Oh, the woes of Teflon. Dangerously bad for the environment (and potentially humans), but so much easier to clean than stainless steel. Now, the best of both worlds is up for grabs thanks to the Home Shopping Network.
The first cookware to use Thermolon non-stick coating, the new GreenPan line is ceramic based and doesn’t contain any PTFE – the chemical found in traditional degradable coating, or eco-hazzard chemical PFOA. Designed to be the last cookware you buy, this six-piece set doesn’t wear over time and the super non-stick release works up to a sizzling 850 degrees.
Bonus: Throw anything in, and skip the oil. Because nothing sticks, you’ll be cooking up healthier meals minus the once-necessary butters, fats or oils.
$99.90 for 6-piece set on HSN
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Bought the 12-inch frying open pan. Does not heat evenly from center to edge. Too shallow for frying chicken.
Bought the 2-quart sauce pan. It has some small chipped places inside. So, the thermolon coating chips a little like enamel.
Cast iron cookware is good; however, it is too heavy for some of us weak people to lift, and extra caution must be used when cooking with such acidic foods as tomatoes and onions. If cast iron is run through a dishwasher, it needs to be reseasoned. Maybe thermolon coating is a remedy for some of these.
I just bought two sets of Greenpans for Christmas and have yet to receive them, but you can get them on ebay for about half the cost of HSN. I just got the 8-pc set for $59 – I think it retails on HSN for around $150.
Caveat emptor when buying anything on EBAY. Sometimes you get what you expect, sometimes you don’t. Where would sellers on EBAY get out-of-the-box, top quality, new GreenPan items just like those sold on HSN? Demonstrator items? Used? Seconds? Who knows how they can sell items for half the going retail prices? The one I bought on EBAY has chips in the coating inside the pot; looks like one used for demonstration or it was just a bad one from the factory.
I have 2 sets of greenpans. They were amazing in the begining. But after about 9 months of daily use they have become stick pans not non stick pans. We’ve treated them well and tried to follow directions. I just think they don’t last very long. When they work they are great. I imagine only handwashing and oiling after every use would make a difference.
I love cooking and, of course, try to do my part for the environment, but this pan was a disappointment. My husband accidentally left a spatula burning on our first one, melting it onto the surface. We blamed the plastic residue for the pan’s poor performance (frittatas and pancakes would stick, despite using more than enough oil). So, we bought a new one, only to discover that food blackened and stuck as before. It works as if it were a regular pan–not non-stick! So, don’t let a good idea and good looks deceive. Greenpan has a ways to go toward developing its technology. Unfortunately, I have added two pans to some landfill, which doesn’t make me feel very good.
I’ve gone back to my 25-year-old, multi-ply, 18-10, made in USA stainless steel cookware, and the old cast iron for cooking the way I did before trying several brands of non-stick.
PFOA has been found while performing autopsies in Polar bears in the Artic. The significance of this is that in order to reach such remote locations on Earth, this compound has been labeled “environmentally persistant” by the FDA and has mandated that makers of the compound take it upon themselves to find a suitable replacement compound. It NEVER breaks down into non-toxic elements! Flourine which is the active ingredient, steals electrons from all kinds of nuerotransmitters in the human body which doesn’t kill you immediately but interferes with all crucial functions and destroys telemors, the things that allow DNA/RNA to repair the body. The blood brain barrier tries to protect the CNS and brain from PFOAs but when the BBB is compromised PFOAs are the suspected catalysts for Alzheimers, Parkinsons and ALS. PFOAs have an affinity for Aluminium which coincedentily has been found as a component of the plack found in the brain of Alzhiemer patients. The key is to find out if Greenpan uses any form of the element Flourine in the manufacture of its product. Flourine can be rendered harmless when “bonded” with other compounds but when the bonds are broken through HEAT on a stovetop or by metabolic processes in the body, flourine becomes deadly.
thanks for all of the comments, especially sy. Just bought a greenpan today at target, I feel like returning it! I want to go back and get the cast iron skillet I went in there for in the first place!
i just heard about GreenPan today and decided to do a little research on the product. I’m not finished with the research. Some of the comments on this site make me wonder. A number of bloggers talk about having to replace Teflon cookware after a years time? I have been using the same Teflon cookware since 1981 and except when my wife decided to cut meat in on of the skillets, have had no problems with the Teflon. I like to experiment with foods and although the end product was not always palatable, I never had problems cleaning up the mess. This is only my second set of teflon cookware since 1975. My first wife, by using to much heat, ruined the first set in 1981.
Bob
ps, except for ceramic and Pyrex, I never used the dishwasher to clean any pots and pans.
I bought a set on a great and trusted recommendation. It sucks. I seasoned as directed. The first eggs were over easy. They turned okay but then I couldn’t get them out of the pan. I have seasoned and re seasoned. They do not improve. Never been in the dishwasher. Washed with warm soapy water. My recommender still likes his and doesn’t understand why mine seem different. Ever heard of quality control? I have reviewed several sites and have concluded that all pans are not the same. The odds of getting the good ones are not good, especially in a multiple pan set. Mine was two pans with lids, both stick. Getting the problem resolved is not likely. I think I’ll just write off my $111.
I purchase these pans and loved them the first month, so I got rid of my old ones, what a mistake. Soon after they started to stick, leaving stains which is almost imposible to take out, noticed scratches and chipping. None of these are considered to be defects, according to the company. These are excluded from the guarantee, Wonder Why? they knew the answer, because these are junk! so sorry, guess these won’t be the last pans you will have to purchase. BEWARE! I read an article that when pans chip they can be dangerous since these particles are being, most probably digested with your food. This article states that a girl died because a piece of porcelain from the cookware ruptured her intestine. So why does the company not put this under the guarantee if they are so sure to make such statements?
I bought the 8 inch non stick fry pan and after a month of use it is now the stick pan. I followed all seasoning directions to the T. I am now sorry I spent a large amount of money on this product. I wish I had my money back.
I just bought the chef’s saute pan. I bought it for one reason only, the steamer insert. I’m going to use it for only steaming and I think it will work fine for that. I wanted a steamer insert that would be large enough for asparagus spears, but didn’t want to buy an asparagus steamer, too expensive! Based on the comments about the exterior paint chipping and flaking, I’ll have to be sure not to put them into the dishwasher – however, they are hard anodized exterior so I’m not expecting them to chip or flake on the exterior, if the interior chips or flakes, since I’m going to use it for steaming, it would go into the water and no problems with it getting into the food.
We have actually been testing this product in our test kitchen for 3 weeks now. Some days we use it up to 3 times a day! We have not experienced any of these problems yet. The only thing we noticed was the handle heated up about 4 inches down from the tip. We are going to continue our testing to see if we can get these same problems.
Follow our extended review of the Todd English Green Pan @ cookwarebuzz.com
http://www.cookwarebuzz.com/cookware/reviews/cookware-todd-english-collection/
Same problem with us. Greenpan appeared fantastic at the beginning now no matter how much oil we use everything sticks!
Will try and return the product otherwise its destined for the scrap heap.
I can’t believe all the bad feedback about the Greenpan. I bought my professional set from HSN over a year ago. Seasoned them, and have never had a problem. Just last night I made a pot of Brocolli, Cheese soup, in the 8qt, which in my other pot was a pain to clean. And, it just wipes right out, as usual. My fry pan, I have never had to do more than warm water and a sponge to clean. I love them.
P.S. They have never seen the dishwasher. But, there is no need due to that they are so easy to clean
Normally I never write comments, but the comment in here from Tina really made me laugh (“a girl died because a piece of porcelain from the cookware ruptured her intestine”). This is so funny and so completely nonsense, that I truly wanted to share my experience on greenpan.
I received my greenpan for christmas last year. It is holding up very well. The base of the pan is scratched on the outside, basically because my stove top has cast iron grates.
In the past I used Circulon frypans (they have kind of circles on the inside). There the non-stick disappeared in 2 months. They were crap.
My greenpans are holding up great. Looking forward to next xmas (hint for Susan, my sister: could santa bring a hard anodized stirfry? ;-)
I’m a bachelor and it’s hard to find the smaller pots and pans. I look for high quality metal and construction, approaching All-Clad quality. But I can’t afford that. I avoid pans with spot-welds or just one screw holding the handle on. The Green pan’s construction passed my test.
I bought an 8″ fry pan at Target. I didn’t even notice it was a Todd English/Joy Mangano endorsed model. I just now used a loupe to read that they are a celebrity chef and a TV Host-Designer. Big deal! If I’d seen that in the store, I probably wouldn’t have bought the pricey pan ($20). Who wants to pay extra for the endorsement fees for just having some schmuck’s name on it?
Anyway, I bought it because I have 2 parrots and didn’t want to risk PTFE fumes around them. I’ve been using some form of non-stick around birds for about 20 years, so I wasn’t really scared, just sort of experimenting.
I’ve used the Green Pan with a little olive oil almost daily for about 3 months. So far, the pan performs OK. It seems well constructed, but not as well as my stainless items. So, for the price, it’s just OK.
I hand-wash it with a plastic brush and regular dish soap. I’ve kept on using some of my non-stick stuff, as it’s not available in “Green” form.
I don’t care much about buying “green” stuff, as it’s mostly just another way to pry money from us. E.g. Al Gore and his bogus claims. Be alert when people try to scare you.
As to the Green Pan, I’m going to keep using it. I’ll watch for chipping and sticking as described above.
My other pots and pans are either SS or non-stick TFal or Calphalon. I have a very nice no-name grill-pan I bought at Ollie’s discount in Uniontown, PA. That one’s still my favorite for steaks and big cuts of fish.
Good luck, folks!
Dan
I HAVE PROBLEM CLEANING THE PAN I HAVE A 10″ PAN I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A GAURENTEE ON THESE PANS. AND IS THERE A 800 NUMBER THAT I CAN CALL
wow, i had no idea …i’ve been using non stick all this time and i thought all this hear say about it being toxic is true.
Me love non stick, makes washing easy cos i’m prone to getting my food burnt sometimes. Best to look for alternatives. Thanks y’all xx
do not buy green pan they are bad. I have a set and three larger skillets. Only three of the pans actually work,everything sticks, its easy to wash out ,but it is definately not non stick. I wondered when they were selling it on hsn why every once in a while they would be cooking something and they would take the pan and set it under!!!!! the counter, now that I have a set I know…..
the thermolon non-stick is very excellent i want to aknowledge who invented this kind of research good work greenpan i like ur technology thanks
You people are so amusing. WHAT is it you are doing with these pans? You treat them right and they are wonderful. And NO dishwasher, you lazy people need to hand wash and care for these wonderful pans. Amateurs should just use junk. And the urban legends abound. Geesh, people really are stupid!
We bought one and it is a total piece of crap. From the first day. I don’t even own a dishwasher. Made omelets ok as long as the pan was greased first, otherwise it is one of the stickiest pans I have EVER encountered. Has stains that won’t come out now. I would NEVER, EVER buy another one and only recommend to someone I hated.
These pans burned the first time I used them. If you do not have chicken broth or something in the pan it burns. You cannot brown anything. My entire set was ruined within the first week I used them. I unfortunately blamed myself and did not return them.
But, I am an experience cook and this should not happen! Shame on you Green Pan for misinforming the public and not testing your pans.
When I saw these pans on HSN they seemed so wonderful. I purchased 3 frying pans & 2 sauce pots ( one of which did not even include a lid). For they first month or so they worked well. I will also say I never put them in the dishwasher and they still broke down. They are scratched up now with gummy stains stuck to them that I cannot remove. Definetly not worth the price and shame on you Tood English for endorsing such a poor product. Buyer beware!