John Kuthe wrote:

What *I* want to know is:
OK, if Teflon plastic, AKA polytetrafluoroethylene, is a "...is a
white solid at room temperature..." (much like many other polmerized
ethylenes!) as is said he

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

then what's that dark brownish coating on cookware made of? Not JUST
Teflon, I'm sure!! The above page says nothing about cookware coating,
or how they take a white plastic and make it into that brownish
coating. I'm curious!

I can totally understand Teflon's low low frictional coefficient, what
with only fluorine atoms on it's molecular outside. Fluorine is THE
most electronegative atom, I believe, resulting in extremely low Van
Der Waal forces which cause friction. So low in fact that Teflon is
the only substance a gecko lizard can't stick to! Someone tell Geico
insurance, quick! ;-)

LOL, great post. "degrades above 260°C (500°F)," hmmm.

Teflon frying pans must have some coloring agent because a white surface
would get dirty quickly. I have a Creuset pot (enamel inside & out)
with blue exterior and off-white interior, now stained halfway up
from cooking black beans.

While we're on frying pans -- I bought a new one at REI this year,
recommended by Backpacker magazine editors. Don't know if the coating
will last any longer than before, but it's a nice utensil. Mainly,
the folding handle shouldn't collapse when you've just got the chicken
cooked and onto the plate -- oops, into the sand.