Teflon in unexpected places - a warning.

[Michael]

Go for cast iron. Not only is it cheap, but it also cooks very well once you get the hang of it.

Here's a few articles I wrote that may be helpful:

http://trainedparrot.com/index.php?bid= ... k+Cookware
http://trainedparrot.com/Scrambled_Eggs

As for the hair stuff, yeah definitely be careful because some of it does contain teflon. Everyone should be suspicious of any/all heating devices that reach any substantial heat setting for teflon in them. It seems the devices that don't get particularly hot don't have it and the ones that do, often contain it which is somewhat ironic. In addition to things already mentioned, electric room heaters can be a culprit so be sure to double check.

[lzver]

Electric heaters have been a concern around here the last 24 hours. We are having intermittent furnace problems and the furnace repair company offered us a couple heaters for the night while they wait for a part to come in today. They looked at us like we had two heads when we said we wouldn't use them because they can have teflon in them and if overheated it could kill our birds.

Nobody else is going to think about our birds, so I'm always making sure people that are in our house know what the no-no's are.

Another thing I'm anal about is air freshners or anything aerosol. When we were selling our condo a few years ago I made sure the real estate agent knew not to spray anything like that because I
have heard of real estate agents doing that. We did other things like bake cookies before an open house and put vanilla pods in the heat vents. There are always other safer alternatives.

[Jenny]

vanilla pods in the heater vents - what a great idea! I've always been a scented candle person, so the addition of Aaron put a definite cramp in what little attempt I ever made to make my home welcoming. I was wondering the other day about those reed diffusers - I've read on-line that as long as the essential oil you use has no additives, they're safe to use around your bird(s). Thoughts?

[lzver]

Jenny, I wouldn't say for sure that they are safe. I just go by the rule that I don't use anything like that in the house.

[Jenny]

yeah, probably better to be safe than sorry. thanks & have a Merry Christmas!

[guybo]

I came into the kitchen a couple weeks ago and my girlfriend had dragged out her old waffle iron and was making waffles. When I looked at it and saw it was teflon coated I almost passed out. We don't use that anymore. She has a hair straightener and I just now (because of this thread) checked it out, but it's a global beauty network hair straightener which uses ceramic.

Now off to check the scented wax heaters....

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Go for cast iron. Not only is it cheap, but it also cooks very well once you get the hang of it.

IMO, you can't cook with JUST cast iron. It is superior for browning and stovetop grilling, but not so great for anything wet. You also need something to boil, braise, steam, do saucy stir fries and prepare delicate sauces in and I find cast iron very tricky for omelettes. If you want to do the no added fat cooking thing, you will need nonstick unless you plan to steam or boil everything you eat.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I was wondering the other day about those reed diffusers - I've read on-line that as long as the essential oil you use has no additives, they're safe to use around your bird(s). Thoughts?

The safest thing is of course not to use anything. Who is to say that a strong smell from vanilla or cinnamon or something else isn't also potentially harmful? But, I think it really depends on what is important to you, and how risk averse you are.

My impression is that scented products of all kinds are a big unknown area, but I suspect there are really only a few ingredients that are problematic, if they really are. The problem is that we don't know what they are. This is one of those areas where there are a lot of anecdotes floating around on the internet, but very little in the way of hard evidence. Anything overpowering or uncomfortable for a human would almost certainly be uncomfortable if not harmful to a bird... but ventilation plays a role as well.

I wouldn't encourage anyone to follow my example, but I have long used Yankee Candle Co hot oil air fresheners and when we first got Scooter, I didn't know such things could be harmful, so I continued using them. They don't appear to have done him any damage, and while we keep things like that well away from the office room and living room where the birds spend most of their time, I do still have them in more remote areas of the house. I also sometimes use scented candles in my studio when I'm working in there (window open, birds never in the room) and we've been known to use them in the living room when the birds have been put away for the night. The room where their cages are is pretty well ventilated and around the corner from the living room and there is no indication that the scent travels that far. I am, however, unlikely to experiment with anything new, nor use aerosols or any of these products in the direct presence of the birds. I honestly worry more about cooking odors which sometimes permeate the house despite a rather good vent fan. And we need to get our patio doors refinished, another wet winter will ruin them completely, and that's a very stinky proposition with known harmful fumes. Not sure how we will handle that yet. Possible board the birds for a few days.

[Shani]

I'm glad this has generated some discussion. If someone could help me to understand why teflon seems to be in anything and everything, that would be awesome. I truly don't understand why teflon would be in a hair dryer, or a heater etc.

Teflon needs to heat to ~500°F to give off the dangerous fumes. The idea that it may happen at lower temps apparently comes from cases where people heated sparsely filled pans on a stove -- research has been done that demonstrates this can lead to the empty portions of the pan getting very hot -- over 500°F -- even though the food doesn't burn. The food is acting as a heat sink. So it is definitely wise to avoid (or use only with very extreme caution) Teflon in the kitchen.

The thing that really got me was when the manufacturer confirmed that the lining of my self-cleaning oven contains Teflon. Those things get WELL over 500°F and those fumes aren't exactly good for people, so I'm still a bit stunned that is even allowed.

Yeah, I read the 500F thing as well. That's 260F if my memory serves me correctly, and since the stupid hair straightener can heat to... 230C, I think? It's just a little too close for comfort. Who knows if the heat distribution is even or if some parts heat up more than others, or even whether it's possible for it to overheat.

As for the self cleaning oven - that's just... yeah. I'm with you on being stunned it's allowed. Hopefully it's alright as long as you don't use the self-cleaning option.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I assume they use teflon in heaters and hair appliances so stuff doesn't stick to the heating elements and other hot surfaces and maybe ignite. Not sure it is worth it!. 230 C is 440°F, probably OK, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to put something that hot near my hair!!!! That's freakin' hot!