Cookware Types That You Should Stay Away From

It’s not easy to find yourself a set of good, non-toxic and good-quality cookware that would be safe for your health and enjoyable to cook on. Have you ever thought about it? You should, just like you think about your food and all the ingredients, especially if you cook for the whole family, including children, on a daily basis.

There are many things to consider while shopping for cookware – your budget, types of cooked dishes or the surface of your stove – that’s why it’s good to read reliable reviews (like those provided by stonefryingpans.com) and to bear in mind some general rules as to what you should try to keep away from. What are they?

Non-Stick Teflon Coated

Teflon is extremely popular due to its non-sticking properties and cost-effectiveness; it sounds tempting to have a pan or a pot that wouldn’t require constant scraping. Normally, Teflon coated cookware doesn’t pose any danger, but the problems arise when you scratch it too much, and particles of the chemical are being released into your food while cooking.

Most of them can flow through your body without doing you any harm, but you shouldn’t be consuming them on a regular basis. What’s more, Teflon is not a type of cookware for high-temperature cooking.

When it gets overheated, it releases dangerous fumes that can cause flu-like symptoms in you. It’s also fatal to birds so you should avoid Teflon if you have any flying pets. Especially that it’s often a matter of minutes when a Teflon coated pan gets from heated to overheated.

Plus, some companies still use PFOA to manufacture Teflon cookware. In theory, it’s burned off during production but there are studies that suggest that some people have higher than average level of PHOA in their blood and it’s often linked to higher cholesterol level, thyroid disease and even reduced fertility. It’s nothing conclusive, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Aluminium

Aluminium is not poisonous for humans when consumed occasionally in smaller portions, but it can be the cause of health problems if it becomes a regular thing. You should stay attentive, especially that small amounts of this metal can be found in everything – even food, drugs and cookware that’s not coated with aluminium – so it’s not that difficult to overdose.

When the level of aluminium in your body gets too high, it can damage your brain and prevent your body from detoxifying, like it naturally does; it’s nothin certain, but there’s also some research that links aluminium exposure with Alzheimer’s disease. This type of cookware is light and really durable, that’s why it still has so many fans, but before you decide on anything, you should think about all those pros and cons. Is it really worth it?

Copper

It’s the first choice of many cooking lovers because of its beautiful looks and exceptional performance. Unfortunately, copper isn’t neutral to your health. This type of cookware can contain both copper and nickel which are later released into your food – both these heavy metals are toxic for you.

When you’ve got too much of them in your blood, it can affect your mind causing a mental disturbance and a chronic illness. This doesn’t sound good, right? That’s why it’s advised to buy pieces of cookware that are only coated with copper on the outside or between layers of something safer, like stainless steel.

Ceramic-coated

It looks really good and 100% ceramic really is completely safe for your health. However, most of the ceramic-coated cookware contains different and very often toxic materials. That’s because ceramic is a little too soft for cooking and it’s not able to last longer than several months; then it starts chipping off and that’s when bad materials, like lead and calcium, can be released into your food and then be consumed by you. Especially lead poisoning is really dangerous – it leads to abdominal pain, headaches, even total infertility, and, in worst cases, to coma and death.

Other times, it may not be lead, but neurotoxic aluminium that also is no good to you. The safest alternative is 100% ceramic cookware – it is a little bit more expensive, but it’s natural, completely safe and it doesn’t peel off.

Cast iron

There are still people who believe that cast iron pans don’t release iron into your food while cooking, but there was clear research conducted that showed how the level of iron in food increased when cooked in this type of pan. And when you have too much iron in your blood, it can lead to hemochromatosis and organ damage.

Of course, humans can tolerate iron – sometimes they even need to take something extra as their natural daily intake is too low. But it can be extremely dangerous for children, as they don’t have to absorb as much as adults. So it’s not about avoiding cast iron cookware at all cost, but stay cautious.

Now that you know what you shouldn’t buy, you can start researching cookware that you can buy. The good news is that they are not so hard to find. Make sure you’re well-informed for the sake of your own health and that of your family’s. This is not something you should skimp on.