Regarding the matter of stir-fry cooking, the most obvious difference between skilled people and raw melon eggs is that one dish is not sticky pan, and the other is sticky, so a kind of pot to save the novice cooker is born, that is, non-stick pan.
When the non-stick pan first came out, it was simply leading the trend, and if anyone had a non-stick pan, it would immediately look tall. Slowly, the non-stick pan has gradually become a kind of kitchen utensils that every family has, but the reputation of the non-stick pan has gradually appeared problems, some people say that the coating of the non-stick pan is toxic, long-term use will be harmful to health, especially the non-stick pan after the coating is damaged, the toxicity will penetrate into the food faster, is there really such a thing? To know whether the non-stick pan is harmful in the end, first of all, we must know what the principle of the non-stick pan is, obviously, the reason why the non-stick pan does not stick, mainly rely on its surface coating, then what is this coating?
The surface coating of the non-stick pan is actually Teflon, which is PTFE.
Polytetrafluoroethylene, the name sounds more "tetrafluoro" than "polyethylene", and polyethylene is the plastic we are familiar with, so what does this thing have to do with plastic? It is really a close relative, but it is not a general plastic, but a special plastic with the name of "plastic king". Ordinary plastics have poor corrosion resistance, heat resistance and strength, but PTFE is very different from them, which is a solid material that is corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant and cold-resistant. So how corrosion resistant is this thing? Experiments have shown that even if this substance is placed together with hydrofluoric acid, aqua regia, sodium hydroxide and boiled, it will not produce any changes, so the corrosion resistance is still very good.
PTFE not only has the characteristics of resistance to acids and alkalis as well as various organic solutions, but it also has good lubricity.
Among all the known materials, PTFE is among the solid materials, and the surface tension is the smallest, which determines that it will not adhere to any substances, which is ideal for non-stick pan coatings. However, the pot is different from the general daily necessities, it is used to stir-fry cooking, and the meal is to be imported, so as a non-stick pan coating, PTFE is not safe in the end, is the most concerned about the problem. Whether the coating of the non-stick pan is safe or not depends on two aspects, the first is whether PTFE will enter our body, and the second is whether this substance will cause harm once it enters our body.
In general, the PTFE coating on the surface of the non-stick pan will not enter our body.
However, as far as the substance of polytetrafluoroethylene is concerned, in theory, when the temperature reaches 450 ° C, it will decompose and become a gas, and in the actual use process, as long as the temperature is not more than 260 ° C, it can work stably. What is the concept of 260°C for pots and pans? Under normal circumstances, when the temperature of the pot reaches about 120 ° C, it is the most ideal cooking temperature, if the temperature of the pot exceeds 200 ° C, then we can obviously see that there is white smoke wafting out of the pot, so in general, the temperature in the pot when we stir-fry will never exceed 260 degrees Celsius, so PTFE will not be decomposed into food.
Can it still be used if the coating on the surface of the pan is broken?
If it is only a small number of slight scratches, you don't have to care, if the scratches are more serious, then in the cooking process, some of the PTFE may fall off, in the form of solid particles mixed in the meal into our body. PTFE is classified by the World Health Organization as a Class 3 carcinogen, that is, its carcinogenic effect on the human body is not yet known, but it does have the characteristic of "tumor-causing" in toxicological studies. However, we don't need to worry too much, because PTFE itself is very stable, and it will not be absorbed by the human body after entering the human body in solid form, and will eventually be excreted through our digestive system. It is worth noting that the non-stick pan should not be overheated, otherwise the decomposed PTFE may affect human health.
In fact, non-stick pans or other pots and pans, as long as the normal use will not affect health, and we can not put aside the measurement to talk about harm.
Non-stick pans have coatings, ceramic pots contain lead, stainless steel pots contain manganese, if so, there is no pot that can be used with confidence, but in fact, lead is good, manganese, as long as it does not exceed the safe measurement, it will not affect human health. If you really care about this matter, it is not without a solution, because there is a pot that does not contain any harmful substances to the human body, so there is no need to worry about lead exceeding the standard, manganese excess and coating decomposition, it is the most primitive large iron pot. Sometimes you will find that when used, the most original result is the best. Of course, stir-frying in an iron pot requires a certain amount of technology, and its appearance does not look too tall, so it is not very popular with modern people.