I’m having a hard time weaning myself from my non-stick pan. I’ve had my suspicions about Teflon for years — hence the one pan — but haven’t given it up because I have yet to figure out how to make a perfect fried egg in non-non-stick pan.

Teflon and other non-stick coatings have yet to be officially classified as a health hazard, but the rumblings from the EPA are enough to cause concern — in late January the Agency requested an examination into the potentially carcinogenic properties of the chemical that helps non-stick coatings adhere to a pan. It makes sense. Non-stick cooking is too good to be true. Omelets slip onto the plate, cleaning up takes no more than a minute.

The results of the examination gave Teflon the vague status of a “likely carcinogen.” As the manufacturer of Teflon, DuPont stands by its claim that non-stick cooking poses little hazard, going so far as to take out full-page ads saying so in eight daily newspapers.

Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, was the chemical under scrutiny. Though it is found in most non-stick cooking surfaces, DuPont explained that the cookware goes through a heating process that destroys virtually all of the PFOA.

It is curious though, that low levels of PFOA have been found in the blood of 90% of Americans. The EPA hasn’t found the source of the chemical, but a spokesperson for the Agency says that it was most likely not non-stick cookware.

Now that my non-stick pan is officially potentially carcinogenic, I obviously don’t feel better about using it. Like many cooks around the country, my suspicions have been irreversibly roused and now I can’t use my pan with a clean conscious. It’s become a guilty pleasure. Something I use less and less. Almost never, really. Maybe I’ll take it out to impress the occasional guest with a flawless eggy brunch. Maybe. The eggs are just so perfect . . .

[via The Los Angeles Times]

Image: granitegearshop.com