Cookaholics Bulletin Board

So, at Costco today the MasterClad-demo-sales-guy reeled me in, hook, line and sinker. I walked out of the store with two new PFOA-free saute pans. What makes them nonstick is that "they are internally reinforced with ceramic and titanium." He commented that the Calphalon nonstick saute pans that I am currently using contain PFOAs which have been linked to all sorts of unhealthy stuff.

Anyone know anything about these pans or its parent company Regal Ware? MasterClad is made in the good 'ole USA, in Kewaskum, WI and has a lifetime guarantee. Sounds so wholesome, I really want to like these but reviews are few. These are not cheap either, the 10" was $80 and the 12" $110.

Ivy,

Well, so far the word on the street is that non-PFOA nonstick doesn't work. For your sake, I hope that folks are unjustifiably skeptical.

Incidentlally, PFOA is only linked to bad juju in its manufacture; the chemicals used to make it are fairly toxic and since it's mostly manufactured in Asia, the workers are frequently poisoned. However, fairly extensive testing has shown that it's harmless to use, although burning PFOA (from an overheated pan, for example) can injure birds nearby. Not humans though.

From the scant information available about what is in the Regal Ware coating, it is apparent that they use a conventional PTFE flouropolymer coating that is essentially identical to Teflon but not made by DuPont.

Their claim that their PFOA-free coating makes it different is misleading because PFOa is used in the manufacturing process, but is not present in the finished product. At the very least, the sales pitch is designed to create confusion about the two chemicals.

Regal Ware pans may be excellent non-stick pans, but that there is no evidence that they are greener or safer than any other non-stick. They require the same care during use as any other non-stick pan.