Comments on: How can I reuse or recycle … old frying pans?

By: louisa

louisa — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:26:28 +0000

Naughty Ipswich Borough Council!

I don’t know what the situation is in Ipswich but up here in Yorkshire, there are separate bins for metal at the local tip so if nothing else, you could take them there and they’ll go into the metal scrap system.

Haven’t had much luck finding UK based re-coating companies – anyone know of any?

By: Sophie

Sophie — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:12:31 +0000

Hi!
I know that re-using is better before recycling, but I have 3 old saucepans that I really don’t have any other uses for (small house, not a lot of hoarding room!) and am not going to use again. A couple are a bit scratched on the insides so am not sure that a charity shop will accept them- I contacted Ipswich Borough Council to ask if they know of anywhere to recycle them and they just suggested I throw them in the normal landfill rubbish! Not exactly eco-friendly!
I’ve looked up local scrap metal places- they seem fairly hard to track down and only take metal from businesses, not small amounts from individuals it seems.
After all this…does anyone have any suggestions of places that will actually recycle them (not re-coat or whatnot)?
Many thanks!!

By: Tessa

Tessa — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:34:28 +0000

I think Louisa’s knitted fried egg is just great. Such ingenuity, and such originality. A true artiste.
How about some newly-elected government making it compulsory to collect in all our obsolete old pans, – and melting them down to recycle them through the Royal Mint to make lots of new pocket money.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:55:52 +0000

I think the best idea is to take them to the metal man. Well done Kim, far too many people are hoarding these days!!

By: Mike Whitehorn

Mike Whitehorn — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:14:21 +0000

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.

By: Chad Mathes

Chad Mathes — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:59:55 +0000

Have the pan teflon recoated, it will be like NEW again. Go to lubecoat.com and ask for a form on recoating pans.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:43:45 +0000

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.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:40:10 +0000

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

By: JEFF

JEFF — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:51:34 +0000

Aluminum pans have been used for years and there are no studies proving any type of a health hazard.

By: Gulia

Gulia — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:45:33 +0000

Use to mix cement in it.

By: kim

kim — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:33:27 +0000

Have you ever thought of selling them as metal scrap???

By: M

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:13:31 +0000

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.

By: louisa

louisa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:28:38 +0000

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)

By: louisa

louisa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:05:43 +0000

LOL! I’m making that this afternoon! Will post a picture when I’m done!

-Louisa

By: Sandra

Sandra — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:54:28 +0000

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.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Thu, 10 May 2007 21:19:50 +0000

You could send them accross the pond to be re-coated @ http://www.frypanman.com

By: brian

brian — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:05:02 +0000

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…

By: steve

steve — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 11:27:54 +0000

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.

By: Hazel Edmunds

Hazel Edmunds — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 10:54:30 +0000

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”

By: john b

john b — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:54:04 +0000

Buy some ping pong balls and put a net across the kitchen table, take one old pan each – hey presto table tennis!

By: ott

ott — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:04:44 +0000

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.

By: Froogle

Froogle — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 22:53:29 +0000

You could like make a bird feeder out of them. Or a bird bath.

By: GirlGenius

GirlGenius — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 22:42:19 +0000

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)