Teflon Pans

[Adalaide]

I feel like I'm going broke replacing so much stuff in my kitchen. Lots of things are metal and can just be cleaned and put in my safe place. I scored a set of Pyrex on Black Friday so I'm pretty well set on containers. I've picked up a few cooking utensils and such. Lots of things are plastic and wooden and most of my pans are teflon coated.

How important is it that I replace my pans? I'd say that more than half of what is/was cooked in them involved some sort of gluten. Are they really a danger to me and my recovery or can I just keep using them?

[GFreeMO]

The teflon pans should be ok if they are in good condition with no scratches. The theory is that gluten can hide in the scratches. I would use them if they are in good condition. Just run them through the dishwasher on sanitize or the pots and pans cycle.

[Adalaide]

Thanks! I already don't use the ones with scratches but have stainless steel options for the pots. The frying pans and wok are all in beautiful condition so I'm glad I can still use them. If I had my way I wouldn't go near teflon in the first place, but it isn't my kitchen so I try to keep my not so popular ideas to myself. I'll forever kick myself for making that first pizza on my new pizza stone. Just one, but if I find I can make decent gluten free pizza dough I'll have to buy a new one.

[Skylark]

You can cover your pizza stone with baking parchment or aluminum foil.

[red island]

I would just keep in mind that if you have cc issues down the road and are not sure where they came from that it could be the pans. I resisted replacing mine cause they were so expensive and the kitchen refit was already costing a small fortune. But I was not able to become totally gluten free til I stopped using those pans. But I did find a couple tiny scratches in them upon closer inspection.

[Adalaide]

I would just keep in mind that if you have cc issues down the road and are not sure where they came from that it could be the pans. I resisted replacing mine cause they were so expensive and the kitchen refit was already costing a small fortune. But I was not able to become totally gluten free til I stopped using those pans. But I did find a couple tiny scratches in them upon closer inspection.

I'll keep that in mind if it's an issue. The frying pans and wok are all nearly brand new so I doubt they're scratched up but I will definitely stay away from the pots. Using scratched teflon kind of freaks me out anyway, who knows what you're putting in your body when you use those. And that's coming from a Mtn. Dew and processed foods addict.

I'll remember the parchment paper thing as I try out pizza crusts. Once I like one though I'll get a new stone. I love how if you use herbed crusts it will eventually pick up the flavor and enhance it. (part of the reason I bought one) Heck, maybe we'll need two anyway if my husband absolutely hates gluten-free crusts.

[sa1937]

I'll keep that in mind if it's an issue. The frying pans and wok are all nearly brand new so I doubt they're scratched up but I will definitely stay away from the pots. Using scratched teflon kind of freaks me out anyway, who knows what you're putting in your body when you use those. And that's coming from a Mtn. Dew and processed foods addict.

I'll remember the parchment paper thing as I try out pizza crusts. Once I like one though I'll get a new stone. I love how if you use herbed crusts it will eventually pick up the flavor and enhance it. (part of the reason I bought one) Heck, maybe we'll need two anyway if my husband absolutely hates gluten-free crusts.

When I went gluten-free, my rule of thumb was that if I could get it clean, I kept it. If not, I either threw it away or donated it. My ancient teflon and some even more ancient Tupperware got thrown out but that probably should have been disposed of years ago. And not everything you buy has to be expensive like cutting boards, wooden spoons, etc.

I love parchment paper and it also works great on cookie sheets, too, as things don't stick to it.

And as far as pizza crusts are concerned, some of us have gotten pretty good at making our own and they are a whole lot better and also cheaper than buying them.

[Poppi]

STOP! You don't have to toss your pizza stone. Mine has baked literally hundreds of loaves of gluten bread and I was so sad to think of tossing it.

I ran it through 2 full self clean cycles (letting it cool and brushing off the accumulated ash in between) and it came out pristine! I use it all the time for gluten-free stuff now and I haven't had a problem.

[sa1937]

STOP! You don't have to toss your pizza stone. Mine has baked literally hundreds of loaves of gluten bread and I was so sad to think of tossing it.

I ran it through 2 full self clean cycles (letting it cool and brushing off the accumulated ash in between) and it came out pristine! I use it all the time for gluten-free stuff now and I haven't had a problem.

Great idea to know how well it worked. I'm going to pass this info on to my daughter as I know my son-in-law (the pizza maker in the family) does make gluten-free pizza.

[xjrosie]

For the teflon, go to the store and get one of those scrubbing sponges for delicate items (it's light blue with a slightly darker blue for the scrubbing side).

I can scrub my Teflon pans with this without damaging the surface, and my daughter's doctor said that should be efficient in getting all the residual gluten off the pan.

I also recommend parchment. Not only does it protect the surface from being glutened, but everything I bake with parchment underneath comes out so much better. I go through more parchment than I do aluminum foil.

[ciamarie]

I realized today I need to replace my non-stick griddle pan, it looks almost new, though I've had it a couple of years I think and I thought I cleaned it pretty well. I made some buckwheat pancakes on the pan a few days ago and got heartburn. I had heartburn all day, and the DH on the back of my knees acted up some. Since I was basically testing my reaction to buckwheat, I thought it had 'failed' the test. Then I read a message on here about teflon / nonstick pans and decided to try half a batch of batter in a stainless steel saute pan today. The result was, no heartburn. So I'm probably fine with buckwheat, but the nonstick griddle is going to have to find a new home with some gluten-eaters.