Saucepan Set Offers and the Non-Stick PFAS Controversy

Panorama ran an interesting, and frankly rather worrying, programme on Monday about PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals” (they earned the name because they don’t naturally break down in the environment). I thought you might like to know what I’ve learned about them in relation to cookware, before I tell you later about a few offers we have on saucepan sets.

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, (PFAS for short)
PFAS is a vast chemical family, there are more than ten thousand of them, used everywhere: non-stick cookware, carpets, upholstery, cosmetics, clothes, food packaging, electronics. Because many are water-soluble, they’re now in our rivers, our tap water and, inevitably, in our bodies. A slightly chilling thought.

Panorama did a decent job laying out some of the facts, but also tugged on the heartstrings where perhaps it shouldn’t. They featured a man who had worked at an ICI chemical plant and is now almost wheelchair-bound. Awful as his situation is, even the programme admitted there’s no evidence linking his illness to PFAS exposure. Emotional? Yes. Conclusive? Well no!
To get some clarity, I asked a friend of mine, a scientist at Imperial College London . She’s someone whose judgement I trust, and interestingly, she thinks we should be more worried about Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) such as BPA. I may come back to that next week.

And what about PFAS in cookware?
This isn’t a new issue. Back around 2007, we stopped stocking products containing a particular PFAS after reports from the US of a budgerigar dying from fumes given off by an overheated non-stick pan. That specific PFAS chemical was later banned in cookware (around 2015, if memory serves). The replacement PFAS chemicals now used are deemed “safer”, but whether future research will tell a different story… well, nobody knows yet.  Research is ongoing, but as we've learnt, it may be many years until we have clarity.

For the moment, though, any evidence that PFAS in cookware contributes to ill health is confounded in the chemical cocktail we meet in the modern world, for now direct evidence is lacking. That’s not to dismiss people’s concerns, and if we were still in the EU, we might well be heading towards a full ban by now. My information is that the UK government is rather behind the EU, which I fear maybe big business talking. Am I veering into the territory of conspiracy theories? …well I don’t know.

If you’re interested, here is my pragmatic view:

1. Non-stick coatings have their place, especially for quick cooking, for less confident cooks, and for scrambled eggs!  But in this writer's opinion,  scrambled eggs and occasionally delicate fish apart there's nothing you can't cook in an uncoated frying pan.  So, take up my challenge below.*
2. If you must use non-stick, don’t overheat them. Above about 260°C the coating starts to degrade; at 330°C it has melted, and the pan is a write-off (as Maurits Demeyere once told me, it’s time to throw it out).
3. Overheat or damage the coating on a non-stick pan, and you’re likely to be eating some of the coating too. Better not.
4. Uncoated pans (iron, cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel) make for better browning, better flavour and, in my view, better cooking. There’s a reason their popularity has exploded. But before you start thinking you're Gordon Ramsey, just perhaps practice on something cheaper than the expensive steak you bought as a treat…

As my scientist friend put it: “Arguing that uncoated cookware makes food taste better is solid ground. Saying non-stick cookware is dangerous, is not.”

So, the current position seems to be this: most non-stick coatings do still contain PFAS, with the notable exception of GreenPan’s ceramic coating. Treated with respect (don’t heat above 260°C, don’t use if damaged) they’re considered safe ..... as far as anyone knows today.

* If you’d prefer to avoid PFAS entirely, do what I do: cook mostly with iron (Netherton), cast iron (Le Creuset) and stainless steel (Demeyere, Kuhn), and keep one small non-stick milk pan for the scrambled eggs.

To product:

Well, now I've 4 saucepan sets all uncoated, which in terms of price go from the sublimely reasonable to the perfectly outrageous.

Let’s start with the outrageous.

Demeyere Atlantis 3 piece Saucepan set
With a 2 mm copper disc soldered with real silver into the stainless-steel base, this is the saucepan that beats all pretenders. Nothing on the market heats faster or more evenly. It boils, sautés and handles sauces like a dream, but brilliance, as ever, comes at a price…

Kuhn Rikon Culinary Five Ply 3 Piece Saucepan Set
We have been surprised and delighted by this range as a whole. The whole body is constructed as a 5 ply sandwich which may not be quite as good as the Demeyere above, but it’s nonetheless a very good product and at less than half the price.  I also rather like the look, having a quiet industrial air to its design.

Dexam Supreme 3 Piece Saucepan set
Our usual entry-level recommendation. A solid sandwich base spreads heat well; they’re honest, dependable pans that do exactly what you need them to. Normally £172.80, this weekend £149.00.

Tala 3 Piece Saucepan set
A budget set of pans, still capable of doing a good job, which at this price is a bit of a miracle. £79.00, reduced to £69.00

Reigate Opening Hours -  THIS WEEKEND
Reigate only will open on Sunday, 10.00 am - 4.00 pm.

One last piece of important news, and then I’ll let you get on with your Saturday….

On Monday afternoon Matthew Dennison (Zwilling UK Md and now owners of Demeyere) came to introduce me to Demeyere’s Export Director Ralf Arnould, which was a lovely meeting and very overdue,  as Ralf had been with Demeyere for 17 years. And for the first 4 years had been Maurits's right hand man. So, we had a lot to catch up on, not least to hear how Maurits and Maxine are spending their retirement. Anyway, you may be able to guess what shop they had been to in London before they came to me. Yup Harrods, of course. 
So, you will also be able to guess that they’d visited the Food Hall, so it won't take any more imagination to believe that they had brought me Pistachio Cake. Where did they get the idea from? Well, Matthew admits to reading my emails, with some regularity, decent fella that he is.

So, I’m finding it a little hard to believe that my largely unintentional competition seems to have produced another result…..the role of honour is getting longer and longer. Do you suppose this will up the ante even further…?

May I wish you a peaceful and pleasant weekend. I don't want to make you jealous, but I shall be spending a part of mine, eating cake. 

Warm regards

Andrew