Cook smart precautions

You can use nonstick safely, as long as you use it properly. Any food that cooks quickly on low or medium heat and coats most of the pan’s surface (which brings down the pan’s temperature) is unlikely to cause problems; that includes food like scrambled eggs, pancakes, or warmed-up leftovers. And many other kinds of cooking safe as well, the only food prep that yielded a nonstick pan temperature exceeding 600 F in less than ten minutes was steak in a lightweight pan. But to be cautious, keep these tips in mind.

• Never preheat an empty pan
In tests, each of the three empty nonstick pans heated on high reached temperatures above 500 degrees in less than five minutes and the cheapest, most lightweight pan got there in under two minutes. Even pangs with oil in them can be problematic.

• Don’t cook on high heat
Most nonstick manufacturers, now advise consumers not to go above medium. To play it safe, set your knob to medium or low, and don’t place your nonstick cookware over so called power burners, those burners, seen more often in recent years, are intended for tasks like boiling a large pot of water quickly.

• Ventilate your kitchen
When cooking turn on the exhaust fan to help clear away any fumes.

• Don’t broil or sear meats
Those techniques require temperatures above what nonstick can usually handle

• Choose a heavier nonstick pan
Lightweight pans generally heat up fastest, so invest in heavier weight cookware it’s worth the extra money.

• Avoid chipping or damaging the pan
We’ve all been told not to use metal utensils on nonstick pans. Newer products may be hard to chip, “because the adhesion between the pan and the nonstick coating is better”. If pans do chip or flake they may be more likely to release toxic compounds. To prevent scratching use wooden spoons to stir food, avoid steel wool, and don’t stack these pans.