Teflon Pans

[wowzer]

I had a conversation with my husband about gluten being in our teflon pans. He works for a food and equipment distributor. He claims it is impossible. He has dealt with health departments about pizza pans being scratched which they say could cause bacteria. The manufacturer claims even if it is a scratch you see there still is teflon there. I searched some on the web and did find answers to "If nothing sticks to teflon how does it stick?" It makes me wonder can gluten stick to teflon?

[Nantzie]

I'm not sure how it does, but somehow it just does sometimes. I had a slightly used, not scratched up (always handwashed it) teflon pan that I have never had problems with at all. I did throw away a couple that were really scratched up, which I probably should have pitched long before.

Once you've been gluten-free for a while, you'll be able to tell if something like this is an issue. But, you can't always go by symptoms because you can be causing damage and be asymptomatic.

If the pan in question is now designated to be a Gluten-Free Only pan, and you're not having any symptoms of being glutened after using it, I'd keep the pan.

I also replaced old scratched up plastic plates, and a few plastic cooking utensils that had little scratches and crevices that I didn't feel like I could clean well enough, etc. Some I pitched right away. Some I threw away only after I realized they were causing a problem.

Nancy

[RiceGuy]

Well, personally I've never seen a Teflon pan worth buying, much less actually using. I'll never use Teflon or silicon cookware/utensils. I only use stainless steel. There's nothing to scratch off or into, and I haven't had any trouble with food sticking to it either. Very very durable, and will last for decades I'm sure.

As for gluten (or basically any food residue) clinging to a scratch in a pan, I'd think yes. Any scratch in any kind of pan, since it's an irregular surface which gives the contamination something to cling to.

Just my two cents...

[BRUMI1968]

There are some pretty strong theories out there as to the health hazards of Teflon. No one can debate that the Teflon plants themselves put insane pollutants into nearby bodies of water...AND there is some evidence that eating off them exposes you to the same nasty chemicals. Of course, that is the hotly debated part.

I never use Teflon for these reasons. Plus Dow chemical, makers of Teflon, are involved in making all sorts of nasty crap used in war and other purposes I don't support.

I realize none of that has anything to do with gluten....but I don't like to mess around with things that MIGHT be hazardous to my health. In that area, I play the game guilty until proven innocent. I've only got this life, so I don't take chances.

[Cheri A]

I replaced my nasty teflon last summer with stainless and I *love* it. I did for the same reasons as the previous posters. I haven't had anything stick to badly at all. And no worries now about what is leeching into our food.

[Sillyyakdidi]

I had a conversation with my husband about gluten being in our teflon pans. He works for a food and equipment distributor. He claims it is impossible. He has dealt with health departments about pizza pans being scratched which they say could cause bacteria. The manufacturer claims even if it is a scratch you see there still is teflon there. I searched some on the web and did find answers to "If nothing sticks to teflon how does it stick?" It makes me wonder can gluten stick to teflon?

Yeah, i'm not sure how, but somehow, i heard that too. I don't know if it's a crazy rumor, but when I went gluten-free, i changed all my pots and pans just to be safe. Maybe its one of those weird rumors that we've all just latched on to for no apparent reason. If anyone finds out for sure, i'd love to know. Sorry, I know this was totally not helpful =D