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SARAH W. IN GEORGIA ASKS: I’m on the hunt for safe pots and pans. Is there such a thing? How do I find nontoxic cookware?
MOM DETECTIVE ANSWERS:
This is such a critical question, Sarah. Safe cookware is a murky arena. There are no legal enforceable definitions of “safe” or even “nontoxic,” and yet these claims are rampant in any kitchen supply store.
It’s important to seek out the safest pots and pans as chemicals, metals, and elements leaching from the surfaces we cook on daily can and do get into our food. Consider cast iron pans—they add iron to our diets, which is a good thing for those of us looking to increase our intake. Iron is safe (unless you’re at risk of overload), but there are a whole host of questionable materials lining other pots and pans that you don’t want seeping into your food. Thankfully, these are avoidable.
Here’s how to make sense of it all and find the best pots and pans for your purposes.
All cooking materials have pros and cons—from how the environment was affected when their materials were extracted from the earth and when they were manufactured to how they impact human health. The following is general advice about safe(r) materials and others you may choose to avoid. Keep in mind that no one material is perfect. It’s always smart to research various brands and manufacturers’ track records before purchasing. Here’s how to narrow down your options.
Safest Pot and Pan Materials
The safest cookware on the market today is also tried and true:
- Cast iron
- Stainless steel
- Enamel-coated cast iron (a.k.a. enameled iron)
Cast iron has been used for cooking for thousands of years. It’s inexpensive to buy new, easy to find at a thrift store, or maybe already in your kitchen. If you’re new to cast iron, using these heavy pans involves a learning curve, but it’s not difficult. Old cast iron pans with rust spots are easy to clean and restore—the process is called seasoning. And cast iron lasts forever. You do have to use fat (oil, butter) to keep food from sticking to cast iron while cooking. But the notoriously durable surface becomes more nonstick over time. If you’re making acidic food like tomato sauce, cast iron can impart a slight metallic taste to your food.
Stainless steel is pricier than cast iron but less heavy and equally durable. It’s a mixture of several different metals. Ideally, these pots and pans don’t have cores made of other metals, like aluminum, but if yours does, just make sure the surface touching your food is stainless steel. Pro tip: cooking acidic foods is fine in stainless steel, just don’t store in them as acid can cause stainless steel to break down into your food over time. Another nontoxic option is carbon steel pans, which are made of a different metal mix than stainless, though they’re fussier to care for and can’t go in the dishwasher.
Enamel-coated cast iron pots are expensive, but if you treat them well, they last a lifetime. Enamel is a fused hard coating of fine glass particles. The surface is slippery (though not completely nonstick) and entirely nonreactive. These pots come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be used for anything from soups to stews to sauces.
Less Safe Pot and Pan Materials
The science on cookware safety is always evolving, but since there are proven safer materials, why not choose those instead of these?
- Aluminum
- Ceramic
- Nonstick
- Copper (depending on the lining)
Concern over the years about aluminum‘s link to Alzheimer’s disease has warranted studies. To be clear: no direct link has been established, but fear lingers. Aluminum cookware is fairly inexpensive, but the process of anodizing it for cookware is chemical-heavy, and many aluminum pans are also coated with nonstick surfaces. Always ask what the coating is. Cooking in gouged pans and foil, as well as storing acidic foods in aluminum, elevates its presence in food. While all cookware materials have an environmental footprint, the mining of bauxite and refining and manufacture of the resulting aluminum are very energy-intensive compared to others.
Ceramic cookware can be safe, provided it does not contain lead, but a ceramic pan is rarely just ceramic. They’re typically metal pans with a ceramic layer or coating, which is usually nonstick. Research on the chemicals being used to replace PFOA in nonstick coatings is still in its infancy. Many ceramic pans are marketed as “green,” which does not have a legal or enforceable definition. If you’re interested in buying a ceramic pan, ask enough questions to know what it’s made of.
Nonstick is beloved for its ease and convenience—its surface is slippery and it’s super easy to clean. A chemical used historically in the manufacture of nonstick cookware—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)—was phased out by EPA over a number of years concluding in 2015 over concerns about its impact—and the impact of other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals—on human health and the environment.
There are clearly pans made before the EPA phaseout in many homes. If you have one, it’s wise to discontinue use. Most PFOA exposure in kitchens comes from scratched pans. Nonstick surfaces ding and flake easily, especially when in contact with metal utensils. Another route of exposure is fumes released from pans heated to high temperatures. To learn more about PFAS and its health impacts, read our PFAS 101 fact sheet.
For now, nonstick pans currently on the market are considered safe if you treat them well and avoid scratches. Given that chemicals on the US market, like PFOA, are permitted for use until deemed unsafe, there’s still good reason to exercise caution and avoid nonstick pans.
Copper tends to be prohibitively expensive but is generally considered safe. Because too much copper isn’t good for us, copper pans tend to be coated with another metal to prevent it from coming into direct contact with food. Make sure that lining is stainless steel or another safe material.
Sarah, no one should have to work this hard to fry an egg without unwanted chemical ingestion. It’s high time for chemicals to be proven safe before being allowed on the market. If you agree, join Moms to advocate for stronger chemical safety law.