Just because a technology has become pervasive in some lives doesn't mean that it does a lot that matters. Like any other tradition, its value is often incidental and its popularity is mostly an accident of history (marketing, curiosity, fashion, ephemeral supply/industry shocks, etc).
Nonstick pans and synthetic fabrics are very much in that group.
While my view might be cynical, it is closer to reality than getting people to give up creature comforts voluntarily.
No. If these things were never invented, those people would no be asking for them. Least not very much.
what an even more myopic view. if only unicorns were real and pots of gold were at the ends of rainbows. if only wishing made it so. You can't put the genie back in the bottle.
Of course some would, but in a world where they never existed yet it would be a sort of fantasy wish. As an example where we are on the other side right now, people are trying to figure out how to make beverage containers out of paper. Not coffee cups, but longer term storage so you might buy a 6-pack of carbonated drink in a paper "can" vs metal or plastic. Never mind if you or I think that's a good idea, there are people working on it and some day it might come to be and people might think it's great for whatever reasons. My point is that the masses are not clamoring for paper cans today because they don't exist yet. Likewise, before the advent of non-stick pans, people weren't demanding them because they didn't know it was possible. That's all I meant. So no, I don't think people were seriously asking for non-stick pans prior to their invention, they simply lived with what was available.
The thing that gets me is that if something is so caustic or reactive that it is causing issues with the metal in the can, WHY is it a good idea for human consumption. I've seen concrete at one of those gives you wings beverage makers where the concrete at the shipping dock had to be replaced after enough spills weakened the concrete. Yet people still continue to put that in their bodies.
This is in addition to the constant state of chemically-mediated algorithmic war with swarms or hive-minds of rogue nanotechnology from an ancient Gray Goo apocalypse, but that's another story.
If it helped me avoid eating 20 meals out it easily paid for itself.
Stainless steel is the more convenient option.
Personally I think each type of material has its place in the kitchen (nonstick, stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron, etc)
You can scrub just fine with a chain scrubber or metal scraper. You shouldn't use Scotch-Brite pads, sandpaper, or other highly abrasive methods, but scrubbing is not an issue.
You shouldn't soak.
You can use most dish soaps. Some detergents are still caustic, but anything you can get on your hands without issue is fine. Don't use Ajax or similar highly alkaline and/or abrasive compounds. No lye.
Re-seasoning after cleaning shouldn't need the oven. Get it hot on medium-low heat, wipe it with a thin layer of a reasonably unsaturated oil (refined olive oil, rapeseed AKA Canola oil, etc.) on a rag. Let it cool. If you really screwed it up repeat the process a once or twice. If you've totally stripped the pan and are putting on a totally new seasoning, 6-10 times is enough.
All that said, I agree about acidic foods. Much like highly alkaline cleaners, they can degrade the seasoning. I use stainless steel for those.
I likewise agree that each type of material has its place. I don't use nonstick because I have pet birds, and even tiny amounts of overheating can cause enough fumes to kill them. The rest are all useful to me.
I've cooked with the same cast iron pan, daily, for years, and it only gave me trouble when I had a habit of soaking it. At some point I stopped doing that, re-seasoned it, and stuck to just soaping, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying. It's never given me problems since. I only had to be careful what I was using it for while I was still re-seasoning it, and I also haven't needed to re-season it since. (I use enough oil just from my normal cooking.)
As far as cooking things like tomato sauce in it, I agree that should be avoided if possible, but the main concern there is damage to the pan, not health. It would take a lot of leaching to get iron poisoning, assuming you don't have hemochromatosis.
People are cooking at home for themselves less and less, and this has its own healthcare cost. Anything that reduces the number of people cooking at home is almost certainly a net loss for public health.
There are plenty of non-nonstick (stick?) options besides cast iron. Most of my cookware is stainless steel (with a thick disk of copper under the pan for thermal inertia) and I've never felt it's an inconvenience or difficult to clean - in fact, its durable nature allows for the use of coarse scrubbers or acid-based cleaning products that would quickly ruin a non-stick pan.
Waxed cotton works well enough for me. Have also heard good things about boiled wool, but don't own anything like this.
The problem is with PFOA and related compounds, which are used to make PTFE and friends.
As for micro-plastics, if your claim is that PTFE is no better, but no worse, than, say, polyethylene, well. I suspect you're wrong, and that it's better, but no matter: at that point there's no reason to single it out.
to be frank cleaning a teflon etc pan is way more finicky because we need, hey, wait, more microplastics in the form of slowly degrading acrylic sponge pads or brushes etc.. but i guess you could use alternatives.
but anyway, there are also many other ways to keep dry lol it's not like teflon is the only solution
Also as I recall PTFE coatings (Teflon is an example brand name) are no longer made with PFOA in the US or Europe. Yes, PTFE itself is a PFAS as well, but as far as I know it does not delaminate or shed as long as the pan is used at lower temperatures (less than 450F).
If you’re trying to lose weight, you should be eating meals, not snacks and adding fat. You will eat less both during a meal and after.
?
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/low-fat-d...
Let’s take a simple example: have you tried to make a fried egg in a cast iron pan and compared it to a nonstick pan? In a cast iron, you’ll need to use a pat of butter to get the egg to slide easily (around 100 calories). In nonstick you can get away with zero butter. It adds up.
But your latter point is fair. I haven’t measured it. I just know that my experience of cooking in my cast iron requires a lot more fat than my other pans.
I know it's my French heritage talking but life without butter isn't.
The health difference is large for someone trying to lose weight. A tablespoon of butter isn't that filling, but contains about 150 calories. That's equivalent to a whole pot of non-fat yogurt or two eggs, both of which are more filling and give you more protein.
When making eggs, I try to use about a teaspoon of butter, which still gives some butter flavor, but lets me save more calories for eggs.
Lots of people do this, and it’s not because they’re somehow ignorant and against all fats. It’s more that people trying to be healthy make small tweaks they can live with that add up. It’s not about being an extremist but just moderating things where you are willing to. Everyone’s metabolism, dietary preferences, and lifestyle is different. If you live an active lifestyle with enough exercise or just have a higher metabolism, then it might make no difference to optimize at that level. But for lots of people it can make a big difference without making them feel like they can’t eat what they want.
Three meals a day prepared without added fat means savings of around 3-500 calories a day depending on how much fat you’re using and your portion sizes. Keep in mind as well that not all calories are equal and calories from protein sources tend to be more filling (compare eating 3 tablespoons of butter versus a chicken breast).
When people don’t eat fat, they eat more. If you have the self control around food to eat a low fat diet and reliably stick to your macros, you’re probably not at a place where you’re overweight to begin with.
Giving your stomach something complex to break down while actually giving your body what it needs to add to vitamin stores results in less food consumed. You can’t treat diet like a Lego set of what to eat while ignoring physiology.
If avoiding extra fat is one's highest priority, it's not like you're out of luck without nonstick pans.