Non-Toxic Cookware
Things to know about your cookware …
Recently I needed to buy new frypans and I wanted toxic free ones, which seemed to be rather hard to find in stores.
I love a non-stick pan, as cooking and cleaning is so much easier. But, the problem with non-stick is the coating, which is often made with toxic chemicals like PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid - a synthetic chemical used to manufacture polymer coatings that are heat and scratch resistant), aluminum, lead, cadmium, PTFE / teflon, plastic coating, dyes and glues. While these man made synthetic chemicals make great non-stick and non-scratch surfaces, the chemicals when heated can be absorbed in our food, breathed into our airways and are toxic to our health.
In 2013, studies were done of the effects of PFOA in overheated (heat on high) frypans on the human body. This involved inhaling toxic fumes or consuming toxic residue in cooked meals. The results showed headaches, thyroid issues and disease, liver damage, cancer and reproductive issues.
Some brands on the market today promote PFOA free, which means that the chemical PFOA was not used in the manufacturing process of the non-stick coating. This is great, however it’s important to make sure your cookware doesn’t contain any other potentially toxic heavy metals and synthetic coatings.
Here are some Healthy Cookware options to look for:
Ceramic Cookware. I have found ‘Caraway’ and ‘Cosmic Cookware’ to be great non-toxic and non-stick options. They are teflon (PTFE) free, lead free, cadmium free, PFOA free and are so easy to clean. They are also eco-friendly with there high quality ceramic-coating. Another brand is ‘Xtrema’ - the company is also USA FDA compliant and rates highly amongst conscious food lovers. Usually these frypans can tolerate the oven too, but check the specifics of your item.
Stainless Steel. ‘Baccarat’ and ‘360 Cookware’ are excellent brands. There is definitely no non-stick component, so your food will stick, but your health will thank you. The heat is very even, they always scrub up fairly easily and the cookware lasts a lifetime.
Cast Iron. ‘Staub’ is non-toxic, safe and created in France with great materials. Some people love cast iron and others don’t, it’s a personal preference.
Always do your own research as department store brands are often not the best for our health. Also, brand’s can change ownership and quality can be compromised. Be aware that there are toxic ceramic coatings out there too.
While some brands come with hefty prices, there are many affordable safe options, I’ve only listed a few above, but if you google search (or use the ‘duck duck go’ search engine which gives more accurate results and blocks sites from tracking you) ‘non-toxic cookware’ you should find a few lists to help you out :) Choose what fits into your budget and your lifestyle and then …
Enjoy cooking knowing you and your family are making a healthy switch to detoxify
For more information about PFAS, view the following article from https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/water-contamination/pfas/products/