Discovered in 1938 and patented in 1945, Teflon was the original
nonstick coating. It didn’t make its way onto cookware in this
country until the FDA approved the substance for food-processing
equipment in 1960—right around the time that the medical
community began touting the low-fat diet as healthy for everyone
(not just for high-risk heart patients). Thus, nonstick pots and
pans began to be seen as essential tools for anyone who wanted
to reduce fat intake by cooking with less oil, and recipes began
calling for the pans explicitly; today, they comprise roughly 70
percent of all cookware sold. But they’re also a source of
controversy: The EPA has determined that PFOA, a chemical used
to manufacture nonstick coatings, is a likely human carcinogen.
Nonstick pots and pans are considered safe as long as you keep
cooking temperatures below 500 degrees (which means no high-heat
frying). If you’re not convinced, cast iron—one of the oldest
cookware materials—is a great alternative, as long as you
maintain your pan