A long time ago now, I was baffled by the uproar made about the statement: ‘There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns.’ For those of you that remember this infamous statement, you know that it was made in a context to justify war.
Why was I baffled? It wasn’t about a bunch of entitled men who were invading a foreign land to secure its natural resources for themselves. No, I was baffled that a major military decision, which ended up with the death of thousands of people, was based on this shaky logic.
There is no doubt that there are things that we don’t know, and that there are unknowns that we don’t know yet. This is simple to understand, however, when data and science can unequivocally prove something to be true then at that time it is only logical to understand the science. Doing something because you’ve convinced yourself that it’s right when the science does not support the action is how bad mistakes happen.
This is my position on non-stick cookware. For all cookware made in the world, out of all the brands, there isn’t a coated cookware that will last anywhere close to stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron. This is a simple fact proven by science that all non-stick cookware will become garbage. Hopefully, some of it will be recycled. My industry keeps reinventing fancy non-stick cookware and selling it to us as the next best thing. Over and over, each of these brands do not last.
Stick to the science
When science proves to the best of its ability that something is a certain way I have a tendency to believe it until rigorous science proves otherwise.
I’ve observed that all non-stick-coated cookware will wear out in a relatively short amount of time. There is no gray to this. It’s completely black and white. This does not mean that one day some smart person may make a coating that will last, and hopefully not come with health concerns. This would be a great invention and I would sign up to be the first to test it. Making cooking easier is my goal while we also care for our planet. Those two things must go hand-in-hand.
Cookware that will last forever does not need to be expensive. I know of loads of people that have found great cookware at second-hand stores or estate sales. Cast iron, carbon steel and stainless steel cookware last forever, so 10 or 20-year-old cookware should still be like new.
I have a strong opinion about this subject and have listened to loads of people that have tried to tell me that they must have a non-stick pan. To me, the reasons they give fall short when disposable cookware contributes to global environmental issues. This is proven by science.
Make a simple choice
I have no issue being called biased on this topic. If someone thinks that I am being unfair to tell them that their consumption is unnecessary then that is their opinion.
Many people ask me: do you drive a car, do you use bags at the grocery store, do you go on a plane? Yes, I do all those things, but I’m doing what I can to do those things less and am reducing or eliminating where I can. Cookware seems like an easy choice compared to the difficulty of driving a car in certain situations.
Non-stick cookware is unnecessary and there are easy replacements. They may not work exactly the same but with a tiny bit of effort, the results can be better while we dramatically reduce the amount of cookware that is thrown into the landfill every year.