What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware?

What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware? - Bell Peppers Dropped on Water

So, I use Teflon saucepans for cooking vegetables, only.

Tomatoes have to be added after the onions are done. Tomatoes have inherent water in them and are obviously below the pan's temperature.

I am afraid that in the long run it may ultimately damage the Teflon cookware.

What's the way out?



Best Answer

Teflon will slowly damage over time no matter how you treat it. Certain things will speed up this damage: too high heat, some metal tools, sandpaper. Unlike an aluminum pan, Teflon will not react to high acid foods like tomatoes by getting damaged. It is a non-reactive material. You will see black flakes start to appear in your food when the original chemical bonding begins to fail on your pan, which should signal that you need to grab another one.




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What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware? - Broccoli in Stainless Steel Cooking Pot
What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware? - Vegetables Sauteed on Wok
What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware? - Bean Sprouts on Stone Plate



Quick Answer about "What precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware?"

The primary concern in the precaution against cold water on hot pans, Teflon or otherwise, is typically directed at running cold water from the tap over it (ie when rinsing to cool it down quickly before washing it).

What happens when you put a hot pan in cold water?

Never submerge a hot pan in cold water, since the thermal shock of the temperature difference can cause warping or cracking. This in turn could cause the bottom of the pan to wobble precariously on the burner, creating an unsafe cooking situation. Warping can also cause the nonstick coating to delaminate.

Can you put cold water in a hot non stick pan?

Be sure to allow your pan to cool completely before cleaning. Submerging a hot pan in cold water or even running cool water over hot nonstick cookware can warp a pan, creating an uneven, wonky surface that will heat unevenly.

Is Teflon toxic if overheated?

While the health effects of overheated Teflon may be serious, using commonsense cooking practices will help you avoid exposure. Above 570\xb0F (300\xb0C), Teflon coatings may begin to break down, releasing toxic fumes into the air. These fumes can cause temporary, flu-like symptoms known as polymer fume fever.

Can you put Teflon in the fridge?

Saving food in your cookware We all have that moment occasionally\u2026 after a night of cooking, you want to just leave the leftover food in the pan and throw the whole thing into the refrigerator so you can go straight to bed. Sadly, this is a no-go with nonstick pans; they're seriously not meant to store food in.



4 Types of Toxic Cookware to Avoid and 4 Safe Alternatives




More answers regarding what precautions should be taken while dropping cold vegetables in a hot Teflon cookware?

Answer 2

Water content of the vegetables has little or nothing to do with Teflon deterioration. The reason you add wet vegetables after "dry" ones is that the water content of the wet vegatables will prevent the dry ones from searing and carmelizing.

However, more to the point of the question, the way you should fry or saute vegetables in a non-stick pan is:

  1. Pour oil into the pan
  2. Heat the pan and oil to between 300F and 350F
  3. Drop in vegetables

That being said, I personally use stainless or cast iron if I'm just frying vegetables.

EDIT: I previously posted some incorrect information about acidity and Teflon. I have removed this information based on research. As it turns out, Teflon is highly resistant to acids and would not be damaged by acidic foods in any way -- it can resist hydrochloric acid. Reference: http://www.calpaclab.com/pages/chart.html

Answer 3

Tomatoes specifically will not damage your teflon pan any more than any other cold, wet vegetable. Teflon was used to store a form of uranium in the Manhattan Project because it's so nonreactive. Without it, uranium hexafluoride would eat through storage containers.

It sounds like you were also talking about thermal shock--which you can observe with a hot glass dropped in cold water. That happens on a very, very small scale with pans and food-to-be-heated. I think other factors--like scratching from spatulas and accidental overheating--would wear out the pan far, far sooner.

Answer 4

The primary concern in the precaution against cold water on hot pans, Teflon or otherwise, is typically directed at running cold water from the tap over it (ie when rinsing to cool it down quickly before washing it). Tomatoes and other water bearing ingredients poise a negligible risk to warping relatively.

I regularly add stock and other cold/room temp ingredients and have not experienced warping in 8 years with an inexpensive pan set. how else could you fry an egg or deglaze a pan?

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