Which Cookware Is Really The Safest?

Last July we posted an article by Jamey Lacy-July titled, “Is Silicone In Baby Products And Bakeware Really Safe?” It is a very informative article addressing the astonishing numbers of toxins that hide in silicone baby products and bakeware.

We also received lots of questions around the safety of stainless steel and aluminum cookware from this post.

Today we have an article for you by Susan Masimore, Founder of ESP (Essential Safe Products). Susan breaks down the options in cookware and offers the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular types.

Cookware …Cook, Where?

The provoking question of what type of cookware to use in your home has been plaguing households for centuries. Purchasing cookware can be a decent size investment, so you want to make sure you choose the best type for your home because what you cook in may end up in your food!

So what kind of cookware is best? The answer: it depends!

But if avoiding toxins in you cookware is a priority then stainless steel cookware or cast iron cookware are great options.

To help you make safer decisions when shopping for new pots and pans, here are some advantages and disadvantages of the most popular types of cookware available:

• Pottery

  A lot of imported pottery contains high levels of lead, which can leach into your food when heated. Yikes! ESP’s thoughts? Keep those for decorative purposes.

• Aluminum Cookware

  This gets a little iffy when deciding whether or not to purchase Aluminum cookware. While it is lightweight, inexpensive, and heats well, it does have several disadvantages. Its most prominent disadvantage is that during cooking, the aluminum may dissolve from pots and pans and make its way into the food you eat. The longer you use your aluminum cookware, the more likely your food will absorb the chemicals. Once it’s in your food, the next stop is your body.

• Anodized Aluminum Cookware

  This is very similar to regular aluminum cookware, but it has a hard, non-stock surface that is less likely to leach chemicals into your food. But while it’s more difficult to damage the surface of anodized aluminum cookware than regular aluminum cookware, it does not mean the surface cannot be damaged—ultimately leaching the aluminum into the food you are cooking. Although the amount of leaching is in small doses, over time this can add up.

• Cast Iron Cookware

  Iron is essential to producing red blood cells in our body. While large amounts can prove to be poisonous, iron cookware only provides less than 20% of total daily iron intake, which is within safe levels.  Many of us don’t get enough iron rather than too much, so cast iron cookware is a great choice!

• Copper Cookware

  While using copper cookware, be cautious of the copper or coatings used on the cookware as they can leach chemicals into your food. While small doses of copper are tolerable, large amounts can be poisonous.

• Ceramic Cookware

  Ceramic cookware has the benefits of being easy to clean and heated to fairly high temperatures. However, the health concern with ceramic cookware is that it is glazed.  This glaze may help resist wear and corrosion but can often contain traces of lead or cadmium.  Both lead and cadmium are harmful chemicals when absorbed in the body.

• Non-Stick Cookware

  Cookware with a non-stick/Teflon coating may make cooking a lot less sticky, but the chemical PFOA that leaches from the coating is believed to cause a sticky situation. Studies have indicated that PFOA may be linked to several hazardous health issues, especially when young children are exposed. 1

• Stainless Steel Cookware

  As the most popular type of cookware in North America, stainless steel cookware is lightweight, fairly inexpensive, easy to use, and considered one of the best and safest options for cookware! The chemicals found in stainless steel cookware include iron, nickel, and chromium.  These chemicals only leach in small amounts, which do not cause enough harm to create concern. To help avoid these chemicals from leaching into your foods, use a less abrasive method of cleaning to help avoid scratching the surface. The best kind to get is 18/8 or 18/10…these tend to be the safest and least likely to rust.

About Essential Safe Products (ESP)

Susan Masimore, mother of 6 children, started ESP because she wanted to spread the word about toxins and give families a place where they can confidently purchase non-toxic products for the kitchen and on-the-go.

Through ESP’s website, families can learn about the toxic chemicals, find tips and tricks on how to avoid exposure to toxins in food and drink, and purchase kitchen and on-the-go products that are non-toxic and food safe. ESP is dedicated to promoting healthy and non-toxic lifestyles for families as well as a healthy environment and is a proud SAFbaby.com Approved Vendor!

Visit Essential Safe Products Online Shop

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1 http://saferchemicals.org/resources/chemicals/pfc.html

Tags: Environment, lead, silicone

Category: Feeding