I Ruined My Teflon Skillet

And I couldn't be happier!

Let me start at the beginning and tell you what I did to ruin the surface then you will understand why I am happy. I love electric skillets, and my sister bought me this very large teflon one as a gift. In general I don't use teflon. I avoid it as I do not like the teflon in my food as it becomes damaged and most people do not notice the damage until they have been eating the teflon for months. If you are unsure of your teflon product, boil one cup of water in your teflon, the poor it into a heated glass measuring cup and look at the debris.. it is pretty gross.

Anyway, back to my story, last summer it was HOT!! I do not use the air cond unless my dh has to work at night and sleep in the day, then I feel in order for him to be able to get his sleep, I will turn on the air.. but so far.. this year and last.. we have been blessed..no air cond... anyway, I stray again.. I wanted to make a nice baked dinner... I didn't want to grill a roast.. I wanted an old fashioned.. roast, potatoes, carrots.. without all the water.. you know, the all day oven baked like mamma did.....

Well with a wire rack.. all my roast stuff that would normaly go into the pan went into heavy duty tinfoil.. rolled it closed tight, set it on the rack..in the electric skillet, put the lid on it.. set it on the deck and let it cook all day..

WOW!!! Winter comfort food in the dead heat of summer!!! a new beginning for me...
Next day.. Meatloaf & Baked potatoes.. LOL
And it went on and on..
All last summer...
Until I realized that all this dry cooking in my skillet actually causes the teflon to peel and flake off. I am not worried about the toxicity of the teflon in the food, because the food is sealed in the tinfoil.

So darn.. now I need a new skillet to really do my skillet cooking in... but I needed one when my sis suprised me with this one... so it just delayed that need for 2 years.. so I am looking... but in the meantime.. what a lesson..

Ladies (and men) get that electric skillet out of the kitchen.. forget the heat of the grill.. hop in the pool.. and let your new outdoor "oven " do the work.