What you cook your food in, is as important as what you cook. These days, you can choose from an overwhelming number of cookware options: stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic, copper, aluminum, clay, along with many surfaces marketed as non-stick. Some of these are healthy option, while others can be bad for your health, and bad for the planet. Nonstick cookware pretty much always contains a man made chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA or C8, that can leach into your food. And when most non-stick cookware is heated, it emits toxic fumes into the air. Overheating a Teflon pan is a well known cause of death for pet birds. Here are some of the best nontoxic cookware options.
Titanium
Titanium is a good option because is does not react with the human body. It is often used to make sterile surgical instruments for this reason. Cookware made with titanium is lighter weight, durable, doesn’t leach into your food, and is typically more affordable than many other options. It’s also highly resistant to rust and scratching, but may not be non-stick.
One of the biggest downsides to titanium cookware is that it takes a while to warm up and doesn’t always conduct heat evenly. So some are now are titanium-coated over an aluminum core. There are also some that use a ceramic-titanium blend to improve durability and give a non-stick quality.
Ceramic or Ceramic Coated
Ceramic or ceramic coated are healthy cookware options because they won’t leach chemicals. The are also scratch resistant and cook evenly. Not all ceramic is chemical free though, so you you’ll need to research the brand carefully to make sure it is free of lead, cadmium, and the chemicals, PFAs and PFOA. While these chemicals are widespread in ceramic coated cookware, it isn’t too hard to find cookware without them. A popular brand of ceramic cookware is Xtrema and a well known ceramic coated cookware brand is Greenpan. This website contains a lot of useful information on healthy nontoxic cookware.
Enamel Coated Cast Iron
Enameled cast iron has a porcelain coating that is made from powdered glass which makes it rust-proof and easy to maintain. It is naturally non-stick and is unaffected by acidic foods. The enamel coating can break down over time, so you may need to replace heavily used pans every few years. Le Crueset is an example of cast iron cookware coated in a porcelain enamel glaze.
Glass
Glass is non-reactive, meaning it doesn’t release chemicals into food. You can use most glass cookware on electric stoves, but not on gas stoves. Pyrex is the most well known brand is available in a wide variety of sizes and shape. Silica, the main ingredient in sand, is what makes is heat-resistant. Pyrex is durable and it saves energy because it reflects the heat waves in the oven. This allows the cooking time to be less than with other types of cookware.
Cast Iron
Cast iron is a classic option. Once the pan is seasoned, it is easy to use, practically non-stick and low maintenance. To season cast iron, you simply apply a very light coating of a high smoke point oil, such as avocado or coconut oil, to the surface of the cookware when it is clean and ideally a little warm. Cast iron retains heat extremely well so you can use a lower heat setting, which is an easy way to prevent food from sticking to a pot or pan. Some of the iron will make it into your food, so just be aware that you don’t end up with too much iron in your diet. Cast iron is a great option for safe nontoxic cookware.
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