I was graciously sent a  SCANPAN^® Green Tek 10 1/4″ Frying Pan to review.  My husband Rob and I were curious as to how a frying pan could be green. It’s a pan. What could makes it any more green than other cookware? Is it made out of recycled materials? We were skeptical. Rob the cynic was convinved it was some kind of marketing ploy.

This is how SCANPAN^® describes the Green Tek line.

As a part of our on-going product development, we developed a few years ago in cooperation with our suppliers a new coating – Green Tek. This coating is from raw material to final product completely free from both PFOA and PFOS and form, in conjunction with our patented ceramic titanium technology, the strongest non-stick surface on the market.

Prior to Green Tek, PFOA supported the polymerization of PTFE. However, during the production process PFOA exuded, so that the final product was PFOA-free.

PFOA? PFOS? What are they talking about? So, we did some research and we were a bit surprised at what we found.

Here is a short description from Wikipedia:

PFOA is a toxicant and carcinogen in animals, persistent in the environment, and detected in the blood of general populations in the low parts per billion range where it has been linked to infertility. In people with higher exposures, PFOA is linked to birth defects, increased cancer rates, and changes to lipid levels, the immune system, and liver, effects identified in animals.

PFOA has been detected in industrial waste and consumer products including stain resistant carpets, microwave popcorn bags, food packaging, and Teflon (PTFE). PFOA is also found in food and water.

I found this from Chefs Catalog:

In the more recent past, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the leading manufacturer of nonstick compounds to task over excessive emissions of PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid). PFOA has been used as a catalyst in the production of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), the basic building block for all nonstick cookware surfaces.

PFOA is a chemical that is hard to break down in the environment. It has a half life of 3.8 years, meaning that if there are 4 grams of PFOA in the body today, the body will have 2 grams in it in four years from now, 1 gram in eight years from now and so on. The human metabolism does not remove PFOA. While it is not a carcinogen or toxin and is generally assumed inert and not harmful to your health, it is environmentally unfriendly and just sticks around forever. That is why the EPA and the leading nonstick manufacturer have agreed that by 2010, the amount of PFOA used to produce PTFE compounds need to be cut by 95%, and by 2015 no PFOA could be used, at all.

We were surprised by all this info and became very interested in how well this product worked. So, we tested it for a couple of weeks. We used it every day. I made breakfast with it. Rob, the catering cook, used it for pratically everything. He even brought it to work with him a couple of times.

We were pleased with its performance. First, the pan has a great overall feel. It is quite heavy. The handle is riveted onto the cooking surface, which is a bonus for us. We (read: Rob) have a tendency to have the handles come loose. We were a bit disappointed that the handle was all metal, since metal handles can get very hot. They did compensate for this by including an insulated pan handle holder.  The nonstick surface worked flawlessly. When making omelettes and pancakes, I found it very easy to flip and turn. The surface was also very easy to clean. Many pans have a small “sweet spot”. Whereas, this pan has nice, even heat retention. This made it ideal for searing fish and steaks. It was also great for sauteeing vegetables.

Bottom line, I highly recommend this product. It works incredibly well. The fact that it is green is simply an added bonus. We liked it so much that we are planning to buy a 10-piece set.