Food

Here's an interesting fact: Silicone and glass are both made from the same natural element silicon, which is basically sand.

Here are the facts about silicone from Ceramcor:

Silicone Facts

Silicone resin is mainly made from silicon, a compound that is found in rocks, in the sand, from which it is extracted. It is the most common element on Earth besides Oxygen. It is used in a wide range of industrial products, from the beginnings of civilization (making of glass) to the latest technologies (computer chips). This nonreactive inert substance is non-toxic, which is why it is authorized by the FDA for food storage and baking as well as for medical breast implants.

Also, its release in nature is non-toxic to the environment. It is stable, durable, unbreakable, and recyclable; multiple uses - it can be used in the refrigerator, freezer, in the oven, the microwave and it is dishwasher safe. In short, all these advantages contribute to the everyday benefits of silicone products, and since any purchase can cause some kind of pollution, through its manufacture and transport process, every time you choose a silicone product over a conventional product, it makes a difference in minimizing the impact on our environment.

Besides silicon, color additives are also added during the manufacturing process. These additives give the product its vibrant colors. All these color additives are strictly checked and certified and they must receive the FDA (USA) and LFGB (European) testing approval and certification before the products can be sold. All of our silicone materials are properly heated at high temperatures for several hours to maintain its purity.Health Guide:

Silicone Cookware - Silicone is a synthetic rubber which contains bonded silicon (a natural element which is very abundant in sand and rock) and oxygen. Cookware made from food grade silicone has become popular in recent years because it is colorful, nonstick, stain-resistant, and durable, cools quickly, and tolerates temperature extremes. There are no known health hazards associated with use of silicone cookware. Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages, or produce any hazardous fumes.

Silicone Quality

To protect consumers, the FDA and the European Union enforces the toughest regulations in the world regarding the manufacturing and importing of silicone products.

Our factory - the #1 choice of quality:

- We get our materials from the best silicone resin and colors additives producers, whose products have passed a very strict certification process.

- We bake our products at the end of the fabrication process for 4 hours at 392F° farinheight, in order to achieve a high degree of purity in our product composition and to guarantee its safety.

- We have obtained since 2007 the ISO 9001:2000 certifications, which guarantees our quality management processes.

- We make sure that all of our silicone products adhere to the FDA and LFGB tests and standards.

Based on this and other research I have done on silicone, I don't see a toxic problem here. Looks fine to me. 

I have a set of these storage containers. They can also be used as bakeware. There are two things I like about them. One is that they collapse so they take up less space to store. The other is they actually absorb cold, so they keep food cold out of the refrigerator, like a little cooler. I don't know how long this thermal effect lasts, but plastic doesn't hold the cold at all. Great feature!

And the FDA approved these containers for both baking and food storage.

I don't see anything toxic about them,

If you have contacted the manufacturers, I can't get any more information than that.

The Foodstuffs and Consumer Goods Act seems to be a German law. Couldn't find a copy of it to see what is allowed.

See if you can get an exact type of plastic from Thermador.

I finally did some research on enameled cookware.

First, the definition of  enamel  is "a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 1380 and 1560 °F. The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metals. The fired enameled ware is a fully laminated composite of glass and metal.

So enamel is basically a glass coating, which would be totally nontoxic.

However...Enamels are very similar to ceramic glazes, as they are applied and fired to form a more or less glassy layer. The main glass forming oxide, silica (SiO₂) may be modified by the addition of a range of other oxides to alter thermal, chemical, and physical properties. These oxides include aluminum, zirconium, titanium, zinc, lead, lithium, bismuth, but also sodium, potassium, or calcium, so the additives may or may not be toxic.

You mentioned someone who had her Le Crueset tested and it showed lead. OK. So it looks from this test like lead is in this enameled cookware and it leached. I haven't seen the test, so I can't say for sure Le Crueset leaches lead. But this is a good question for them. What oxides are used to modify their enamel? {see my comment below after talking with Le Crueset]

I also found a patent for "lead-free enamel composition," which leads me to believe that lead is common in enamel coatings.

So now I know that enameled cookware, while made from glass, may be leaching lead. We don't know. Like dishware, it all needs to be tested. We need a grant to do a test.

Let me just add, that enamels would only be a danger if 1) they contained toxic additives like lead and 2) if the lead were leaching. Since we know in general that lead leaches from ceramic glazes, it is likely it is also leaching from enameled items IF they contain lead.

Also I want to add that the danger is only from ingesting food or beverages that have come in contact with the enamel. An enameled item just sitting somewhere would not emit harmful air pollutants.

Can't say. I contacted them and never heard back. I've never seen these pans in a store. I'd love to get one, but don't have money to buy everything I'd like to try.

Has anyone used these? Or anyone want to buy one for me to evaluate?

I think they should send me a sample.

I'm concerned they are not responding to either you or me. 

UPDATE 8/23/11

ManPans DID send me a sample pan when I again requested one after posting this blog.

Their nonstick coating is as advertised, not plastic. It is nonstick and easy to clean. Haven't tried cooking eggs in it yet. I don't see anything toxic about this pan.

The only drawback for me—which might not be a drawback for you—is that the pan is VERY lightweight. It seems to cook well, though. And the finish has an odd feel too it. It's not glassy smooth, but like...it reminds me of a chalkboard, I keep taking care to not scratch it with my fingernails.

But it seems nontoxic to me.