In this day and age, consumers are spoilt for choice. Case in point: kitchen utensils and cookware. The health and safety of every individual in the house is the primary concern of everyone but quite often we go with the options that are more familiar to us or have been used over the years. But ask yourself this; are these pans and pots made of safe materials? Do traces of these materials mix with your food? To find answers, read this blog till the end. Here, we have mentioned different types of safe cookware and why you should use these products.
Types Of Safe Cookware For your Home
Cooking at home is one of the best things one can do to maintain good health. You have better control over the quality of food, hygiene, and the ingredients you choose to use to prepare food. You can never be so sure about all of this when you are eating outside plus regular hoteling is also expensive.
Cooking at home also means that you need to have the required supplies which include ingredients for meal preparation, stove, oven, refrigerator, and cookware. Eating healthy doesn’t only have to do with the ingredients and hygiene of the kitchen, in fact, it also includes choosing the right cookware that will not react with the sauces and put your health at risk. This is the primary reason why you must think about the pans in which you cook your meal.
Sometimes, cookware is not of the best quality but the similarity in the properties of such products and lack of knowledge lets us compromise on the health factor. For instance, you will find non-stick properties in different types of pans but are all of them okay to be used? Not at all! Some non-stick materials leave toxins and fumes that can put your health at risk. Similarly, some people are sensitive or allergic to different materials. For instance, different cooking pots and pans are made up of nickel, and people who are allergic to it should be concerned if the food has been prepared in such a pan.
- Anodized aluminium
- Stainless steel
- Cast iron
- Glass
- Non-stick
Anodized Aluminum
Aluminum is a lightweight metal and is known for its rapid heat-conducting property in cookware. Using aluminum as cookware is often related to some health concerns because of leaching which leaves traces of the metal in your food. However, aluminum cookware available these days are usually coated with non-stick or anodized which means that if acidic food is prepared in such pans, it will not react with the metal.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is one of the most preferred materials used in kitchen utensils for cooking. It is a metal alloy that contains iron, nickel, and chrome making it long-lasting and not easy to catch rust. Its properties like durability and ability to spread heat evenly on the surface make it a great option for cooking. Buying good-quality stainless steel cookware is a lifetime investment that also reduces the chances of leaching. However, before using it to make sticky dishes, one should brush it or spray some oil on it for a better experience.
Cast Iron
Cast iron cookware is made by melting iron and steel together to make a safe cooking utensil that can also stand the test of time. Often the material is seasoned to enhance its low-stick properties but cleaning this material after use will require extra effort. Since it is durable, spreads heat evenly, and can be used in the oven, it has been around for decades and not to mention the affordability factor. Enameled cast iron is a more refined finishing of the material in which the pan is coated with a material to give it better non-stick touch and is best used for slow cooking and drawing flavours from the ingredients.
Glass
Glass is considered as one of the most non-toxic materials used in cookware which is non-stick and doesn’t hold any flavours or aromas from the previous meal prepared. Glass is less favoured by the cooks because it is unable to withstand high temperatures and can break easily on the stove. However, realizing the need for glass in cooking and baking, you can now find high-quality glass cookware, which is specifically made for stove and oven use. It would be recommended to ask the storekeeper beforehand about its properties and read the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Non-stick
Non-stick is a coating on any material to make the food transition from a pan to a dish easier. It is a slippery and mess-free solution that most cooks prefer because saucy dishes often stick with the surface of the pan. The coating is made up of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or silicon. Previously, the material that was used to make the non-stick coating was perfluorooctanoic acid, which had some health concerns but is no longer used for the purpose. If you are thinking about food that is slow-cooked and requires ease in handling, this is your cookware.
While you use the aforementioned cookware, be cautious about the cooking spoons that you use as some of these materials leaches. Instead of using hard and metal spoons, you can use the ones made of plastic or wood which will neither leach the pan nor scratch it. Keeping the maximum hygiene of your kitchen is as essential as the cookware which is why you must clean the pots thoroughly after cooking.
This is all for the types of safe cookware you can use at home. You can also check our thoroughly written guides on must-have cookware for your home kitchen, how to store food in the kitchen more smartly, making most of the kitchen countertops and tips to pack your kitchen if you are planning to move.
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