Like most couples, my husband and I registered for gifts at one of those bath-kitchen-and-so-much-more type of stores before our wedding. On our list: an abundance of stem and barware (because at the time I worked as a bartender), lots of napkins and placemats, knives, towels, sheets, a juicer (which we never used), a food dehydrator (which melted itself), fine china, everyday dishes, silverware and of course a complete cookware set. At the time, eight years ago, I knew I wanted non-stick pots and pans. I didn’t want the hassle of having to use steel wool to scrape off burned food debris from my dishes and I’m OCD enough that I don’t like to leave dishes to (God-forbid) soak overnight. So I registered for the top of the line non-stick set that had it all: gigantic Wok to tiny omelet pan. Along with the non-stick set we received two cast iron skillets, which sat untouched for years.

I’ve used every pan in my set, some on a daily basis: the 8” omelet and the 12” saute pan. A few years ago the non-stick coating stopped working. It didn’t flake off, but there were enough scratches in the finish that it was rendered useless. So I went out and bought the same exact ones as a replacement. Now, two and half years later, those same pans are doing the same thing: loosing their non-stick properties. And I take good care of them, I stack them in the cabinet with paper towel between them (ahem...OCD) to protect from scratches and I wash them exclusively by hand.

Although I primarily use my non-stick pans for cooking breakfast and dinner this year I pulled those cast iron skillets out of the bottom drawer, dusted it off and stared using them. One of them was very rusted and I got rid of it (this was before I learned that there is a remedy for rusty cast iron pans). The other was unused, so I was starting fresh. The first thing I cooked in it was bacon, after hearing that it would help “break it in” and give it a good seasoning. I’ve been using the cast iron since then for cooking chicken and steaks, but have yet to use it for cooking my morning eggs. For that I still use my 8” non-stick omelet pan.

I’ve heard snippets here and there of some health risks associated with using non-stick pans and I know there are benefits to using cast iron. But I decided to do a little research myself. What I found will completely change the landscape of my kitchen.

The cooking surface of most non-stick pans is comprised of perfluorocarbons or PFC’s a man-made chemical compound that gives the pan it’s non-stick properties. PFC’s are not only found in cookware, they are in food packaging, cleaning products, stain-repellants, some cosmetics and water-proof fabrics to name a few. According to a study in the Environment International Journal of Environmental Science, Risk and Health the primary source of PFC exposure for humans is dietary ingestion. Although PFC’s are a highly stable compound, they do breakdown over time and it is the breaking down that can produce harmful exposure. There are few studies on the affect of PFC on humans, but the general consensus is the more you are exposed to them (though cookware, food packaging, household cleaners and clothing) the more of the compound builds up in your body and can produce harmful health affects, some of the worst include infertility and early onset of menopause according to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. As helpful and convenient as technology is it may not always be the best thing for us, which is what led me to cast iron.

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Cooking with cast iron may seem old fashioned but there are some real health benefits that outweigh the convenience of modern-day cookware. Cast iron cookware leeches small amounts of iron into food during cooking, which can be beneficial for those with anemia of people in need of a diet higher in iron, like pregnant women. Cast iron pans also have a higher heat capacity than most other pans and as a result are excellent at searing meats, which means a similar affect as grilling, which is great for anyone living in New England who wants that seared-grill affect on their meats during the winter. And a well seasoned pan has the same non-stick properties as those chemically produced non-stick surfaces.

Cast iron cooking isn’t nearly as inconvenient as I initially thought. I was under the impression that care for the pan would be time consuming, but now that our pan is well seasoned and we use it on a regular basis the care is simple: rinse with water, scrub off food debris, rinse again with water, dry thoroughly then rub with oil. It takes all of a few minutes, slightly longer than washing my non-stick pans by hand, but well worth it. And cast iron is much cheaper than its non-stick counter part (a Lodge 8" omelet pan is $16.95 and a Calphalon 8" omelet pan is $39.99), so replacing my current pans with cast iron won’t break the bank.

So many of us put so much time and energy into selecting organic or locally grown food so that we can provide healthy meals for our families. But we negate the health properties of those foods by cooking them in pans coated with harmful PFC’s. I can’t completely control my or my family’s exposure to PFC’s but I feel like I should do something about the areas I can control and one of those is our cookware. So I’ve decided to swap out our non-stick cookware for cast iron. It won’t happen in a day, but piece by piece I’ll soon be cooking exclusively with cast iron.

--Sarah

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Resources I found helpful:

PFC Information:

National Collaboration Center for Environmental Health October 2010 “Potential human health effects of perfluorinated chemicals (PFC’s)"

Environment International Journal of Environmental Science, Risk and Health