Cooking Dangers
NO TEFLON!
Telfon or PTFE has LEAD. Teflon turns to LEAD vapor when heated to a high temp. Birds have very efficient lungs in order to get the oxygen to fly so things that don’t affect us will KILL them. If you use a Teflon pan to fry an egg or cook hamburger helper then make sure you get a lazer temp tester and see to it that it doesn’t go over 400 degrees. You can get them at hardware and auto parts stores but online you can get them cheap. Just get the cheapest one. I found a killer deal at Menards for $12. So whatever number your stove says reaches that temp, make sure you don’t go over that number if you use Teflon. Hot oil vapors can be harmful too so make sure if you’re say cooking fried chicken make sure the oil is made for that temp and doesn’t start to smoke. Teflon in the oven will do the same thing. Most things that say bake at 450, simply turn it down to 400 (or just under 425 if you somehow really need to do so) and cook it longer. You’re literally talking an extra 5-10 minutes. That’s not a lot to ask to prevent killing your special feathered buddy. Also, I’ve found that doing this to all my food results in better more even cooking with almost no burnt edges which even if there are no burned areas, results in better tasting food. Most Americans want food fast so we cook things at a much higher temp than generally is needed. Teflon helps with that since it allows you to cook at a higher temp without the food sticking. Get a stainless steel pan and cook at a lower heat and you never have to worry about it. Eggs are a pain to cook without Teflon, as is things like hamburger helper. If you have to use Teflon, be responsible and use that lazer temp gauge. Keep the bird as far away from the kitchen if possible. Cook with the vent fan on for questionable items.
Silicon Cookware
Silicon cookware is also suspect. The reports I’ve read is not so much the muffin pans or cake pans (even though I’ve only used it once and it could be a first time thing) but the strange smell from using one was strong enough for me to move my bird’s entire cage into another room and shut the door. The reports, however, talk about silicone bags and liners for things like turkeys, etc. So I would definitely stay away from those if your bird is near the kitchen at all. Also there was a report about a bird (amazon, I think) who was at the bottom of the cage, wings pointed down and gasping for air in a smoke filled room because of a random chance happenstance. If the smoke alarm hadn’t gone off then the bird would have died. The guy ran the dishwasher, not thinking anything and a plastic spatula slipped down past all of the grates and the handle tip got wedged and stuck by the heating unit, melting the plastic and sending noxious smoke into the air. Luckily the bird was brought to fresh air and managed to survive but even things we do every day and take for granted can kill your bird.
Ceramic Pans
Ceramic pans should be safe but I just found out about them and cannot tell you for sure. Use Google and use ceramic at your own risk. I don’t know about the rounded square cookware on infomercials but again, contact customer support and ask them to send it to you in writing. Most states are a one party recording law state which means that as long as one party (you) are aware that you’re being recorded its perfectly legal. They made that rule for wire taps on mobsters. Most smartphones have apps available to do phone call recording in real time. It may be $5 but it can be used for a myriad of other things, especially when you need it like for insurance and dealing with government but if $5 isn’t worth your buddy’s life so that you can cook faster then… don’t get a bird.