I noticed in another link that one of the posters asked the original poster if she was using teflon pans.

I remember the controversy over how bad teflon pans were, some time ago.  I looked into replacing my teflon frying pans, but I found that other pans were considered bad for your health.  I guess I just dropped it and forgot about it until I saw the recent post.  I still have a couple of teflon frying pans that I use regularly.  Most of my other pans do not have teflon.

What kind of pan is recommended for food safety?

stainless steal
glass
cast iron

I got rid of all my Teflon pans two years ago. I did this gradually replacing one pan at a time until all I have now are stainless steel, glass and cast iron  

I got the idea from Lola to add a little liquid lecithin to EVOO to make an extremely effective non-stick coating for skillets.  Just a few drops of this spread around a pan, cooking on low heat, no sticking.  Even a fried egg!  Love it!  (thanks, Lola!)  

Got to try that.

what about hard anodized?

aluminium is very dangerous, especially with tomato, meat juices and so on it leaks aluminium in your food, one of the culprit of Alzheimer

I watched an "alternative health" show last week where the host spoke specifically about Teflon and it's dangers.  I still had some (2) teflon pans too.   But I got rid of them when she talked about teflon's effect on our hormones.   It can be passed from mother to baby also.  She said they can find the residue in newborns.
I have fibroids and I am in the process of getting rid of all theses hormone disrupters.  The lecithin/ olive oil tip
Is a great one!

Quoted from Mother

what about hard anodized?

Yes, what about hard anodized?  Are these made from aluminum?  Certainly these would be considered a very popular pan on the market.

I have a LOT of pans with an enamel coating, made by dansk.  Dansk Kobenstyle.  They are no longer made.  Are these ok?

Who makes a good stainless steel pan?

Anodized pans are aluminum.

I have the Culinary Institute stainless steel skillets, 2 sizes.  I believe the ones I have are the 8" and 10" Saute pans.  Not their non-stick ones.
http://www.ciacook.com/main.taf?erube_fh=cia&cia.submit.viewCat=1&cia.catId=2

But there are a lot of good stainless steel brands out there.  A lot depends on what is available to you.  The more ply, the thicker the bottom of the pan, and the more even the heat distribution will be.

I cook in cast iron and stainless steel. I gave away my teflon pans years ago.

i like cooking with stainless and cast iron - i have found the best way to avoid sticking is make sure you heat the pan first before adding anything - even oil etc. works every time.

Quoted from honeybee

i like cooking with stainless and cast iron - i have found the best way to avoid sticking is make sure you heat the pan first before adding anything - even oil etc. works every time.

I learnt this & it definitely works!! Hmmm might try to acquire my MiL's pans that she bought & never uses... They are French & ceramic, but unfortunately bright orange (What was she thinking?) Maybe that's how long ago she bought them??

Quoted from Possum

I learnt this & it definitely works!! Hmmm might try to acquire my MiL's pans that she bought & never uses... They are French & ceramic, but unfortunately bright orange (What was she thinking?) Maybe that's how long ago she bought them??

those pans sound awesome Possum, bright orange is rare and lovely color in the kitchen me thinks. We have an orange 5L ceramic cast iron pot & it gets better with age

Hmmm but may not go quite so well with my burgundy & blue... I don't even like purple foods with orange or red lol psst where's au as a location

Quoted from Possum

I learnt this & it definitely works!! Hmmm might try to acquire my MiL's pans that she bought & never uses... They are French & ceramic, but unfortunately bright orange (What was she thinking?) Maybe that's how long ago she bought them??

are you referring to Le Creuset pans, by any chance...they are bright orange, cast iron enamelled orange and cream inside, and weigh a ton...last forever though!

Are cast iron pans with an enamel coating ok?  Le Creuset is one brand.  Another is Staub!  Gorgeous pans . . . but they do have an enamel coating on the inside of the pan, so I don't know if these would interact with food.

Le Creuset come now in all colors. Orange are the original. The fry pan ar
Do not have the enamel. I love them the food always taste good the only problem is the price. I some time found them in T J Max a reduced price

Quoted from eva b.

are you referring to Le Creuset pans, by any chance...they are bright orange, cast iron enamelled orange and cream inside, and weigh a ton...last forever though!

Aaah that's them - couldn't remember name when I wrote this!! Now, how to sweet talk my MiL

I just started using my stainless steel non-stick pans after this thread (thank you for the reminder)! My teflon pans were scratched so they were probably releasing chemicals.

I had to buy a new spatula and they do not seem to make stainless steel ones. Everything was made of nylon or silicone. Yuck.

I ordered two cast iron skillet pans for my parents (http://www.lodgemfg.com/). The brand got good reviews and their products are made in the U.S.

I am thinking of getting myself a smaller skillet except I am in the "nomadic" phase where I will be moving in a few years and my parents are begging me not to add to my collection of things (maybe I can donate my 3 teflon coated pans since everything is glass or stainless steel).

If the teflon coating is already scratched, please throw them out rather than donating them. They're not safe for anybody to use.

You're not "adding stuff to your collection" if you toss 3 pans and purchase one.

Quoted from Victoria

Anodized pans are aluminum.

Doesn't the anodized coating prevent aluminum from leaking into your food?

These articles suggest it's safe:
http://www.only-cookware.com/what_is_anodized_cookware.html
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/safecookware.htm

This article suggests that small amounts do leech into food and that there is a cumulative ill effect:
http://yourcookwarehelper.com/.....minum-cookware-safe/

I am considering making a signficant investment in some STAUB cookware.  Can anyone confirm that this is a good investment and the pans are safe?  I love to cook soups and stews that go from stove top to oven, such as lamb shanks, osso bucco, beef stew, etc., so these seem to be the ultimate for that type of cooking.

http://www.staubusa.com/

Please let me know if anyone is familiar with these!

That's true. Thanks!

Quoted from ruthiegirl

If the teflon coating is already scratched, please throw them out rather than donating them. They're not safe for anybody to use.

You're not "adding stuff to your collection" if you toss 3 pans and purchase one.

TJ, I'm personally not willing to risk a small intake of aluminum, since my dad had Alzheimer disease.