Inexpensive and bird safe non-PTFE non-Teflon Toaster Oven

[stockjock]

Unfortunately, my beloved cockatoo, Spooky, died last week, as discussed on the Cockatoo forum. While I periodically used Teflon at low temperatures, and while his well-known Avian Specialist did not believe it contributed to his passing (suspected heart disease), I have made it a mission to make sure the environment is safe for a rescue bird I hope to adopt very soon.

Thus, I'm ditching my Teflon-coated, infrequently used (but very nice) Breville toaster over and buying one without non-stick coating. As you may know, there aren't many toaster ovens available without Teflon/PTFE. When you do find them, they are usually very expensive.

So, I found one that appears to be Teflon/PTFE free and bird safe that won't break the bank. It's made by Mueller of Austria and is available on Amazon.

Here's the e-mail I received from Mueller as well as a link to the product:

On Sun, Feb 17, 2019 at 12:23 AM wrote:
Subject: Teflon PTFE

Comment:
Do your toaster ovens use Teflon/PTFE? This is toxic to birds, so trying to avoid that.

Thank you for contacting us.

The oven is made from stainless steel, no Teflon/PTFE. Please, let me know if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,
Eve Harrison
Customer support

https://amzn.to/2Nc22vf

 

[ParrotGenie]

This one is doesn't have Teflon/PTFE.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...jQl2g_Ceot1l-9HMrAUaAqJgEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

This one unique

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ta-20&linkId=e31af9b408d23cde4f9dd7a807af68fd

 

[ParrotGenie]

The also have another one you have to watch out for that manufacturers like to use as well, since they know people are now avoiding PTFE.

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), now called Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are a class of chemicals that are used to make things stain and stick resistant. They are molecules made up of carbon chains to which fluorine atoms are bound. Fluorine adds the slippery quality. U.S. chemical manufacturers have replaced the phased-out chemicals with reformulated “short-chain” PFCs with six or fewer carbon atoms. Manufacturers claim the new chemicals are less likely to build up in your bodies, but they were not adequately tested for safety before going on the market? The limited research that has been done suggests they may have similar health hazards. For example, one study found that the short-chain alternative PFC chemicals are absorbed into the organs of mice just as easily as the long-chain versions. The study also reported that the replacement PFCs entered the brain in higher amounts than the banned version

Yes you will also see now non stick cookware that’s labeled PFOA or PFTE (aka Teflon) free, that has PFOA and PFOS. For us it can cause cancer, birth defects, liver and kidney damage, high cholesterol, reproductive problems, hypothyroidism and obesity. So it just won't kill your bird, but cause health issues with people as well.

Pretty much just stick to stainless steel with no coating. The only least toxic option is to avoid all types of non stick coatings on appliances. Sounds simple, but finding small appliances that don’t contain PFCs can be very challenging and usually will require emailing, or phone call to the manufacturer?

 

[noodles123]

I always specify the full names AND abbreviations of everything I am worried about: PTFE= polytetrafluoroethyline, PFOA=Perfluorooctanoic acid, PFCs=Perfluorinated compounds, PFAS= polyfluoroalkyl substances and Teflon...anything with "fluoro" in it...


I always give names and abbreviations because there is a high probability that the person checking into this for you would be looking for "PTFE", and if they saw "polytetrafluoroethyline", they might not know that those are the same thing.

Another thing--- if you ever get a new appliance while sharing a home with a bird, make sure you run it outside or with your bird elsewhere because things like water heaters, ovens, toasters etc are heated with an anti-corrosion coating from the factory that burns off during the first few use cycles and can harm birds.

 

[noodles123]

I know that it is difficult/often impossible to identify Teflon components visually, but based on past experience, the image you posted appears to include a tray with a suspicious coating- if you only asked about the oven, they likely didn't mention the trays (as they are technically not part of the oven).

 

[EllenD]

Very good point on brand-new appliances, even the ones free of Teflon coatings or any other coatings containing the fluorintated compounds, and that is to NEVER turn them on for the first time with your bird anywhere inside the house...And this includes if you buy a brand new car, especially a foreign-make of car that has traveled over the ocean...Cosmoline is used to coat the entire underside of all cars that travel over the ocean to get to the US or wherever they're going, to protect against salt-water corrosion on the exhaust systems...It typically takes about 100 miles or so to burn all of it off of the underside of a brand new car, and until it's burnt-off you get that very hot, nasty chemical smell when you drive the car, like you think it's on fire or something...That will kill a bird, no doubt, it's noxious and awful, and people always think there is something wrong with the brand new car they are test-driving when they smell it, and it's hard to convince them sometimes...As someone who has been selling cars for about 15 years now, and who has only ever sold foreign makes like Suzuki, Nissan, VW, Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, and Mitsubishi, every single freaking new car has Cosmoline all over it, lol...

Same thing with ovens, microwaves, heaters, griddles, hot plates, basically any type of appliance or machine that you have to "turn on' and has power to it, and that heats-up in any way...Even new tower computers...

 

[Tziporiah]

I always specify the full names AND abbreviations of everything I am worried about: PTFE= polytetrafluoroethyline, PFOA=Perfluorooctanoic acid, PFCs=Perfluorinated compounds, PFAS= polyfluoroalkyl substances and Teflon...anything with "fluoro" in it...


I always give names and abbreviations because there is a high probability that the person checking into this for you would be looking for "PTFE", and if they saw "polytetrafluoroethyline", they might not know that those are the same thing.

Another thing--- if you ever get a new appliance while sharing a home with a bird, make sure you run it outside or with your bird elsewhere because things like water heaters, ovens, toasters etc are heated with an anti-corrosion coating from the factory that burns off during the first few use cycles and can harm birds.

Just wondering if you have done any research and found a toaster oven that does not contain the harmful chemicals that you listed in your post
Thank you

 

[Kentuckienne]

I have a Teflon/PF free oven made by Oster. Has a fan so almost as good as an air fryer. I verified online and with Oster that is doesn’t have any non-stick coatings. It’s stainless inside. I still ran it outdoors by itself like five times and then another five times cooking before I brought it inside. No problems.

 

[ravvlet]

Did you ever find a toaster? We need to replace ours, and it suddenly occurred to me to look it up and now everything I can find indicates most brands that didn’t use PTFE/Teflon/etc before do now.

I’m about to just start using the broil setting on my oven instead

 

[Tziporiah]

Did you ever find a toaster? We need to replace ours, and it suddenly occurred to me to look it up and now everything I can find indicates most brands that didn’t use PTFE/Teflon/etc before do now.

I’m about to just start using the broil setting on my oven instead

Sorry I never bought one yet

 

[ravvlet]

For other people checking this thread for info -

I sent Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, and Mueller an email as follows: (for some I asked about specific models, Hamilton Beach was Model: 31403, Cuisinart was CSO-300N, and Mueller was MT-175 Stainless steel toaster oven)

Does this oven use any nonstick coatings? This includes PTFE (polytetrafluoroethyline), PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid), PFCs (Perfluorinated compounds), PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) and Teflon. If this model does use these coatings, do you have any models that do not?​

Here is what cuisinart said when I asked about their air fryers.

Dear Tyler,

Thank you for your inquiry. The Cuisinart AirFryers has a coated steel interior. There is no Teflon or non-stick coating in any of these units.

Yes, CSO-300N is nonstick coating free and it is a discontinued, model.

Here is the email from Hamilton Beach:

Dear Tyler,

Thank you for your email.

This appliance will not feature any nonstick surfaces.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Thank you for contacting Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc.

Albert
Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. Customer Service

And I am waiting to hear back from Mueller. I got a warning that their inbox was full by gmail, so I might try phoning them up, as I am planning on buying one of these units this weekend and theirs was the least expensive of the lot.

I plan on following up with Hamilton Beach to make sure that none of the interior elements have nonstick coating, and not just the surfaces visible to the end user.

 

[ravvlet]

Yay! No response from Mueller but I got a final reply from Hamilton Beach about their air fryer/toaster oven:

Dear Tyler,

Thank you for your reply.

No, the heating elements included with this appliance will not feature any nonstick coatings.

Thank you for contacting Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc.

Albert
Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. Customer Service

This seems pretty definitive to me. I went ahead and ordered this model, as it was on sale for $70 and suits our needs. I wish that Mueller had responded as I’d have preferred a regular toaster oven to an “air fryer” style one, but alas.

 

[Gab91]

Yay! No response from Mueller but I got a final reply from Hamilton Beach about their air fryer/toaster oven:



This seems pretty definitive to me. I went ahead and ordered this model, as it was on sale for $70 and suits our needs. I wish that Mueller had responded as I’d have preferred a regular toaster oven to an “air fryer” style one, but alas.

I recently bought the toaster oven you mentioned, the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Air Fryer Toaster Oven Model 31403. I have been trying to burn off the initial chemicals in the oven, but it still smells slightly like chemicals, even after running it all day. I wanted to see if you still own this toaster oven, and if you are happy with it, or if yours might have also smelled like chemicals?

 

[wrench13]

We have the stainless steel Mueller one for over a year now and use it frequently. No issues.

 

[ravvlet]

I recently bought the toaster oven you mentioned, the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Air Fryer Toaster Oven Model 31403. I have been trying to burn off the initial chemicals in the oven, but it still smells slightly like chemicals, even after running it all day. I wanted to see if you still own this toaster oven, and if you are happy with it, or if yours might have also smelled like chemicals?

Wow! We ran ours outside for a bit at first after we got it, but there is definitely no smell now. I’m still using it basically every day. We are fortunate in that the parrots aren’t on the same floor as the kitchen, but Kirby has definitely been in the room with it running with no issues.

Perhaps there’s some plastic stuck somewhere in the unit, or cardboard, that’s burning off. I hope not though! Have you tried returning it and exchanging it for a new one?

 

[Gab91]

I will inspect it to see if there is anything stuck in there. Thanks for the feedback, I may have to return it if the smell does not go away...

 

[KissyBeak]

I’m in a similar predicament because my husband can’t live without a toaster and if I don’t buy one he may kill me.
He hates using the ninja foodi grill. I’ve been searching for a year for a toaster but am not Satisfied. However I have heard from other bird owners that ninja does not use PFOA sin any of their products- which indicates that their flip toaster may be safe, that’s the type that I need. But I don’t want to buy it until I do more research or someone else vouches for it.
Any thoughts? Has anyone used a ninja toaster?