The Safest Cookware

The article I published on Care2 on Monday, 2 Cookware Materials to Avoid, generated a number of comments asking for advice about safer cookware alternatives. On reading these I decided to tell you about the three types of cookware I use in my home, and why. Three types? I own a hodgepodge just because I’ve inherited a number of cookware pieces from different households. (And I threw away aluminum and Teflon-coated cookware at the same time. I’ve written in the past about the aluminum pot my mother always used to made spaghetti sauce, shuddering to think of the amount of aluminum my sisters and I have in our brains because the acid in those tomatoes would have helped the metal leach from the pan!)

As a general rule, the more inert the cookware, the better.

Glass
Glass is the most inert of all cookware, meaning that it doesn’t leach metals or other ingredients into the food.

Clad Cookware
Layered cookware is called clad. Typically, stainless steel surrounds a sandwich of other metals, such as aluminum or copper. The inert stainless steel provides the cooking surface, while the aluminum or copper improves the heat conductivity. (I don’t personally have clad cookware, but I consider it in the family of stainless steel, below, that I do have.)

Stainless Steel
Stainless is a very good choice for healthy cooking because it is one of the most inert metals. It reportedly does leach a small amount of nickel. One drawback is that it doesn’t conduct heat evenly, so consider stainless “clad,” described above, for this purpose.

Porcelain-Coated Cookware
Also called enamel, this cookware is nonreactive and conducts heat evenly. The porcelain is usually over an iron base. Le Creuset is an example of a porcelain-coated cookware brand. The drawback with porcelain-coated cookware is that once the porcelain chips, the food is exposed to the iron, which can rust.

Greenpans?
Read more about nonstick cookware and alternative tips in Melissa Breyers article that mentions them along with other alternatives and materials to avoid.

Silicone Bakeware?
My concern about silicone isn’t that it will off-gas when it is heated (most bakeware can withstand 500 degrees F before it breaks down), but that very small amounts of migrating silicone oil could get on food, hands and other skin.

Tips for Safe Cookware
• Avoid oven cookware that has any plastic, even if the manufacturer claims it can withstand up to 400F.
• Cast-iron cookware labels sometimes state that the pans are pre-seasoned. This refers to a wax-based coating that keeps the pan from rusting between manufacture and purchase.

Annie Bond is the author of Home Enlightenment (Rodale, paperback, 2008).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Beverly L.

6:14AM PST on Nov 17, 2010

I've been wanting to buy some new cookware ~ thanks for the tips!

send a green star

Charles W.

12:30PM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

Thank yoou. I'll try it. I'll also try to be a better cook and stop burning stuff so badly. :)

Stephanie R.

7:54AM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

Charles Webb- To clean baked on bits on stainless steel pans sprinkle some baking soda and if the baked on stuff is real bad some salt (coarse salt works better) and SCRUB usually using a washcloth that has been moistened and wrung out so it is only very slightly wet. This works for me. Unfortunately, once something is stuck in these pans bits will stick to that so if you need a non-stick type pan try cast iron.

5:56AM PDT on Aug 27, 2010

How do you get burnt on stuff out of a stainless saucepan? I have soaked and scrubbed with everything.

Past Member .

11:41PM PDT on May 18, 2010

thanks

sergei l.

8:43AM PDT on May 2, 2010

Thanks.

Mervi R.

3:57AM PDT on Apr 2, 2010

Useful, thanks!

JE L.