Every home is thought to have a rice cooker, and whether it is made by a major manufacturer or a small business, the interior must be non-stick. By doing this, wasteful rice adhering to the bottom of the pot during steaming is avoided. Moreover, non-stick cookware is widely utilized in daily life and is found in items like flat-bottomed pans, electric griddles, and air fryers. However, some people are concerned that prolonged use could result in the non-stick material entering the body. Can non-stick materials be produced without affecting human health?
1、The Making Process of Non-Stick Pots
Have you ever wondered what goes into making non-stick cookware? Research on the manufacture of non-stick pots dates back to the 1970s, when the industry was just beginning to grow and people were concentrating on the study of the chemical industry, the refining of pure metals, and the smelting of alloys. The manufacture of non-stick pots is incredibly complicated. An expert put out the suggestion that conventional iron pots could be given an unique coating to make cooking more convenient at a gathering of significant businesses. Aluminum firms at the time greatly backed this idea, and following the conference, research personnel were assembled to investigate the materials utilized for the coating.
When testing refrigerants, people accidentally found a polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene, which has an anti-stick property. Heaven blesses those who assist themselves. So, the primary component of the coating was polytetrafluoroethylene. Despite being placed at high temperatures, the coated object won’t catch fire when this chemical is employed as a flame retardant. Polytetrafluoroethylene also has an antibacterial effect. Non-stick pot manufacture is concentrated in China’s coastal regions, with more businesses in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Although it has enhanced production speed, the non-stick pot manufacturing process has not improved as much as it could have in the past. It went from being entirely manual at first to machine-assisted production in the present. The bottom of the pot is typically made of aluminum, which is initially shaped by the external force of the machine; next comes electroplating, which is done to prevent aluminum oxidation because aluminum is easily reactive with oxygen in the air and forms a dense aluminum oxide film on the surface; next comes coating and baking the coating; and lastly, hand polishing of the pot’s surface.
2、Benefits of using a non-stick pan
Let’s examine the causes of food sticking to pans. This is so that the starch and protein in the food, as soon as it enters the pot, can swiftly degrade and adhere to the pan’s surface. Another factor for sticking is because the temperature inside the pan is not high enough. At low temperatures, van der Waals forces dominate the interactions between food molecules, causing the food to stick. Of course, adding oil to the pan and heating it to a particular degree might also help prevent sticking if you want to avoid this problem.
The reason non-stick pans are so well-liked by the general public is that they have eliminated the dangers of smoke to human health, saved time, and increased efficiency. Cleaning the bottom and sides of conventional pans requires a lot of effort and time.
3、Will material from a non-stick pan cause harm to the body?
As a non-stick pan’s coating is a polymer, some people are concerned that prolonged use will harm their bodies. This worry is unfounded. A non-stick pan’s coating is often made of one of two types of materials: a polymer containing silicon and one that contains fluorine.
These two materials’ chemical compositions are comparatively stable; even at very high temperatures, there won’t be any detachment. So, there is no need to be concerned that it will get into our food while cooking, get into our systems, and eventually increase the risk of cancer.
Verification experiments have also been carried out by qualified specialists. They chose 10 mice for each of the two experimental groups (A and B) that were of comparable age, size, and shape. Every day, members of Group A consumed food prepared in a non-stick pan with flaws in the coating, while members of Group B consumed food prepared in a regular non-stick pan. After 15 days of observation, there was no discernible difference between the two groups of mice, and the non-stick coating had no negative effects on the mice’s health.
Also, consider the fact that women’s lipsticks include chemicals as well. Still, many individuals prefer to purchase them. Specialists advise: “Even if some non-stick coating material has come loose over time, it is a negligible amount. The risk to our health provided by the non-stick coating may essentially be ignored because the amount is not sufficient to endanger our life.” Of course, it is advised to replace the cookware for practical reasons if wear is extreme or a significant portion of the coating has been damaged.
