Nonstick Pans and Parakeets

[Jasmine333]

I keep reading to avoid using nonstick pans if you have parakeets, as they say the fumes from these pans can kill them. What's to use then, regular pans with nonstick cooking oil?

 

[Melscamp]

I use cast iron. They are easy to maintain and don't need chemical soaps to clean them.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Typically stainless steel or the like. Some do cast iron also.

Some people say ceramic is ok, but even those can be coated with PTFE, PFOA, and PFAS. So do a lot of research on the specific model of ceramic pan if you choose to go that route.

And it's not just parakeets - it's any type of bird. Since they're avians, their respiratory system is completely different to ours, including fun things like air sacs. So avians are more sensitive to gases, including smoke (so don't burn anything).

 

[Kiwibird]

I use Triply stainless pans which are more on the expensive side. Disk bottom stainless are a good budget option for bird owners. Cast iron is also an option.

Do not use “non stick cooking spray”. That also puts off fumes. With some practice, stainless pans can be used with oils like olive, avocado or coconut oil with minimal to no sticking. It really is a matter of technique and practice. For example, when my husband cooks eggs in one of our pans, it will have to be soaked and scraped afterwards. When I cook eggs in the the same pan, all that needs to be done is to rinse any excess oil out. I find olive oil is the best general purpose option, though avocado is better for high heat applications. While you do not have to buy All Clad pans (which are ridiculously expensive!), there are a lot of videos about how to cook in all clad without sticking. The same techniques in those videos will work for any brand of tri ply or disc bottom stainless pan.

 

[noodles123]

I keep reading to avoid using nonstick pans if you have parakeets, as they say the fumes from these pans can kill them. What's to use then, regular pans with nonstick cooking oil?

non-coated stainless steel w/oil.

If a product says "easy clean up" "non stick" or lists teflon/tfal etc do not get it. but, KNOW that Teflon is a brand of a type of chemical, and that PTFE, PFOA etc all contain the same sorts of polymers that off-gas, even though they won't always say Teflon (as that is a brand, kind of like Kleenex and tissues).


Here is a copy and pasted portion from one of my other posts that goes into greater detail:

any sort of heated mechanism (anything that heats or is intended to be heated) and contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon will be out of the question (and most things that heat up or are intended to be heated DO contain these chemicals)--This includes things like pots, pans, cupcake trays, cookie sheets, cake pans etc, but it will also things like include hair-dryers, straighteners, curling irons, curlers, rice-cookers, SLOW COOKERS, popcorn poppers, air fryers, microwave meals (including certain types of microwave popcorn), steamers, irons, ironing board covers, electric skillets, griddles, George Foreman Grills, drip trays, toasters, toaster ovens, poaching pans, electric blankets, humidifiers, heat lamps, SPACE HEATERS, Scotch Guard etc etc...Here 2 links about it: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...on-kills-birds
To find out what contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon, you have to call and be a bit insistent about it over the phone (and in some cases, you won't get far--but sometimes it is a matter of how you ask). Almost always, it will take a few days (and numerous holds) for them to get back to you and you must provide the full chemical names, abbreviations and brand-names.

Shopping when you have a bird is super annoying because cannot visually ID these chemical coatings, as they can be colored, transparent, or mixed into metal/fabric during the manufacturing process. Teflon and chemically similar products have killed birds on separate floors with the doors shut. Similarly, while DuPont claims that off-gassing only occurs at higher heats, there have been myriad bird deaths (even within academic circles) at temperatures well within the 300 degree F range! There is a reason they used canaries in coal-mines and it is because they die very easily due to even low levels of fumes of any sort. Some specific accounts: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...-death-diaries
Here are the abbreviations and full spellings of the chemicals you need to ask about when inquiring about a product (give the name, spelling and abbreviation of each):

Teflon= common brand-name using the chemical types in question
PTFE= Polytetrafluoroethyline
PFOA= Perfluorooctanoic acid (sometimes known as C8)
PFCs= Perfluorinated chemicals

 

[SailBoat]

There are numerous Threads on this Subject found thru the many Forums... Time after time, members have provided detailed information of the dangers of Nonstick products.

Although difficult to say... Heartbreaking to recommend... It seems that it is only the personal experience of that individual that carries any weight with that individual... In short, all of the information provided has no merit, none what-so-ever. This based on themselves or others they know who used such products and their Bird(s) did not die as a result of those uses...

Their reality, the Bird did not die...

With many, sadly, it only becomes real when their Bird or their friend's Bird dies.

For Centuries, Birds have given their lives to save Humans in Mines...

With fifty years of History of the death of both Birds and Humans we still are required to 'provide' over and over again 'warnings' of what happens when that product fails and releases dangerous gases.

 

[Jasmine333]

Well it wasn't until after I got Oliver I read about the recommendations on not using nonstick pans. The cage is well away from the kitchen, however fumes can travel and be carried by air ducts. I don't use my pans a lot and haven't seen any adverse effects in Oliver. However, just to be safe I can get a stainless steel pan. I've used cast iron before but they recommend not using tomato-based products in them due to the pan giving it a metallic flavor.

 

[Kiwibird]

There is a dual benefit to giving up Teflon pans for your birds safety- they aren’t just fatal to birds when they off gas but are also proving to be dangerous to human health as well. The chemicals used in such coatings eventually make their way into your food through leeching or chipping of the coating and have been linked to serious human health issues like cancer, endocrine problems etc...

Get a stainless pan, and you won’t have to worry about potential harm to your bird or yourself!

 

[Laurasea]

Well it wasn't until after I got Oliver I read about the recommendations on not using nonstick pans. The cage is well away from the kitchen, however fumes can travel and be carried by air ducts. I don't use my pans a lot and haven't seen any adverse effects in Oliver. However, just to be safe I can get a stainless steel pan. I've used cast iron before but they recommend not using tomato-based products in them due to the pan giving it a metallic flavor.

You have been lucky!!!! The off gassing occurs at certain temperature of the pan. As the pan ages it off gasses at low temp!! We have had many horrible stories of birds dieing.
Just throw those away!!!!

I use cast iron , glass, and something tinfoil . Just what you have to do, to keep our birds alive

 

[noodles123]

Well it wasn't until after I got Oliver I read about the recommendations on not using nonstick pans. The cage is well away from the kitchen, however fumes can travel and be carried by air ducts. I don't use my pans a lot and haven't seen any adverse effects in Oliver. However, just to be safe I can get a stainless steel pan. I've used cast iron before but they recommend not using tomato-based products in them due to the pan giving it a metallic flavor.

You have been lucky!!!! The off gassing occurs at certain temperature of the pan. As the pan ages it off gasses at low temp!! We have had many horrible stories of birds dieing.
Just throw those away!!!!

Also depends on the pan contents, the age of the pan etc...There was a member whose husband made an egg in a teflon pan all of the time---one day (without burning or anything different than normal) the bird died and the vet confirmed it was ptfe toxicity (wasn't an obviously scratched pan or anything special) and it killed birds in rooms with shut doors etc. It isn't worth the risk---it's the #1 preventable killer of birds in homes (last i checked)