Finding the Healthiest Cookware for You
The power of fear in the minds of consumers
has been exploited over decades with false claims and accusations, meanwhile
diluting the real health concerns when it comes to cookware. Secretions of
aluminum, nickel, Teflon, and other materials into food and the resulting side
effects are an ongoing conflict within the cookware community.
With all of
the bad publicity that Teflon and aluminum cookware has received, many of us
are searching for healthy non toxic cookware. It doesn't make any sense to purchase
healthy whole foods and then cook them in toxic pots and pans.
Although stainless steel cookware has been
considered a safe alternative, it does have one drawback. Stainless steel
cookware is made with a combination of stainless steel, chromium and nickel.
None of these are harmful in small doses, but many people are allergic to
nickel. If you are allergic to nickel, you should refrain from using stainless
steel cookware.
Anodized aluminum
is the best choice for healthy and non-toxic cookware. Aluminum is a very popular metal used in
cookware, because of its desirable qualities of rapid, even heat distribution and
light weight. However, aluminum is reactive with foods, in particular acidic
foods such as tomato, wine, or vinegar-based dishes. The longer food is cooked
or stored in an aluminum pot or pan, the more aluminum will be released into
the food resulting in metallic taste and aluminum absorption into the body .The
process used in making the hard anodized aluminum seals the aluminum with an
extremely hard surface coating which is non-reactive and prevents any aluminum
from leaching into the food that is being cooked.
Copper is
the best and most expensive material for fast and even heat dispersion.
However, you will not find copper cookware without either a stainless or tin
coating on the cooking surface to protect the food from reaction with the
copper. The body does need small amounts of copper, but unlined copper cookware
results in unsafe amounts of copper in food and is warned against by the FDA.
Copper also reacts with the oxygen in the air requiring frequent polishing and
care.
Cast iron
cookware is said to have some healthy advantages. Hence the name, iron is
introduced into food cooked in cast-iron which is a wonderful way for the body
to get the dietary iron it needs. The iron content of food cooked in cast-iron
may as much as double. Enamel-coated cast-iron, although a safe cooking
surface, does not share in these benefits since the food is not in direct
contact with the cast-iron surface. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is a
wonderful cooking surface for both flavor and well-being.
There is
also eco-friendly cookware as well. The green pan, for instance, is a cookware
which eliminates the scare of causing harm to your family as well as the
environment. A lot of people switch to the green pan for several reasons. Green pans are known for eliminating Teflon. When Teflon is heated above 500 degrees Celsius,
it will start to disintegrate and emits fumes which are lethal to birds and can
harm the respiratory tract of humans as well.
Green Pan uses Thermolon non-stick technology
which can be heated without any troubles until 850°C. According to EPA, a Teflon
coating is made by using another helping chemical —PFOA, which is called as a
“persistent pollutant” and is a human carcinogen as well. These pans eliminate the PTFE coating so there is no use of PFOA at all while manufacturing.
Glass
cookware is the most non-reactive cooking material. It is the lowest risk in
terms of health hazard of all cooking materials available. However, it does not
distribute heat evenly, and therefore may not best meet the expectations of all
of your kitchen needs.
Ceramic
cookware is also a healthy cookware choice. It is easy to clean and light
weight compared to stainless steel and cast-iron cookware. However, some
ceramics have glaze coatings made with harmful metals such as cadmium and lead.
Over time, these harmful metals can leech out of the glaze in trace amounts. You
should be precautious of glazed ceramics from countries with less regulation.