Question:
I seem to recall an article not long ago about research that claims thatnonstick materials used in cookware can flake off (microscopic pieces, mindyou), be carried over to the food, and be ingested, and can/will ultimatelycause Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. This also applied to aluminumcookware.

My girlfriend strongly advocates that I get rid of pots and pans madeof or with those materials, and get stainless steel or cast iron. Myquestion is, just what is the current verdict on that?

Answer: Like anything else, it's a matter of opinion.If you do some googling, you will find websites with opinions workingboth sides of the concept.

Personally, I don't like aluminum because it reacts with acidic foodslike lemon and tomato and makes the food taste nasty. It's reactive.

And I have a pet bird so will not use Teflon.

As for aluminum, the worry was started when it was found that the brainsof people with Alzheimer's - specifically the affected brain tissue -contained more alumnum than normal. Perhaps too much ingested aluminumwas a causative factor? But no, this has been shown to be false. Whathappens is that the tissue affected by the disease tends to accumulatealuminum. So, Alzheimers causes excess aluminum in the brain, not theother way around.

As for teflon, it is an extremely intert material and will pass thru youwithout being absorbed.

IIRC the main controversy with the nonstick is overheating that causesoffgasing. The offgasing can cause health problems something that themakers of Teflon have acknowledged. If you check Dupont's website thereis a link to this. I can attest to the nonstick surface flaking offoccasionally. I had a fry pan that did this as well as a couple ofcookie sheets. I tossed both along with the food with the flakes in it. I switched to stainless steel some time ago and have never regrettedit however, I still use a non-stick fry pan on occasion for fried eggs. I prefer a well seasoned cast iron fry pan for most of my frying purposes.