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I have a hard time getting frying pans in a store that are safe for birds. Anything else besides plain stainless steel has little info on it and I cannot use cast iron on my glasstop stove. It's hard to even find out if the pan is teflon or not. Pans should have more info on it for us bird people! Any advice or info anyone has about pans to get would be greatly appreciated. Today I bought a set of Calphalon pans, are they bird safe? they are not teflon, and I just emailed the company and waiting on a response. I guess they are a type of non-stick. Is EVERY non-stick pan bad for birds?? or are there some that are safe?

I use Corning glass pots and pans. That saves worrying about the birds or the microwave!

Here are a couple links to information about non-stick pans and birds.

In the second link it sounds like any non-stick pan including Calphalon is NOT safe for our birdies.


http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon/es.php

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... cleid=2874

Thanks for the info!

Mytielwoody, I too have a ceramic / glass cooktop, and we use cast iron on it all the time. We also use SS pots and pans, as well as plain aluminum, but most are so old, I doubt you could find any plain uncoated aluminum cookware any more. We did find the SS from Sears to be very good and have heavy bottoms -- in fact, sometimes, too heavy! Should last an entire lifetime. As for the Calphon, they are teflon coated, just another name for their particular method / type of teflon. I think the big deal about teflon is it being overheated and NOT under normal cooking use. Accidents DO happen, but unless the coating reaches over 450 deg. I'm told it does not release any fumes. I do not use them though, but I do have a teflon coated griddle I do use, but temp never exceeds about 300-350 degrees, and when I do use it, I have the exhaust fan running at full bore, just to be on the safe side.

chibi-tori wrote:Accidents DO happen, but unless the coating reaches over 450 deg. I'm told it does not release any fumes. I do not use them though, but I do have a teflon coated griddle I do use, but temp never exceeds about 300-350 degrees, and when I do use it, I have the exhaust fan running at full bore, just to be on the safe side.

I'm so glad to hear that someone else does that too. We have a really great exhaust fan and when we cook with our teflon the birds are in their room (back bedroom) and our exhaust is on full blast! I had no idea though that Calphalon was bad for the fids! We have LOTs of Calphalon. My husband does the cooking and loves it.
I worry about the fumes but I guess if I keep them far enough away they'll be alright.
Gloria

Sadly, I've read on bird chats that toxic fumes are emitted at lower temps, but they're just not at lethal levels. Unfortunately, lung damage is done by accumulation, a little clogging here, a little there, until breathing finally becomes impossible. I think it's a mistake to EVER use things containing PTFE in a home with birds.

One problem we have too little control over is airflow within our homes. Toxic air can linger in a somewhat sheltered corner and move into our birds' airspace only when we open a door or window hours later. I'm not saying this just to scare you but from tragic things I've read.

There are many things that threaten our birds that we have little or no control over. The toxins from PTFE are one deadly threat we DO have control over. Please don't risk your bird's life for a waffle.

I have read also that teflon can emit fumes at lower temps, but as I stated, whenever I use the griddle, it is sitting directly under the exhaust fan, and it is moving better than 200 cfm, so there is little chance any fumes would ever leave the immediate area. And yes, you are correct about the lung damage from fumes being cumulative. In my case, its rare that I use the griddle, and have no other teflon coated utinsils in the house. The necropsy reports I've read, and even recent bird owners unknowingly killing their beloved 'tiels from teflon coated cookware is very saddening. It's beyond me how DuPont has failed to add warnings to any of their teflon based products, as well as the manufacturers of the coated items themselves. I think this is one time where the CPSC should mandate a warning for any teflon based product that gets hot on its own, or even by accident.

chibi-tori wrote:... I think this is one time where the CPSC should mandate a warning for any teflon based product that gets hot on its own, or even by accident.

And yet, you and Gloriajean are still using these products!!!!!!!! I find it incomprehensible.

I think ALL cookware that is unsafe for birds should have a warning on it! Even though most people know about teflon, sometimes its hard to know if the pans you are buying are teflon coated, and even so, all non-stick is a no no-----I wasn't sure about that and I have asked in the stores and no one knows anything. I guess I will have to bring my new pans back. I am thinking if the bird is far enough away from the kitchen and always stays there, that it is ok, but unfortunately I live in a smaller home and feel it is too close.

parrontPlus,
On the web site link that someone posted here, this is what it says--------Under normal cooking conditions, PTFE-coated cookware is stable and safe. Many studies have found that PTFE coated pans must be heated to above 536 degress F to release toxic particals and fumes in a reaction called "pyrolysis" http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... cleid=2874
Now, what is true? See if it was just me here with my bird, I would just get rid of the pans, BUT my boyfriend that I just moved in with likes to cook and he loves the pans, and I will have to do some convincing to get him to part with them! Oh, he would do it for me, and for woody, but the thing is that I already sent him the link to this website that says otherwise than what u have said. I told him as long as he is very careful with these pans, then it's ok. I know, I know, better safe than sorry, they are just pans-------if there is a doubt then I just want to get rid of them, but I'll have to convince him

You might put your question to Dr Robert Pavlis, who posts in the cockatoo forum.

ParrontPlus,

As I stated in my post, and confirmed by the excellent link provided by mytielwoody, it appears that PTFE coated utensils can be used, if used properly. If I even had the slightest notion I was endangering my birds, I would not use a griddle or any other type of coated cookware. 200 CFM of air movement directly over a griddle will never let any fumes excape from that area, and the griddle never gets over 300 degrees. I think that in itself is sufficient argument to say I'm not endangering my birds.

My husband told me that our Calphalon is Anodized aluminum, no coating (he does all the cooking, I'm no cook). When cooking with teflon (once a week if that often) the birds are in their room with the door shut and the exhaust fan going full blast on low heat.
I love my fids as I'm sure we all do. I have changed my cleaning produts to more bird friendly products. They have the best cages, toys foods (I work full time but find time to make them bread, mash, cut up fruits and veggies) because I belive they deserve the best. I would not endanger them.
Gloria

Same here, I worry over every little thing when it comes to my bird! You read all these posts of people losing their birds and don't realize why and I just feel lucky that my bird seems happy, healthy and comfortable. There is a woman about 50 miles or so from me that is a foster mom to birds and has 20 birds in her home and I bother this poor woman all the time with questions and concerns and she always gives good advice, and is always there for me, and never seems to mind----THANK YOU LIN! someday I hope to adopt one of her cockatiels when I decide to get another one. She has told me that as long as I keep my bird a distance from the kitchen, and keep my pans on a low temp, it should be fine.