It can go without saying that good food requires quality cookware. Yet, in order to prepare healthy food, you may also need healthy utensils such as non-toxic non-stick cookware.
You may have thought that what you put in a pan plays the most important role in cooking a healthy meal. Indeed, it has an essential part. What maybe you didn’t know is your cookware does too.
The utensils in which you cook need to be made of materials which do not affect your health. What’s more, they need to deliver the results you are expecting. This means no burnt or stuck food on the bottom of a pot or pan.
Non-toxic non-stick cookware is a combination of these characteristics. These products have been designed to be a healthy help in the kitchen.
You may wonder if there is any difference between this type of cookware and conventional products. It is and it stands in the materials used to produce them. In order to understand this better, let’s look closer into this topic.
Dangerous cookware materials
There are certain materials you should definitely avoid when choosing your cookware. We’ve selected a few examples and presented the effects they can have.
Plastic
When speaking of plastic, we don’t refer to plates or bowls. Nowadays, you can actually find a plastic pot, but we do not recommend to buy one.
Plastic is known for having negative effects on our health and the environment as well. This material contains phthalates, which can cause endocrine disruptions, reproductive, liver, kidney and lungs-related problems.
What’s more, it takes long periods of time for a plastic product to decompose. A bag needs between 10 and 1000 years and bottles can take 450 years or even more.
Aluminium
Aluminum is another material on this list. Many pots and pans are produced using this material.
It has been linked to several health problems such as anemia, blood disorders and dementia.
Also, aluminum leaches when it reaches high temperatures.
Unprotected copper
Although this is an essential mineral and our body needs it, it’s crucial to pay attention to the quantities we consume.
The danger about unprotected copper is the same as with aluminum. When it reaches high temperatures or if you cook foods with high acidity in unprotected copper cookware, it can dissolve into foods. If it is consumed in great quantities, it can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Teflon
Teflon cookware is known for being a great non-stick product. What you may not know is that this is the name of the chemical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). What’s more, in the production process of this material, perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) is also used.
The importance of knowing about these chemicals is crucial. While teflon is not a suspect, PFOA has been linked to cancer.
Non-toxic non-stick cookware: Safe materials
There are some alternative materials which are non-toxic and can help you prepare healthy delicious meals. Pots and pans made of stainless steel, ceramic and cast iron are excellent alternatives.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is a great material for cookware. You can find a wide variety of products such as pans, muffin tins and baking sheets. Depending on the company you are buying from, you can even find them at affordable prices.
A great advantage of stainless steel cookware is it can be easily cleaned. What you need to be careful to is what you cook in these products. Stainless steel is not recommended for acidic food and meals which need to be cooked for longer periods of time.
Ceramic
Ceramic is a material which has been used for ages in the cooking field. It is a safe option you can go for, as it is free of PTFE and PFOA.
What’s more, it is an environmentally-friendly material. In this way, you enjoy a healthy meal while taking care of nature and what surrounds you.
What you need to know is that ceramic cookware is not completely non-stick. You may not find your food completely stuck on the bottom, but it may not deliver the same results as a teflon product. Yet, it is a healthy alternative you can try.
Cast iron
Cast iron is another great amazing alternative in cookware. This is a material which has an even heating area, a major advantage as compared to stainless steel for example.
In what concerns the non-stick aspect, you are responsible for this part. Cast iron cookware needs to be seasoned in order to offer the best results. This is a process which involves:
- cleaning and drying the cookware thoroughly
- putting a thin layer of vegetable oil on the product
- bake it in the oven for 1 hour and then it cool
What’s more, cast iron cookware plays an essential role in helping us get the iron our body needs. When we cook in it, iron is released in the food and as we consume it, we take the dose we need. It’s crucial to avoid preparing acidic foods or recipes which take a long time in cast iron.
Non-toxic non-stick cookware product recommendations