Tag Archives: best kitchen equipment

Cooks Illustrated Kitchen Tools and Equipment List: Teflon Pan and Non-Metal Spatula

We used to have a thing against non-stick cooking pans. Something in the mental archives about Teflon + metal spatulas + time = flaking Teflon + cancer…

Didn’t own one, didn’t want one, and besides, the plastic spatulas of my acquaintance over the years have all been frustratingly flimsy and melted on contact with anything hotter than, say, 98.6°.

Eating a melted plastic spatula was also reputed to be not fabulous for your health. So, being seriously in love with each other and wanting a decade or six to enjoy that state, we resolved to not eat plastic or Teflon, even if it meant living a deliriously happy life with food stuffs stuck like chuck to our frying pans.

Then last month, I cooked the world’s most pristine, perfect omelet in my mom’s new Teflon pan, and I changed our minds. (About Teflon, that is, not about my dear Rick and I living happily ever after until one of us tips off the perch.)

I had some research to do though, before I could in clean conscience introduce Teflon to our kitchen.

First was to check on the current health science around Teflon and how likely it was to mess with our mutual plans to stay alive for a goodly while.

An article titled The dangers of Teflon: The truth without the hype provided a great starting point, complete with a Teflon cooking temperatures infographic.

I also found this from the American Cancer Society website:

“Teflon® is a brand name for a man-made chemical known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). It has been in commercial use since the 1940s. It has a wide variety of applications because it is extremely stable (it doesn’t react with other chemicals) and can provide an almost frictionless surface. Most people are familiar with it as a non-stick coating surface for pans and other cookware.”

Apparently, it never really was the Teflon, per se, that caused the cancer scare:

“Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is another man-made chemical. It is used in the process of making Teflon and similar chemicals (known as fluorotelomers), although it is burned off during the process and is not present in significant amounts in the final products.”

The website goes on to say (and here I paraphrase): fuggedaboudit.

Plus, T-Fal, the leading supplier of Teflon-based cookware, has taken this a step further.

According to the informative packaging, T-Fal don’t have no truck with PFOAs anymore. So, we’re good there.

Secondly, I couldn’t remember what brand/style/size/etc. of Teflon saute pan Cook’s Illustrated had recommended in their List of Best Kitchen Equipment, Pots and Pans section.

Fortunately, every once in a while, our own past blog posts comes in handy for things beyond remembering how ADORABLE Winston was as a puppy, or what fun a trip on a narrow-gauge railway can be, or how jaw-dropping gorgeous Teton Valley is in January. One quick trip through the “Food & Recipes” category here at www.rickandkathy.com, and… Bingo!

One flick of the wrist, click of the mouse, swish of a credit card… and two days later, we’re the proud owners of a new T-fal Nonstick 12.5-Inch Fry Pan.

(Note: farm-fresh eggs and home-made spelt sourdough toast not included.)

Don’t let the Escheresque pattern or elegant red logo-looking thingy in the center of the pan fool you into thinking this T-Fal is just a another pretty place to scramble a couple of eggs.

This is one high-tech frying pan, my friends. That red dot, for instance?

It’s nothing less than an officially trademarked “Thermo-Spot,” evidently engineered at great expense to indicate when your pan is hot.

Personally, I usually just wait for the smoke to start, but apparently, that’s not a good idea with Teflon products.“The Science of Good Cooking” (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks) recommends adding a little oil to the pan while heating. The oil will start to smoke at around 400°, well before the 600° necessary for non-stick cookware to start fuming the nasty stuff.)

At minimum, the dot’s existence demonstrates a commitment to the crafting of new millenium cookware that inspires a robust confidence in the rest of the unit.

For instance, the packaging also states that the entire pan, including “ergonomic, stay-cool silicone handle,” is oven-proof to a temperature of 350°, and that the pan is “safe for use with metal utensils.”

Really? That just seems cruel, somehow. If we were going for the Teflon pan, it only seemed right that we spring for whatever Cook’s Illustrated recommends in the non-metal spatula department. (I had great intentions last year to do a “Cook’s Illustrated List of Handy Tools” but got distracted by why I’m crazy about Rick, fabulous buckwheat pancakes, and a great horned owl who showed up next door, and I never quite got around to sharing the list. Stand by… said list to show up in the next post or two so I can find it when I need it down the road.)

Meanwhile, I went to our own well-loved hardcopy of Cook’s Illustrated, “The Science of Good Cooking” and discovered their “plastic spatula” of choice is the “Matfer Bourgeat Plain Pelton Spatula Exoglass.” At around $12, I figure you’re paying $2 per word and the spatula’s free!

I had never heard of “exoglass” before, but, per wiki answers: “It is a special hi-tech plastic developed by Matfer of France. It is used in the handles of their pastry utensils. It is extremely durable, hygienic, and heat resistant (both hot and cold extremes).”

Flick, click, swish… and thanks to the good folk at Amazon Prime, we own one highly rated, light-weight yet sturdy, well-engineered, and guaranteed Teflon-friendly spatula that’s heat resistant up to 430 degree and cleans like a snap. It doesn’t scratch our new pan, feels nice in the hand, is wide enough to support and flip a pancake, has a perfect thin edge to skootch under delicate fish or eggs, and as far as we know, doesn’t cause cancer.

See how easily our scrambled eggs are liberated from the perfectly preheated surface?!

It’s a keeper.

And see how nice our new spatula looks in Rick’s fine hand as he cooks me breakfast?

He’s a keeper, too.

Links:

“Matfer” rang a bell as a brand, but we couldn’t think why until we remembered they’re the folks who make the non-stick baking mat we use all the time in a sheet pan when baking cookies. No need to grease the pan with butter, food really doesn’t stick, and clean-up is super easy:

Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat

Here’s the go-to volume on our cookbook shelf for all things “why” in the way we cook:

The Science of Good Cooking (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks)

…and our two new kitchen tools covered in this blogpost:

Matfer Bourgeat Plain Pelton Spatula Exoglass

T-fal E9380864 Professional Nonstick 12.5-Inch Saute Pan

More Kitchen Recommendations

Introducing Mixie, Our New Vitamix 5200

We have a fabulous new sous chef in residence at Chez Wee Teton Farmhouse this week.

Officially, her name is “Vitamix 5200,” but she’s so easy going and such a trustworthy soul, we’re already operating on a first-name basis.

We love our Mixie.

Not only is she stunning to behold in her glossy red coat as she whips together an amazing soup or perfectly dices a cup of eye-stinging onion in a blink with no tears, she’s also a ninja nutrition powerhouse.

There’s almost nothing you can image coming out of her capable container that isn’t chocker-block full of screamin’ good for you vitamins, minerals, fiber, macronutrients, and all the stuff Dr. Joel Fuhrman and others insist will should might could maybe possibly* cause you to lose weight, reduce high blood pressure, and help your body recover from inflammation-related immune-system disease.

Have I mentioned here yet that between the two of us, Rick and I lost over 70 pounds in the past year? And that I’m off blood pressure medication (114/80 as of last Monday!), and that ALL my dermatitis has cleared up, my hair is thicker, and my joint pain has backed off?

Of course, this isn’t all simply the result of having stuffed Mixie’s predecessor full of fresh goodies ‘til he conked. (At an impressive 15-years old, VitaMix 5000 had lived a good long life, bless his dearly departed heart .)

We also substantially reduced our intake of meat, wheat, dairy, and sugar, and amped our calorie burn starting in May by buying and using our new fitness trackers, the FitBit.

But I can tell you for sure: the VitaMix was a HUGE factor in being able to eat WAY MORE of what was beneficial, and once you start piling all the stuff on to your plate or into your glass that helps a body heal, there’s WAY LESS room for the nasty stuff.

This was our breakfast on Tuesday.

See that green stuff? It’s kale.

There. I said it.

We eat raw kale for breakfast, along with home-frozen peaches, strawberries and bananas, as well as fresh apples and oranges and carrots. I think there was a quarter cup of hemp seeds in there as well.

Just start up Mixie on Variable Speed 1, wind ‘er up to 10, switch to high, and stand back.

In under a minute, a VitaMix can take an entire days worth of recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables and turn it into this:

Absolutely delicious, full of stick-to-your-ribs life-giving vittles, at a fraction of both the time and the six bucks it would cost you at your local juice joint. Each.

Plus, I now get to share my kitchen with Rick, Winston**, AND our new best mixin’ vixen, Mixie.

Vitamix 5200

Vitamix 1710 Professional Series 500

*Out of ~~fear of~~ respect for a vigilant Federal Trade Commission always on the lookout for potentially misleading information, no one now claims that anything “will” do anything, or that results are typical or even to be expected at all, or that an apple a day is good for much. Of course, Grandma knew better….

To be clear, though: we at rickandkathy.com aren’t claiming that owning and actually using a VitaMix will make you healthier, leaner, more attractive, or have a longer, happier life. We just are 100% certain it has had that impact on us. Just sayin’….

** Winston would like his fans to know he doesn’t care for smoothies. He feels they are “just empty calories” and interfere with the proper digestion of the Chardonnay.

More Kitchen Recommendations

Cooks Illustrated Kitchen Tools and Equipment List: Bakeware

In addition to Cook’s Illustrated lists of essential knives and pots ‘n pans found in their fabulous tome The Science of Good Cooking, they also include recommendations for the bakeware without which a kitchen mechanic can barely function.

Like, what if you experience a fresh pumpkin spice loaf emergency but don’t own a decent loaf pan or cooling rack?

Do not let this happen to you or your loved ones.

BEST BUY: Baker’s Secret Nonstick Loaf Pan

While the wide-ranging benefits of a large, heavy guage rimmed sheet pan may seem obvious if you’re thinking “cookies,” by simply adding a cooling rack that fits nicely inside the rim and an oven that can maintain a low, steady heat, you have bought yourself a food dehydrator in the bargain. And maybe some tasty kale chips, too.

I’m delighted to have just saved you a couple hundred dollars and a ton of counter space. You’re welcome.

(And pay no attention to the teeny skiff of carmelized goodness around the edge of our own well-loved cookie sheet. I’m confident yours will stay much cleaner.)

CIA 12 x 17 Inch Cooling Rack

Wear-Ever Aluminum Sheet Pan

While a baking mat doesn’t appear on the Cook’s Illustrated list, it is such an essential in our kitchen that I’m sliding it in here anyways. You just slap one into the bottom of the cookie sheet and start dropping your dough with confidence, knowing they absolutely, positively will not stick to the pan. Baking mats save you calories–no additional oil to be absorbed into your baked goods–and they save you the time it takes to grease the pan and then scrub the cold leftover baked-on oil out of the corners. (See above: not a fan of this step.)

Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat

One word: lasagna.

Pyrex Baking Dish

And you can just never go wrong with Pyrex, which hit the market in 1915 and has been a kitchen staple ever since.

Pyrex Pie Plate

As much as I love my beautiful azure blue Emile Henry pie plate for serving at the table, there are practical reasons why the transparent Pyrex version is a better choice. The glass provides an even browning surface, and the transparency makes it easier to keep an eye on the progress of your pastry bottom and sides. Plus, the Pyrex version sells for about a quarter of the price, so there’s that.

Here’s another word I particularly enjoy: butter tart squares. (Okay, that’s three words, but let’s not quibble.)

Baker’s Secret Non-Stick Pan

Square cakes…

Chicago Metallic Non-Stick 8-Inch Cake Pan

Round ones…

BEST BUY: Chicago Metallic Non Stick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan

We’re not fussy. Just let us eat cake!

Wilton Avanti Non-Stick 12 Cup Muffin Pan

And butter tarts. Let us eat butter tarts, too.

The Science of Good Cooking (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks)

More Kitchen Recommendations

Cooks Illustrated Best Kitchen Equipment: Pots and Pans

HER: They say our love won’t pay the rent
Before it’s earned, our money’s all been spent

HIM: I guess that’s so, we don’t have a pot
But at least I’m sure of all the things we got*

Lovely. But I’ve got news for you, Sonny… You need to get that girl a pot! And maybe a Dutch oven and a decent skillet, too.

And lucky for you that Cook’s Illustrated has published a great list of essential kitchen equipment in their fabulous kitchen bible, The Science of Good Cooking. (See here for the previous installment on sharp stuff: knives, boards, and sharpeners.)

Cuisinart MultiClad 4-Quart Saucepan with Cover

I never understood why the best pots are “Clad.” Do they perform better than the naked ones?

There are many mysteries in life. (Here’s some enlightenment on that particular one.)

Tramontina 6-1/2-Quart Cast-Iron Covered Casserole

Here’s another mystery: why are these commonly referred to as “Dutch ovens“? In our home, we use this all the time on the stovetop to cook soups and stews or whenever there is a need for a big heavy pot that can be trusted to keep a consistent heat, like when you’re working with hot oil.

Got a Dutch oven? You also got a deep fryer.

All-Clad Stainless 12-Inch Fry Pan

A single great skillet is like a good friend who becomes more precious as the years roll by, with even the wrinkles and weathering embraced as the authentication that there is only one like this.

T-fal Nonstick Oven Safe 12.5-Inch Saute Pan

Here’s one thing on their list that we don’t have in our kitchen. I’m not sure why, except that maybe it’s tied to my disdain for crappy plastic spatulas that don’t stay stiff enough to get underneath stuff you want to lift from a pan, and when you do, they’re so dang slippery that food (usually a fragile egg) often slides off and lands in an unhappy mess back in the skillet.

My solution in the past has been to habitually reach for my favorite metal spatula (to be listed in an upcoming installment on “handy things in the kitchen”) which scratches the schmidt out of bottom of the non-stick skillet, releasing toxins or the bubonic plague or something nasty like that.

So, we don’t have one of these.

[Update: And… now we do! Click here to find out why.]

Calphalon Stainless Roaster with Nonstick Roasting Rack

Rick makes the worlds finest oven-roasted rosemary potatoes on the planet in this. Somehow food sticks less readily to it’s heavy bottom than other oven-related containers we own, so it’s the go-container for most stuff.

Stay tuned… the bakeware list is on deck!

* In a rare 1965 clip of Cher wearing her original nose and what appears to be a super-sized pair of prison pajamas in broad horizontal stripes, maybe just a little strung out, crooning “I Got You, Babe” with the fine Mr. Bono, click here. Just be warned: your curiosity has the potential to be rewarded with a particularly vile earworm.

More Kitchen Recommendations