Nonstick Fry Pan

While I do use nonstick bakeware it has been years since I gave up on nonstick pots and pans preferring instead to use stainless steel or cast iron.  Nonstick especially Teflon® has come under fire because of possible off gassing that can cause respiratory and other health problems.  Other than two fry pans I gave up on nonstick for pots and pans well before those warnings ever came out.  However as a home cook who loves to cook I like having a couple of nonstick frypans in different sizes.  Nonstick reduces the need for oil and gives excellent results for certain foods like eggs. 

Here's where I ran into a problem.  Back when I got rid of my nonstick I bought 2 nice Lagostina International fry pans on sale but they weren't cheap!  I looked after them too with not using metal tools in them and always hand washing.  The larger one failed after a couple of years of use so I replaced it with another that also failed.  My husband brought home a KitchenAid nonstick frypan (~ $60) to replace the Lagostina.  Despite careful care the other day I was to the point of being tempted to get out a piece of steel wool.  I was very disappointed as KitchenAid is one of my favourite brands.  That fry pan is not even a full 2 years old!  It has never been in the dishwasher or had metal utensils in it nor has it been abused by using high temperatures yet the coating failed!

A couple of months ago I bought a 12" commercial grade nonstick fry pan from Sam's Club to replace the last Lagostina.  This was a heavy-guage, aluminum frypan with cast stainless steel handle (with removable silicone grip) and Eclipse® nonstick coating.  The frypan is NSF certified as well.  It cost me about $20 but the frypan is quite heavy and so far has performed as expected to the point I bought another one last night.  It was a 10" frypan for $15.64.  For less than the replacement cost of one KitchenAid I ended up with 2 heavy duty, commercial grade nonstick frypans.  Hopefully that will be the last of having to replace them!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Plastic Food Container Dilemna

A couple of days ago I posted about the new plastic food storage containers I bought.  Plastic in the kitchen presents a real dilemna.  Over the past couple of years I have been working to eliminate as much plastic as possible in the kitchen especially for food storage however this is actually a bit more challenging than it appears.  There is no doubt that food storage is a necessary aspect of any kitchen.  While a variety of wraps and bags are available these are not eco-friendly or frugal choices.  Food storage ranges from dry to refrigerator to freezer so containers used must be flexible.  Tupperware® was all the rage years ago when were newlyweds but it was something I never did get into.  I only have 4 pieces of this higher end plastic food storage/serving containers, two of which are the old harvest gold which gives their age away.  Several years ago I eliminated plastic wrap and food storage bags other than for freezer use in favour of inexpensive, disposable containers (eg. GladWare, Ziploc).  The problems with these containers is:

• they do break when frozen
• they create an incredible amount of clutter
• lids go missing
• they end up adding to landfills
• snap on lids can come loose and leak

However, they are inexpensive so are perfect for gift giving and I don't mind if they go missing.  When I decided to eliminate more plastic from the kitchen these were my first targets.  Years ago I bought glass baking dishes that came with plastic lids.  The lids have stood the test of time so I looked for storage ones that would go from freezer to oven.  Canadian Tire puts sets of Anchor Hocking glass bakeware on sale so I bought 3 sets to be used for food storage in the refrigerator and baking in the oven.  Still the lids are plastic which really is a trade-off but are better than plastic wrap or disposable containers.  At some point plastic food storage containers are necessary for freezer use especially since I don't like using glass in my freezers and for use in the boat, picnic, and dock/pool areas where glass breakage has the potential for personal injury.  I have revised my use of plastic in the kitchen from eliminating entirely to minimizing.  My requirements for kitchen plastics are:

• BPA free
• heavy duty, not disposable
• spill free plastic containers - screw-on or locking type lids
• lids on glassware are heavy duty, sealing securely

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Food Storage Containers

Rubbermaid® Lock-its

Quite some time ago we started on our quest to rid our kitchen of as much plastic as possible.  The main reason was I felt that going to glass containers for food storage was a better eco-friendly choice and for the most part they are.  The lids are plastic but other than that I am quite happy with the performance.  Over the past year I have worked at getting rid of plastic food storage containers mainly because they were old, stained and many were missing lids.  I quickly found though that plastic storage containers are better suited than glass for some uses especially on the boat. 

My dilemna was I did not want to buy the cheaper disposable plasticware like Ziploc® containers because quite frankly I've been down that road.  Essentially I was looking for better quality for the few pieces I wanted.  I wanted plasticware that was BPA free even though I don't use plasticware in the microwave oven and seldom put it into the dishwasher.  I wanted something sturdy enough to be leak proof and live up to regular travel.  I tried out 2 pieces of the Rubbermaid® Lock-its for a couple of months.  I liked how they performed so this weekend bought a 12 piece set.  These are perfect for taking on the boat where glass food storage containers pose the higher risk of breakage.  I want to pick up a couple of the larger ones our next shopping trip to the US as I haven't found these containers on the Canadian side.  That along with 5 screw top Ziploc containers comprise my plasticware food storage used mainly for travel purposes.  It's not a lot especially when compared to the plasticware of others.  They don't take up much room, stack nicely by snapping together and basically fit a specific need.  The down side is I will not be readily willing to part with these storage containers like I would the disposabale ones but that's ok. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Nami Coated Glass Bakeware

On our last grocery shopping trip my husband noticed non-stick glass bakeware in the sundry aisle.  We have been eliminating as much plastic as possible in the kitchen in favour of glass.  We have a fair amount of glass bakeware but another piece is always welcomed.  We decided to buy a piece of this new non-stick glass bakeware to try it out.  If we like it there are a couple of nice sizes that would be perfect when baking for two.

This glass 9" x 14" baking dish has Nami silicone non-stick coating giving the non-stick capabilities of silicone bakeware with the sturdiness and rigidity of glass bakeware.  It is made of borosilicate glass that provides excellent heat distribution, durability and resistance to extreme temperature changes.  Metal utensils should be avoided with this coating as affect the appearance of the dish but will not impact the performace of the Nami coating.  The coating may absorb colours from certain foods and some discolouration is likely to occur but will not affect performance or flavour.  The baking dish should be hand washed only with warm, soapy water.

I could not find a lot of information on the Nami silicone-based coating.  The coating is PTFE-free and PFOA-free.  It is an environmentally safe, anti-bacterial and eco- friendly alternative to Teflon® non-stick coating.  The coating is FDA approved.  The coating gives the glass a frosted appearance.   I think this will be the best of non-stick in that there is the convenience of silicone without having to use a second pan.  I will post an update on how I like the performance of this baking dish after using it a few time.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012