Ovens are not teflon coated Most of the pro style gas ranges are not self clean

I've never heard of a teflon coated oven.
Self cleaning ovens get up to someting on the order of 900 degrees.
I'm not sure that Teflon could withstand these temperatures for very long.
There are many ranges that aren't self clean.
As Guadaloupe suggests, many of the pro-style ranges are manual clean.
Additionally, you can always get whatever range or oven you like and not use the self clean feature.

Yes, Teflon starts to disassociate in the 600F region. The original Teflon disassociated into harmless (to humans) stuff (per DuPont published research in the 1950s), but I believe that Teflon was TFE, not PTFE.

No oven to my knowledge auto self cleans. So if you never turn self clean on, you won't have a problem with the effluent that cleaning puts into the air. (The chemicals used for manual cleaning may not be benign to parrots either.) In any case, excellent ventilation is desirable for self-clean cycles if the oven is dirty. Parrot isolation and MUA could be considered.

kas

Harmlessness would depend on toxicity and exposure. Humans are a bit hardier than birds against the decomposition products of overheated Teflon. Continuous human exposure to decomposing Teflon would not be advised, but would also be difficult to achieve.

I have found on-line mention of a Teflon lined Amana oven. I cannot imagine that it would survive the usual self-cleaning process, if indeed that is available on the oven.

There is no Teflon in the cavities of my Wolf double ovens that I can discern. I don't recall any in the similar Electrolux Icon ovens I looked at in 2007. Next time I'm at a Sears store I'll have to see if I can find a Teflon lined oven, as I haven't ever noticed one.

kas

Any Teflon if present, would probably be in items like electrical wire insulation or spacers/standoffs etc not directly exposed to the intense heat of the oven elements.

It has been shown that when PTFE-coated surfaces are heated above 260�C (400�F), toxic products are released that can kill a bird in minutes. It is very common to cook at these temperatures and above. See link for more information with references. So even 'just not using the self-clean feature' isn't an option, as normal everyday cooking temperatures can release toxic fumes.

Here is a link that might be useful: toxic fumes

I think there might be some misinformation out there. I did a search and didn't find any reliable source mentioning teflon in ovens, but did find something on a bird site that said that said you should self clean a new oven (before you cook with it) with your bird out of the house because there might be resin on the surface that burns away with cooking but that's dangerous for birds. It said that might also be present on enamel cooktops. In other news, I found mention of teflon oven liners, but the owners put those in, so it's important to know that those are bad for birds.

I wonder if the people who have experienced sudden bird death following use of an oven or stove just assumed it was teflon that was the culprit? I don't know if this resin thing is accurate, but it sounds more likely. Otherwise, ovens killing birds would be as big or bigger news than teflon pans, which I've been hearing for many years, and I have no association with birds.

Your best bet is to choose the oven/range you think you'd like and then check with the manufacturer to make sure there's no hidden teflon. You might also see if there's a list of safe appliances or standards from the bird fancying associations and magazines.

No oven contains Teflon. Only pots and pans are coated with it, and that is on it's way out. However running any oven's self cleaning cycle can produce vapors that are dangerous to birds. It's not about Teflon at all. It's about the extremely high temperatures that incinerate food waste to ash and the byproducts that that gives off while it is occurring. Just manual clean your oven with the bird out of the room and he should be safe.

I had a gas oven with continuous clean oven once. Is this where you think there might be teflon? It's not teflon but I'm not sure how it would be for birds.

Here is a link that might be useful: continuous clean

Just for clarification, what Hollysprings mentioned and what I was talking about are two different things. The info (unconfirmed) that I found said to self-clean, or run the oven (also cooktop) at highest heat for awhile, before use, with your bird(s) safely elsewhere, to burn off manufacturing residues that are potentially harmful.

Hollysprings was warning that there may be potentially harmful byproducts of normal self-cleaning that might also be harmful to birds.

I'm not aware of shiny teflon. I have no data to back anything up but the shiny stuff in the oven looks like baked on enamel.

Self cleaning ovens have ptfe coating which isn't technically teflon but same idea. I have asthma i have never used the self cleaning feature but when i use the oven it nearly kills me (literally).

There are lots of warnings for bird owners as well.

A regular oven shouldn't have the coating but also is not insulated which presents an issue if you have cupboards beside your stove as they get hot.

So im also searching for a range that is pfte free and insulted. I'm thinking gas ranges might be the most likely option.

"Self cleaning ovens have ptfe coating which isn't technically teflon but same idea."

Unlikely. Per online info, PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene) melting point is 620°F. Self-cleaning (pyrolytic) ovens reach 950°F. PTFE would melt.

Ovens are NOT coated in Teflon. Oven interiors are porcelain enamel. Glass liquefied by heat in a kiln.

And residential ovens are insulated sufficiently to meet the requisite UL or CSA standards at whatever temperature they are designed to operate.

New ovens need to have their factory lubrication burned off before being used for cooking. These lubricants (intact or burnt) in vapor form can be harmful to birds (and likely some people), hence the need to provide good ventilation during burn-in. Broiling meats can produce various carbon compounds that some might be especially sensitive to, hence the need to provide good ventilation in general.

GE customer service told me that my GE oven DOES HAVE TEFLON in it- They put it there to help with cleaning. So, yes- ovens can have teflon in them. I am a bird owner and have had to do extensive research in order to keep my bird safe.

I'm curious, what model?

And just to say, front-line phone reps often don't have accurate technical information. They generally have the same user guides and feature information that is available to consumers.

They were mistaken. Ovens do not have Teflon in them. Does no one understand actual science anymore? Like a temperature scale? The melting point of Teflon is below the temperature that self cleaning ovens use to burn off residue. That means that a company would have to be so very very stupid as to place a one time use coating inside an oven that would melt, gum it up, and result in a warranty claim, within 2 months of purchase, of every single oven that they sold. That would ensure a mass recall and reengineering.

Since none of this has ever happened, not even once, this really stupid rumor can be put to bed by any sensible and literate consumer. The illiterate and nonsensical, will, of course, attempt to insist that the sky is falling.

I wonder if they use teflon lubricants as part of the "factory lubricants" that you're supposed to burn off before you start using your oven... It would be weird for the CS rep to say yes if it was no, but if there is something like that which might not be in sufficient quantity for human toxicity but might not burn off enough in one go to be safe for birds, they might just go with has teflon, bad for birds, so it's not their fault if your bird dies.

I don't know what's the cost of teflon-type materials but seem unlikely to use such in the manufacturing-protective coating for the porcelain to have it burned off at initial use (which likely requires a higher-than-normal-baking temperature). I figure the coating is oils of some ilk.

I spoke with three different reps at GE. I also wrote to their technical service department. They said there is teflon in all of their ovens. In an attempt to find a teflon free way to keep my bird safe while I bake in my very small home, I researched many options. I called Cuisinart and asked them if they could list their appliances which bake with no teflon. Cuisinart customer service was excellent- they had data sheets readily available on each product. They explained to me that they only have two products that are teflon free- one of their toaster ovens and one of their counter top convection ovens. I chose to purchase the latter. Another FYI- most toaster ovens have teflon in them. My avian vet is also aware of the teflon issue with appliances. It appears that European brand ovens such as Miele do not have teflon in them because European standards for safety won't allow it- but I have not yet fully researched this.

DoubleDancer,

I have a GE Profile self-cleaning range. There's NO WAY it has Teflon in the oven. Pyrolytic self-cleaning ovens reach in excess of 950°F in the self-clean cycle. Teflon melts at 620.3°F. Your choice to believe the science, or the "alternative facts" of the GE consumer service reps.

Melting temperature of Teflon

Maybe with Haier (Chinese National owned) taking over GE, they now are taking cues from Breitbart et. all. and are intentionally putting out fake news?

Real science is inescapable though.

I increasingly doubt that science has any persuasive effect in these kinds of discussions.

I do not think we've had an answer to the question that dadoes asked a few posts back: what model of GE wall oven or range was it that the GE reps say has Teflon/PTFE on or in the coating of the interior of the oven cavity?

Or is this just an instance of there being some teflon somewhere else in the appliance (say, in the wiring insulation outside the oven cavity)? Or, were the reps answering about baking pans and cookie sheets that come with a countertop appliance like a toaster oven, or maybe the interior walls of countertop appliances rather than full size ranges and wall ovens?

The point of the original discussion wasn't the validity of the science regarding Teflon. This person has a parrot, and Teflon fumes are toxic for birds. They're trying to make sure their parrot is safe. I have a parrot, so I understand their concern,

I still miss Sophie.

In general, one designs appliances so that the parts remain functional over some intended lifetime. As such, wire conductor insulation needs to retain its properties and not be disassociated with heat.

Consider the oven heating element. It gets very hot -- hotter than most electrical conductor insulation materials, and certainly hotter than Teflon [can tolerate]. Yet somehow the electrical conductor used to connect the oven to the wall plug power has to be connected within the oven to the heating element via some heat stable means. Some options include (from awcwire.com):

"Silicone Insulated Wires (180ºC)

"You can use silicone insulated single conductors for operating temperatures up to 180ºC. Silicone can withstand 250ºC for a short time and it has good low-temperature properties down to -25ºC. This material is self-extinguishing and has good flame-retardant properties. The addition of a fiberglass jacket impregnated with a high temperature saturant improves abrasion resistance and heat resistance. Examples include silicone rubber cable, silicone rubber motor lead (SRML), and silicone fixture (SF-2) wire.

"Teflon Glass Glass Teflon (TGGT) Wires (250ºC)

"Teflon® is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) originally developed by DuPont. TGGT wire has PTFE tape insulation covered by a high temperature sealant impregnated fiberglass jacket. You can use this wire continuously at 250ºC. In some instances, manufacturers place a ceramic tape on top of the PTFE wire insulation (TCGT).

"High Temperature Mica Glass Wires (450ºC)

"Mica is an excellent high temperature insulate. Mica glass (MG) insulation has multiple layers of a mica and glass composite tape usually covered by a fiberglass jacket impregnated with a high temperature saturant. Mica insulated wire protects cables at temperatures of up to 450ºC. Flame 1000 high temperature cable has a mica thermal tape covered by a PTFE moisture barrier and a fiberglass jacket. While its maximum sustained operating temperature is 450ºC, this wire has excellent flame reactance, passing the IEEE 383 1000ºC vertical tray flame test for a minimum of two and a half hours."

The higher the operating temperature of the wire, the closer the flexible connection can be brought to the heating element, which is convenient for design. So it may be desirable for the oven manufacturers to use a Teflon insulated wire where needed. It shouldn't be expected to disassociate and poison the house.

So my point is that there could be Teflon used in the oven construction that is not in the oven cavity. It will be subject to temperature levels it should be able to take. So place your bets.

I love that this thread is old enough that kaseki mentions going to sears. I also miss Sophie.

I just lost a parrot to Whirlpool Gold. it said in the manual it can be hazardous to birds to run the self clean function. Teflon, or not.

Self clean is always dangerous to birds.

PFOA, PFOE, PFTE *teflon are chemicals present in the coating of our ovens and microwave ovens. When heated the compounds are not harmful in small doses to humans but will take the life of your feathered companions in a terrible way. I am looking up all the brands and haven't found one manufacturer that is willing to say the didn't use these coatings. If it reads 'easy to clean' be wary.

All the microwave ovens I've owned/used since 1977 had painted enamel interiors. No Teflon. That includes the recent Hamilton Beach unit bought at Walmart on 1/16/2024. Same for all the regular baking/broiling ovens, ranging from a 1964 wall oven to the 2004 range in my current house. Porcelain, no Teflon.

There is Teflon in many ovens and yes it is used even though some of it will off gas during the self cleaning procedure. No, this won't result in warranty claims as it won't be at high temps long enough to ruin the whole non-stick coating. Just like when it hits 33 degrees F outside that doesn't mean all the snow melts at instantly. A temperature where off gassing starts does not mean all the compound will instantly off gas and ruin the oven. For the individuals claiming that this isn't science I am a scientist. Please look up more information on how melting, off gassing, and sublimation work to get a better idea of the physics and chemistry. Generally items that are non-stick have Teflon or similar compounds that are extremely toxic to birds in them. They are generally not labeled as such unfortunately. If you can find ceramic nonstick that is safe, however it would have to be ALL ceramic to be safe for your birds.

Please list some of the many current oven models that have Teflon on the baking cavity so potential buyers know which to avoid. Also list past models that are known to have Teflon so owners of them can consider replacement with non-teflon units. Thanks!