How can I reuse or recycle … old frying pans?
A couple of months ago, John read something about how poisonous Teflon is when it gets scratched and starts flaking - and immediately our two old frying pans were cast from the pan cupboard onto, well, the dining table where they’ve sat for the in-between weeks waiting for me to take a photo of them for use on here. I’m not the promptest girl in the world.
Researching it now, I can’t find anything to support the poisonous claim - most sources say flakes will pass through the body without being absorbed but super-heated (237°C - the sort of hot hot heat you might use to fry up a thick steak) Teflon can give off dangerous fumes (particularly for birds in the vicinity - so no more letting the budgie cook up bacon unsupervised).
Either way though, these frying pans are a pain to cook with in their current state given they’re half non-stick, half-stick. So any suggestions for bringing them back to life? (Is wire-wooling off the remain Teflon an idea?)
And failing that, reuses? recycling suggestions?
Seeing as you have two, that’s one each for any domestic arguments you may be having in the future :)
Otherwise, take the handles off (there’s usually a screw underneath) and use them as bird baths or saucers under pot plants.
If you have a BBQ, use them to put cooked food in to keep warm.
Take the handles off and use them in the oven as a water bath (when cooking souffles etc, recipes often say to put the ramekins in a dish of water)
You could like make a bird feeder out of them. Or a bird bath.
Teflon will kill birds very quickly. You’re not supposed to feed birds anything cooked in non-stick anything.
I fear the bird feeder/bath ideas are just going to end up killing.
I’d suggest potpourri and water, throw it right back on the stove.
-or-
Melt old wax from burnt out candles in it, (on top of another pot with water, same as melting chocolate), get cotton string and recast candles.
If you wire wool off the teflon and get a second life out of it either way, let us know.
Buy some ping pong balls and put a net across the kitchen table, take one old pan each - hey presto table tennis!
Wire wooling off the Teflon DOES work - I did it with a griddle type pan and it’s now the best pan I’ve ever used!
While I’m here I’d endorse the “don’t use it for the birds”
If you wirewool off the teflon & you are left with a bare aluminium pan, this is the worst thing to cook with a real health hazard, you should not use any sort of aluminium pot or pan unless it is teflon coated.
I’ve got some old saucepans that I use in the shop to store misc. hardware and screws that don’t fit in my organizer boxes.
I’ve also considered drilling holes in the bottom and using them as flowepots…
You could send them accross the pond to be re-coated @ http://www.frypanman.com
Perhaps a silly suggestion, but I would totally buy/make a fake fried egg, attach it, and hang it on my wall.
Because I am just THAT COOL.
LOL! I’m making that this afternoon! Will post a picture when I’m done!
-Louisa
Here we go.
John wanted to plastinate a real egg but I figured knitting it would be more fun. I used some leftover wool from old projects, some stuffing from an old cushion and some cardboard from a cereal pack for the base of the egg.
It’s just sitting in the pan at the moment - I need some velcro to stick it in properly — and I need to knit the accompanying sausages, of course :)
(There is a bigger, close-up shot of the egg on my personal blog)
A) I believe that if the naked pan is filled w/water and left to sit there to be used as a bird bath…plus, exposed to the outdoor weather/environment; that it would rust and corrode — poisoning the birds/animals — leaving a mess that could kill or damage an unvaccinated kid if they were to some how get the rust into their broken skin.
The extreme heat of the sun could also somehow put toxic Teflon and/or paint fumes in the air…as quickly as eggs can fry on the hood of a scorching car.
B) I agree with Mitch about getting them (old Teflon pans) recoated through http://www.frypanman.com
However, I think I’ve seen materials advertised in catalogs, etc, to be able to recoat damaged old Teflon pans yourself. This option is probably cheaper than having someone else do it for you.
C) In the meantime–while I search the net to see if these do it yourself recoating materials are attainable–I will continue using my flaky, old Teflon pan to boil potpouri (on low-med), hard boil eggs, put nut shells in while I’m eating nuts…and to also place potato peels and apple cores in while I’m peeling for fries or sauce.
Most Non-stick frying pans are aluminum. Aluminum does not rust the same way iron/ferrous metals do, and is not likely to be a safety hazard.
Aluminum corrodes the same way that copper does (ie. the surface oxidizes into a dull gray finish).
I refer you to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum
Have you ever thought of selling them as metal scrap???
Use to mix cement in it.
Aluminum pans have been used for years and there are no studies proving any type of a health hazard.
Wikipedia seems to indicate differently:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum#Health_concerns
Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and increased risk of breast cancer.
Have the pan teflon recoated, it will be like NEW again. Go to lubecoat.com and ask for a form on recoating pans.
Everything on earth has been linked to alzheimer’s desease and breast cancer at one time or another. I’ve used aluminium (English spelling) pots for years and it has never affected… eh! what was I saying? Buy new pots and recycle your old ones at the local tip.
I think the best idea is to take them to the metal man. Well done Kim, far too many people are hoarding these days!!