Celebrate Earth Month with Earth Pans
Continuing in the Earth Month theme, it’s a good time to talk about Earth Pan fry pans and wok. Earth Pans are made in Italy using recycled and recyclable materials. It’s an interesting concept. We hear a lot about recycling, and as Nova Scotians, we excel at our sorting on garbage day. So, let’s have a look at what goes into an Earth Pan.
First, the pan itself is made from 100 per cent recycled aluminum. Using recycled aluminum over production of new aluminum reduces emissions of CO2 by up to 88 per cent, according to the Earth Pan manufacturers. Aluminum is one of Earth’s most easily and often recycled materials. One statistic from GreenTumble.com suggests that up to 75 per cent of aluminum produced since the 1880s is still in use today. Yes, from the 1880s.
Next, the handle of the pan is made from recycled plastic bags, some of which have come from garbage floating in our oceans. For years, we used the ocean as a big dumping ground. Many countries are working to clean it up and finding good things to do with the garbage is part of the plan.
And then the packaging, which is one of the biggest contributors to our landfills. Earth Pan packaging is paper, printed with low-impact dyes. It is fully recyclable and biodegradable. There are no plastics at all.
This is all good news for the environment, but how well do Earth Pans work? Many people are concerned about using aluminum cookware as there were health concerns around this issue in the past. New
(and recycled) aluminum is not like the ‘old’ material. Old aluminum leached as it wore out. New aluminum is anodized, a process that involves electric current bonding a layer of aluminum oxide to the surface of the metal, creating an incredibly hard, scratch and wear resistant surface. Earth Pans have a toxin-free ceramic finish, so there is no contact between the metal and your food.
Earth Pans will work on most cooking surfaces and are designed for electric, induction and gas stoves. For the best performance and to extend the life of your pan, cook on low to medium-high heat. And never leave an empty pan on a hot burner for any length of time. That is usually how pans get ruined as the heat has nowhere to dissipate. The other way is to put a hot pan into dishwater, which can warp it or crack the finish. Let the pan cool and then wash it.
Earth Pans are imported by Meyer, our homegrown cookware company from P.E.I.
It’s a great addition to the stainless-steel products they manufacture as these pans are lightweight and easy to handle. There’s a set of kitchen utensils made by Earth Pan as well that uses recycled plastics.
At the end of its use, an Earth Pan is fully recyclable. It’s a full circle of Earthfriendly cookware.