Say hello to eco-friendly non-stick cookware and goodbye to toxic Teflon coated pans that off-gas hazardous chemicals into the air and who knows what they put into your food.

Cuisinart has a new line of non-stick cookware that is non-stick while being  PTFE and PFOA free, which means it has none of the nasty chemicals that Teflon (and similar coatings have).

The Cuisinart GreenGourmet pans are petroleum free, they have a hard anodized interior, an aluminum alloy core, and a Cuisinart Ceramica (TM) interior that makes the pan non-stick.

So what does all this mean, you may be thinking? Keep reading to find out.

The Green Gourmet line by Cuisinart is eco-friendly in many ways. The pans are constructed with energy savings in mind. The hard anodized material provides superior heat conductivity which requires less energy to heat, while the stainless steel handle- that is made from 70% recycled stainless steel- stays cool. The non-stick surface is actually ceramic so it is not made from petroleum based chemicals.

The pan is not only great for on top of the stove but it is oven and broiler safe as well (up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit). You can’t get that from a plastic handled traditional non-stick coated pan.

We received a 10 inch Green Gourmet skillet that I am proud to say passed Chef Napolitano’s (AKA my husband’s) rigorous standards (and my not so rigorous but still pretty picky standards).

While I am the one that does most of the cooking in the house, my husband is the one who actually likes to cook and has years of restaurant experience. His family has owned several restaurants which he has worked in plus he’s worked in many other professional kitchens as well. So to get his seal of approval is a really big deal.

For years he has spouted obscenities complained about our awful pots and pans, most of which I inherited with the house. They have never been up to his high standards of kitchen cookware. He has actually thrown a griddle out of the back door because it failed him (we now use an old griddle that was my dad’s, who passed away 30 years ago) and it works wonderfully since it is from a time when things were made to last.

My husband has a few signature dishes he creates and if his pans can’t handle it they get the boot, literally. When it comes to food and cookware he is a true chef. Honestly with anything else he is not that temperamental but when it comes to the kitchen…

All he could say was good things about the GreenGourmet hard anodized skillet. It heated up fast and stayed hot for a long time. Cooking was easy, there was no sticking and clean up was a breeze. He’s hooked and wants an entire set now.

I am inclined to agree. Our mish mash set of pots and pans surely isn’t the best and some are quite sad and perhaps even unhealthy. I have pots and pans, mostly stainless steel, some enamel and even some copper bottomed ones that could come from as far back as the 60s or maybe earlier. I also have an old Teflon coated set of T-Fal pans that really need to be disposed of. The problem is what do you do with Teflon coated pans?

So now that we tried the skillet we are looking at the 12 piece set. Something hubby and I can both add to our wish lists. It’s not often we both want the same things. He always wants tools and I want books and art supplies. Now we both want the Green Gourmet 12 piece Set. And a fancy wrought iron pot rack to hang them on. 🙂

I am thrilled to have found a line of green cookware that actually does what it says it will while being green. Plus not only is it green, it is heavy duty and built to last- as long as you treat it well and use plastic, wood or bamboo utensils so you don’t chip the ceramic coating.

By the way, even the packaging is green. It has a cardboard semi box over the skillet part of the pan (not a whole box) and the cardboard is made from 100% recycled materials and is printed with soy ink. The only downfall is that the pans and box are made in China. If they were made in the USA everything about the product would get an A+ rating.

This line of green cookware is safe, healthy and built to really cook with. Kudos to Cuisinart for going green.

[This post was written by Wenona Napolitano.]