Non-reactive types of cookware include stainless steel, hard anodized, glass, ceramic, enamelware, clay/earthenware, and most non-stick surfaces. A “reactive” pan is one that is made from materials that react chemically with some types of foods. The most common reactive cookware is made of aluminum (not hard anodized), copper and cast iron.
No, you cannot get Alzheimer’s Disease from cooking with aluminum cookware. In fact, aluminum is present in a wide variety of everyday items: toothpaste, soda cans, baking soda, antacids and aspirin all contain aluminum. Even the air we breathe, the food we eat and the soil we grow our foods contain aluminum. Cookware made of aluminum has been used for over a hundred years with no proven connection to Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, non-stick coated cooking surfaces prevent food from coming in contact with the aluminum surface.
As to hard-anodized aluminum cookware, the process of hard-anodization changes the molecular structure of the pan’s surface and prevents food reactions that can occur with plain aluminum cooking. For example, plain aluminum may affect the taste of acidic foods like tomatoes. The Food and Drug Administration has approved aluminum as a material for cooking, so rest assured that your aluminum cookware is safe.
Household fumes can be hazardous to small pets. Birds, in particular, are vulnerable to such fumes, especially smoke from burning foods, due to their small size and sensitive respiratory systems. Overheating cooking sprays, oils, fats, margarine and butter may also create dangerous fumes which a bird’s respiratory system cannot handle. Scorched plastic handles or utensils can also contaminate the air and endanger birds. Non-stick cookware with polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) coating can emit fumes harmful to birds. For safety reasons, never cook with animals in or near the kitchen.
Non-stick coating can stop releasing food and begin sticking for the following reasons:
- Use of High Heat: High heat is not recommended for our non-stick cookware products as this can cause sticking. Our cookware conducts heat well at lower temperatures so we recommend using low to medium heat to preserve your non-stick coating.
- Use of cooking sprays: Cooking spray burns at lower temperatures and can burn into the non-stick coating causing build up of the spray. This will cause sticking and damage to the non-stick coating and sometimes give the cookware a “rusty” appearance.
We suggest using olive oil, peanut oil, butter, and margarine for flavor. Pans should be cleaned with warm soapy water after every use so food residue is not allowed to build up, which will, after time, cause sticking and damage the non-stick coating. The use of cooking sprays and the use of high heat will void your cookware warranty.
The most unique thing you’ll notice about Circulon is on the inside of the pan. Here you’ll find a series of “Hi-Low” concentric grooves. The majority of the non-stick is the “Low” area. Only the “Hi” area, a small portion of the non-stick surface, is subjected to utensil abrasion.
The first question most people ask is, “doesn’t food get stuck in those grooves?” The answer is no. The grooves protect the non-stick surface and keep food from getting stuck on the pan. The grooves are part of a patented technology that, when combined with DuPont’s top-of-the-line Autograph‚ non-stick coating, creates the world’s most durable non-stick cooking surface.
Note: Meyer Corporation U.S. utilizes a variety of DuPont™ and other manufacturers’ non-stick coatings in the cookware we market. The findings and data detailed below come from DuPont™, which has researched this subject extensively.
OUR RESPONSE TO RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE
Our cookware lines that feature the DuPont™ non-stick coating do not contain PFOA. In conventional cooking situations, there is no coating degradation and therefore, no potential exposure to polymer fumes. At 500 degrees F, PTFE (non-stick coating for cookware) would not emit any material that could be harmful to human health. At this temperature, however, butter, oils and food will begin to break down.
DuPont™ is aware of only one published incident of a pan left unattended which resulted in a case of polymer fume fever in an individual. The effects were temporary. Some groups and organizations opine that since non-stick fumes are harmful to birds, it can cause birth defects in babies. When compared to humans, birds have very small, sensitive and completely different respiratory systems than humans. In fact, we put a warning in our “Use & Care” safety information about the dangers to birds, but we do not put a warning on our cookware about potential dangers to humans from non-stick fumes because all current research and reports emphatically confirm that there is no danger to human health.
In denying the Environmental Working Group’s petition to apply warning labels to non-stick coated cookware, the CPSC explained the petition did not have sufficient information to support the group’s claim that these coatings “have the ability to cause substantial injury or illness to a person through reasonably foreseeable handling or use,” and that it had “not established whether humans will experience adverse health effects when non-stick coated cookware is used at normal cooking temperatures.” In addition, the CPSC said the group did “not make any factual connection between the bird-related incidents and a threat to human health.” (Emphasis added). What’s more, the former CPSC Chairman said, “The dangers to small birds and humans from the extreme overheating of non-stick coated pans has been well known for many years and incidents are very rare. As the former Chairman of the CPSC, I can say that people and their pets face many greater threats in their homes than from overheated non-stick coated pots and pans.” (Emphasis added).
We recommend low or medium heat for our cookware with non-stick surfaces; however, the coatings can withstand temperatures up to 500°F, which is well above what is recommended for frying and baking. Meyer Corporation’s non-stick cookware is safe for use across a wide range of everyday cooking temperatures, a few of which are listed below:
- Boiling temperature is 212 °F.
- The normal temperature of a frying pan while meat is cooking can range from to 400 to 470 °F.
- The highest temperature used in baking — such as for roasting poultry or vegetables — is about 450 °F.
- Most baked good — such as cookies or cakes — are baked at temperatures in the 325 °F to 400 °F range.
In the event that particles from the non-stick coatings are accidentally ingested, there is no danger because the coatings are inert and nontoxic. According to DuPont ™, “In more than 40 years of use, there have been billions of pots and pans sold around the world that are coated with non-stick coatings and we know of no serious chronic or acute health problems associated with their use. There are no long-term health effects, and this situation can be avoided by proper ventilation and cooking practices.”
Please see the attached document for more information on Non-Stick Safety from Dupont®. For more information on non-stick coating safety, please view the attachments or click here to visit a helpful site.
Teflon® is a registerd trademark of DuPont ™ . Cookware made with Teflon® non-stick coatings is completely safe for everyday consumer and commercial use. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has found DuPont non-stick coatings acceptable for conventional kitchen use, as have health regulatory agencies around the world. In addition, prior to their introduction more than 40 years ago, DuPont non-stick coatings underwent exhaustive studies at DuPont Haskell Laboratory for Health & Environmental Sciences, a globally recognized research and testing facility.
For more than 40 years, consumers have used these products safely without health problems – cookware made with Teflon® non-stick coatings is completely safe for normal kitchen use. There are millions of pots and pans coated with DuPont™ Teflon® coatings in use around the world.
DuPont non-stick coatings are safe for everyday kitchen use. Low or medium heat is recommended for cookware with DuPont non-stick surfaces, however, the coatings can withstand temperatures up to 500°F, which is well above what is recommended for frying and baking.
Non-stick cookware made with Teflon® is safe for use across a range of everyday cooking temperatures. For example, boiling temperature is 212 degrees F. The normal temperature of a frying pan while meat is cooking can range from to 400 to 470 degrees F. The highest temperature used in baking — such as for roasting poultry or vegetables — is about 450 degrees F. Most baked goods — such as cookies or cakes — are baked at temperatures in the 325 degrees F to 400 degrees F range.
DuPont has provided information on the safe use of cookware made with Teflon® non-stick coatings with customers and consumers since its introduction.
It is important to wash pans thoroughly after each use. Use a mild dish washing detergent, warm water and a soft nylon brush or nylon scrub pad. This will remove food and grease particles that may burn when your pan is reheated. If food remains on the non-stick surface, boil a mixture of three parts water and one part vinegar in your pan on medium heat for 5-10 minutes to dislodge food particles. Let it stand until cooled, then wash with warm, soapy water and a soft nylon brush. Rinse and dry. Do not use steel wool or any abrasive cleansers when cleaning non-stick cookware.
To clean your Circulon non-stick hi-low grooves use warm soapy water and a soft nylon brush, rinse and dry. Pans must be cleaned each time they are used to prevent food buildup in the grooves. If your non-stick hi-low grooves no longer release food easily, you may have a build-up of food or grease in the grooves. To restore your non-stick performance, mix three parts water to one part white vinegar and boil in your pan on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Let stand until cool and wash with warm soapy water and a soft nylon brush, rinse and dry.
Hard-anodized Circulon cookware is not safe to put in the dishwasher. Do not use oven cleaners, steel wool, harsh detergents or cleansers with chlorine bleach.
Please note that food or grease build-up, stains, scratches, discolorations, damage from use in an automatic dishwasher or use of metal utensils are not covered under your cookware warranty.
To clean your hard anodized cookware, use warm water and mild dishwashing soap with a sponge, nylon pad or dishcloth. To prevent water spotting, rinse in warm water after washing and towel dry thoroughly. It is important to clean your cookware thoroughly after each use to prevent staining from food or grease. If staining or burnt on spots occur, soak the cookware in hot water with a liquid dishwashing detergent before washing with Bar Keeper’s Friend® cleanser. Be sure to rinse well as Bar Keeper’s Friend® can leave a powdery residue.
You can also make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub onto stains using a nylon pad and let sit for up to 30 minutes. Wash, rinse and towel dry. DO NOT wash hard-anodized cookware in the dishwasher unless your use and care included with your product says it is safe to do so. Harsh chemicals like dishwasher detergents will damage the surface. Do not use oven cleaners, steel wool, harsh detergents or cleansers with chlorine bleach.
Please note that stains, scratches, discolorations, and damage from use in an automatic dishwasher are not covered under your cookware warranty.
To protect the exterior and interior finish of your cookware, we recommend using warm, soapy water and a soft nylon brush or Scotchbrite Blue Non-Scratch pad for cleaning most of our cookware products. Oven cleansers, abrasive scouring pads or any type of harsh cleaners can damage your cookware’s surface. You may also use BarKeeper’s Friend® on stainless steel or stainless steel/copper bottom cookware.
It is not necessary to season your non-stick cookware. We do, however, recommend washing your non-stick cookware in warm soapy water, rinsing then drying it before first use to remove any packaging dust that may have accumulated on the cookware.
Any flat bottom cookware that has a totally flat and smooth base may be used on a Halogen stove top. Do not use cookware that has an etched or step-cut bottom. Halogen stovetops require good contact between the pans and the surface of the stovetop. Always refer to the manufacturer of your stove top for instructions on cookware that is suitable to be used with Halogen stovetops. Please also note that cookware with a painted, porcelain enamel exterior must never be overheated on a Halogen ceramic stovetop. Cookware of this type that is overheated may, in some instances, fuse to the surface of the ceramic stovetop requiring complete replacement of the stovetop.
There are several types of stainless steel handles.
Stainless steel tubular handles are sturdy and oven safe. They will stay cool for a reasonable time during stovetop cooking. The stainless steel is formed into a tubular shape, creating an inside air flow up the shank of the handle. This slows the buildup of heat from the hot pan to the handle. Most of our newer cookware lines with tubular handles also contain a baffle where the handle meets the pan, allowing the handle to stay cooler for a longer period of time.
Cast stainless steel handles are beautiful, oven-safe and durable. Since they are solid cast stainless steel, they conduct heat very slowly. For all types of stainless steel handles, the heat setting and length of the handle determine how long the handle will stay cool to the touch. Long stick handles will usually stay cooler than shorter side handles. However, if the stick handle is on a small skillet, the handle is much closer to the heat source, and consequently will tend to heat up much faster than a stick handle on a wide sauté pan or tall saucepan. Be sure to follow these basic guidelines when using cookware with stainless steel handles:
- Use the burner size that most closely matches the size of your cookware.
- Center your cookware on the burner.
- Use low to medium heat.
- Always use pot holders when removing cookware from the stove-top
Note: You may want to consider using handle sleeves. They are a good tool and are usually available in most larger department stores.
- Hot liquid can be dangerous.
- Review ALL instructions before use.
- This pot should not be used for deep frying.
- Do NOT use lid handle to lift the pot, always use the side handles.
- Make sure the lid is locked just before pouring/draining.
- Pour/drain liquids into the sink or into a container that you have placed in the sink.
- Use caution when pouring hot liquids. Take care not to splash the liquid.
- ALWAYS POUR AWAY FROM YOU, NOT TOWARD YOU.
Straining: For maximum safety and draining efficiency, do not pour beyond a 45 degree tilt.
Please note: For straining of small foods, use the small holes on the lid. For straining of large foods, use the large holes on the lid.
*Not all lids have large & small holes. Locking: Make certain that the lid is locked securely when using tea kettles, straining pots or other cookware with locking lids. This will avoid escaping steam or hot liquid from causing injury. Before and after cooking, make sure the lid is firmly locked in place, prior to pouring.
To lock lid, turn clockwise until it stops (Note the stamped arrows on the lid for insertion and locking).
We don’t recommend using your cookware if it has been through a house fire. Chemicals used to fight fires contain toxic materials that can contaminate food and cookware. While some of the chemicals may be listed as non-toxic to humans, they can be harmful if swallowed.
We recommend turkeys no larger than 20 pounds for all of our standard size roasters. Our standard size roaster dimensions are approximately 12″x16″.
Selecting the right cookware is easy, but getting rid of an old set, especially a 10-piece ensemble, isn’t so obvious. You can donate usable pots and pans to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or list them on Freecycle. If the cookware is unusable, contact your municipal department of public works to ask about recycling or visit your nearest recycling center.
Our glass lids are made of tempered glass. Our greatest concern is that our products are used with safety, confidence and satisfaction from our consumers. There is frequent misconception that tempered glass is “unbreakable”. A characteristic of tempered glass, when broken, is that it fractures into hundreds of small, relatively harmless pieces versus the jagged shards of annealed glass. This is by design and is excellent proof of a well-tempered product, not of a defective product. Another characteristic of tempered glass is the possibility of “spontaneous or delayed breakage” where, over time, scractches on the lid, visible or invisible to the eye, will weaken the tempering of the glass, eventually causing the lid to explode or implode for no apparent reason. Such scratches may be caused by using a scouring pad to clean your lid, use of harsh abrasives or other nicks caused by utensils or cooking. Finally, extreme temperature change is another possibility that can result in glass lid breakage. This information is provided in the Use & Care section for all of our cookware with glass lids.
Your cookware may be warped on the bottom and this may result in poor heat transfer from your stove to the cookware. Our Brand Promise guarantees your cookware to be free from defects in materials and workmanship. Warping on the bottom of your pans is considered normal wear and tear and is not covered under this warranty. If you choose to purchase new cookware for use with your ceramic/glass top stove, we recommend using cookware made of stainless steel with a full cap base or stainless steel clad metal cookware.
It is important to match the burner size as closely to the pan size as possible. The main objective is for the cookware to have flat bottoms for effective heat transfer. Plain Aluminum and Hard Anodized aluminum cookware are also suitable for glass or ceramic cooktops, but may leave metal marks and/or residues on your stovetop that appear to be scratches. Please note that cookware with rough bottoms can mark or scratch the cooktop surface.
DO NOT slide or drag your cookware on the surface. Glass, Ceramic, Copper bottom and Cast Iron cookware are NOT recommended for use on glass cooktops. Please also note that cookware with a painted, porcelain enamel or colored exterior must never be overheated on a glass/ceramic stovetop. Cookware of this type that is overheated may, in some instances, fuse to the surface of the stovetop requiring complete replacement of the stovetop.
Differences between overheating a pan vs boiling dry a pan are listed below. Overheating or boil dry of a pan will void the warranty on the cookware.
- Overheating is heating a pan beyond the recommended temperature for the particular pan.
- Boil dry is a pan that is left unattended on a heat source allowing liquid to boil completely dry out of the pan.
*Always follow the use and care included with your product.
If you leave impact bonded base cookware on your stovetop, allowing the pan to either overheat or boil dry, the aluminum disc between the pan body and the impact bonded base may melt. This may cause separation of the base from the pan body. This will cause damage to the pan, and may cause property damage and personal injury.
Never leave a pan unattended on the stovetop and never allow a pan to boil dry.
Overheating a pan and/or allowing a pan to boil dry is not covered under your cookware warranty.
The following photos are representative of certain types of product misuse when the product use and care included with your cookware is not followed. Misuse that will void the cookware warranty are, but not limited to, overheating, oven or broiler use, sharp metal utensil or appliance use on nonstick cookware surfaces, using oven cleansers or scouring pads, cleaning neglect and dishwasher use on cookware lines not safe for dishwasher use.
Below is an example of grease build up on your cookware due to cleaning neglect:
Below is an example of a hard anodized pan exposed to dishwasher use:
Below is an example of a porcelain enamel exterior washed in the dishwasher:
Below is an example of cookware that has been overheated:
Below is an example of oven cleaner being used on a pan:
Below is an example of improper cleaning using a metal scouring pad:
Non-stick cookware made with Teflon® non-stick coatings is completely safe for consumer use, but like any home appliance or houseware product, these products can be misused and abused. DuPont non-stick coatings are formulated and quality tested to resist chipping and peeling. However, the non-stick finish can be damaged if the Use & Care for your product is not followed.
In the event that particles from the non-stick coatings are accidentally ingested, there is no danger because the coatings are inert and nontoxic. Fumes from a grossly overheated coating may produce temporary flu-like symptoms. There are no long-term health effects, and this situation can be avoided by proper ventilation and cooking practices.
For more information on non-stick coating safety, visit the following sites: