Cookware Question for Pampered Chef Vets- Please Help!

[kcjodih]

I know we have Dupont Autograph II non stick coating....but is it another name for Teflon or in any way related to Teflon. I've read articles before but I"m still confused and today there was a huge write up in one of our top ten newspapers about the risks and horrors of using Teflon.

Help clarify please!!! After 1 year with PC I know I SHOULD know this but can't find any info on CC or anywhere else!

 

[sailortena]

It's made by the same company, Dupont. It's their top-of-the line product. From what I understand it is a different formula that is BAKED into the pan THREE times. It's not dipped, and doesn't flake off.

 

[dianevill]

The problem lies in the process, not the productIf you do a search on Teflon, you'll get some answers you are looking for, as this topic has been discussed extensively. But as a summary, the problem is in the production of Teflon itself at the processing plant; with normal use, our cookware is safe.

Diane

 

[pamperedbecky]

"Teflon" is a brand name, much like "Kleenex" that everyone seems to use as a generic term. The big deal about Teflon is that the emissions it produces IN PRODUCTION may be harmful. Not when you use the products to cook. The EPA is bringing up the issues with Teflon in relation to what fumes it produces when it's being made, not when you cook with it. Like the previous poster said, do a Google search on Teflon and you may find information. The Dupont website (www.dupont.com) is supposed to have some good information too.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Jodi, Autograph and Autograph II are NOT Teflon. As has been stated, both are trademarked products of DuPont Chemical but they are not the same product. It's much like General Motors makes both Buick and Cadillac, they may perform simular duties, look alike and share some common components but they are not the same products.

If you like, you can refer people to the DuPont Chemical FAQ page that addresses this issue extensively. You can find it at http://www.teflon.com/NASApp/Teflon/TeflonPageServlet?pageId=/consumer/na/eng/news/news_detail.safetyconcerns.html

In that page, you and your customers will learn that the flap is NOT over Teflon, but over a chemical called , "perfluorooctanoic acid" or PFOA. Here is a quote from that page - emphasis is mine.

The improper use of the Teflon® brand as a synonym for PFOA is not only inaccurate and misleading to consumers but also constitutes a trademark violation. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), also known as C-8, is an essential processing aid used to make fluoropolymers--high performance plastics manufactured by a number of companies. PFOA and Teflon® are entirely different--one is a processing aid, the other is a product brand. It is also inaccurate to describe PFOA as an ingredient in Teflon® cookware.

Also from the site: "Studies using FDA standard testing methods found no detectable level of PFOA in Teflon® non-stick cookware."

Of course, if some idiot tells you in a forwarded e-mail that Teflon is dangerous because of a report written by someone (14 e-mails ago) who's next door neighbor's cousin's brother-in-law knows someone in Cleveland that has an uncle at the EPA who's friend three cubes down wrote the report, well, it must be true then, right?

After all, it's on the Internet, so it MUST be true.

 

[agw]

http://www2.dupont.com/PFOA/en_US/product_safety/product_question_answer.html

Here is a decent place to start.