Pans and packages, oh my

Is There an Extra Ingredient in Nonstick Pans? is a rather disturbing, yet useful, New York Times story looking at the possibility that the things we use to cook and store our food are exposing us to a chemical that causes cancer in lab animals.

The substance at issue is perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and 90 percent of Americans have some in their blood, according to one study. The EPA and FDA are studying the potential risks of PFOA, which can be produced when certain chemicals used in common food packaging, including some paper plates, break down.

For those who don't want to wait for definitive answers from the government, the Environmental Working Group has some suggestions: Use Teflon pans at lower temperatures, and never put them on the stove to heat without food or liquid inside. Greasy food that is heated in a microwave oven in a cardboard container is a potential source of PFOA; take the food out of the container and heat it in glass or ceramic.

For popcorn in the microwave, the group suggests the following: Place a quarter-cup of good quality popcorn in a standard brown paper lunch bag; mix with oil and seasoning; seal the bag with a single staple (one staple does not contain enough metal to cause a spark) and heat for two to three minutes. Alton Brown, who cooks on the Food Network, uses this method.

Another solution is to cook the old-fashioned way. If cast iron pans are seasoned and heated properly, very little oil is needed for browning. Chefs generally do not use nonstick pans because they do not think they do as good a job of cooking as cast iron and stainless steel, especially for browning.