I have a dysfunctional relationship with my teflon frying pans. I know I shouldn’t use them, I know it’s bad for us to eat food cooked in them, but they’re just so easy to use! Nothing ever sticks, of course, nothing ever really burns, and they’re super easy to clean.

With stainless steel ones I use butter and oil to no avail, it’s still a big annoying mess, and sometimes ruins the food I’m trying to cook, like grilled fish always sticks and flakes into a messy pile, same with eggs. My friend got me this cleaner, Bar Keeper’s Friend,for stainless steel, which I don’t want to use because there’s no ingredients listed other than a warning that it contains oxalic acid, even though it reassures me it contains no phosfates.

In the past I’ve just tried to be sure to replace my non-stick teflon pans when they start to visibly flake or chip, but I know better, I know it’s giving off toxic chemicals every time it’s heated up and we are eating it! What good is eating local organic food if it’s laced with teflon?

So, instead of just replacing them this time I’m ready to take the first step in not using them anymore. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for what to replace them with or how to cook without them without ruining my perfectly grilled meals and leaving a huge scrubbing job after every use? Please help me break up with teflon for good!

Stephenie Falcone
Fort Collins, Colorado