Recently bought this GreenPan frying pan.
It's PTFE-free - that's Polytetrafluoroethylene, used in Teflon - so the coating on this pan (Thermalon) doesn't release toxic fumes above 260° C as PTFE apparently does, which are proven to be lethal to small pets and potentially harmful to humans.
Also, the process, unlike Teflon, does not use PFOA (PerFluoroOctanoic Acid), classified as a ‘persistent pollutant of the environment’*. Also, PFOA is a tough chemical that the body has great difficulties in expelling and is known to be a ‘likely human carcinogen’*
When it first arrived I tested it with a fried egg - It was so non-stick that when trying to take it out of the pan, the egg slipped uncontrollably everywhere except onto the wooden spatula!
HOWEVER, after several uses, it no longer has the same qualities: It now seems to stick severely if heated on full, but is fine if kept at just over halfway. There IS a statement in the accompanying leaflet stating that it is normal for the non-stick properties to reduce after a while, so I guess I just need to be careful.
All in all I believe that cooking on a slightly lower heat is a small price to pay when considering all the advantages this pan has to offer over the slightly more heat-tolerant (but possibly quite harmful) Teflon alternatives. I just need to be a little more patient when cooking my dinner.
* According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, a US federal agency in charge of the protection of human health and the environment)
