In addition to non-stick cookware, the chemicals are found in many consumer products including shampoo, food grade paper products, carpets, lubricants, rug cleaners, garden tools, and even zippers. PFOA is released as water and air pollution during the manufacturing of carpets, clothing, and paper. These chemicals have been found in tested air, water, and food in every North American city where testing has been done. Sadly, the majority of us have this in our bloodstream as well.

Non-stick cookware became all the range in the low-fat craze, that sadly, so many people still adhere to as their main and only viable diet option. Less butter, less oil and voila – your food could be cooked at high temperature in the same fashion!

Now with time passing, we are learning that both non-stick cookware in its traditional sense and a low-fat diet in its traditional sense make no sense!
So, what are better options?

Well, first off your main 2 options are stainless steel and cast iron.

However, there is a secret to making this transition easier.

HOW YOU HEAT THE PAN.

The pan must be heated to the correct temperature BEFORE adding oil or the ingredients.

Now add a few drops of water to check if the temperature is hot enough. If the drops of water, instead of sizzling, bead up and dance around the pan without evaporating, like drops of mercury, the pan is just right.

All together now: HOT PAN/COLD OIL.

We will talk more about oils and butters in the weeks ahead.

Purchase recommendation:
11” stainless steel fry pan
12” cast iron

If you really must stick to non-stick, many manufacturers are now making lines without PFOA – before purchasing, I recommend researching and asking around.

Upcoming Recipes


You have no idea how many requests we get for recipes! As many of you know, I have a cookbook in the works, so getting feedback and more people testing recipes is always a fantastic thing for us to do. To start the ball rolling, I will be going back to the 2 other blogs I contributed to and posting some of the pertinent recipes and advice to set yourself up to really cook with ease and less. For the most part the emphasis will be on quality whole food and how it will contribute to your overall wellness. Don’t worry though, every once and then, a little indulgence will rear its head into the blog.

First things first.

You need some basic equipment that does a lot of things without being too expensive or take up too much room.

This bad boy is called the Cuisinart mini-prep plus. In Canada it goes for around $50.00 – but is often on sale. In the US – Macy’s and Target often have them around $20.00. Yes, you can buy a cheaper one – but trust me it won’t last. I should know – I have burned through 3 of the good ones and 4 of the bad ones.

A lot of the recipes, appetizers, sauces, etc. made on this blog will benefit highly from you purchasing one of these.

Until we meet again.

Chef Cat