Pots & Pans - Can they be Toxic?

Hello everyone. Today is another good day!

Writing on pots and pans seems like the appropriate follow up from last week’s post on dinnerware. Meanwhile, I hope there is no one hiding a favourite mug, plate or dish that is worn and calling for the bin. And please, please, please, do not give them out. If they can poison you, then they can most definitely poison every other person! Thank you. 💕

As with dinnerware, can pots and pans be toxic? Unfortunately, the answer is YES. Pots and pans can and do react to the acids and enzymes present in food. Depending on the materials used to make them, leaching is quite a common thing in pots and pans. 

We all buy pots and pans out of necessity and choose based on what we can afford. There is a very wide range of pots and pans available, from the low priced ones to the eye popping expensive ones. The low priced ones can see you through a year to three with the careful use of wooden utensils.  

Don’t store food in the pots and pans it was cooked in and do avoid using metal and hard utensils in your cookware as they can scratch and compromise the surface of your pots and pans. Cooking with low heat will also go a long way in keeping your cookware safe.

Above affordability is the need for your cookware to be thoroughly cleaned after each use to avoid the build up of bacteria and lower the risk of food borne illness. The safest cookware in the world can still make you sick if it is not properly cleaned. Particular attention should be paid to the cleaning and care needs of cookware (pay attention to the area around the bolts holding the handles). Occasional cleaning with baking soda will keep your pots and pans clean and safe.

As far as I know, no cookware is perfect,  they all have varying degrees of risks to the health.

Below are some materials cookware is commonly made from;

1. Aluminium - this is highly reactive and very easily leaches into food. In small quantities, aluminium easily leaves the body but it may not be the case for children. Children with kidney diseases have been known to have high levels of aluminium in their bodies.

2.Teflon - this is the most persistent chemical known. It does not break down and it will take about two decades to get it out of the body, and that’s assuming you are no longer exposed to it. The truth is, it has been discovered that almost everyone has it in their system because it is present in the environment and used in many water proof  clothing. It disintegrates with heat to become toxic and unhealthy.

3. Glass and ceramic  - these have lead, break easily and are poor conductors of heat.

4. Copper - this reacts with food. It is an essential mineral in the human body but getting too much of it on a regular basis can be harmful to the liver. 

5. Cast iron - this leaches iron into food (Anaemic persons may benefit from it as it’s the same iron the human body requires) and needs to be seasoned (rubbing of oil and baking) for food not to stick on it, otherwise it will rust.

6. Stainless steel - this is usually combined with nickel and chromium; some people may be allergic to nickel.

However, Stainless Steel is widely agreed to be the safest with excellent value for money. 

Today, I pitch my tent with Stainless Steel and have put together a shopping guide:

1. Steel is mostly iron with a bit of carbon whereas Stainless Steel is iron with at least 10.5% Chromium, nickel, molybdenum, titanium, etc. Stainless Steel is a poor conductor of heat, hence, it is usually cladded (that’s the base which is also known as the core) with copper and aluminium to enhance conductivity.

2. Stainless Steel comes in 200, 300 and 400 series. Stay with the 300 series as 200 is low quality and 400 is vulnerable to rust and corrosion. 300 Stainless Steel is resistant to corrosion, tarnishing, rust and staining. Some are made with titanium core but those are the high end ones like T316. (Shh, don’t say I said so but don’t believe anyone who says a particular type will save your life.)

3. Another thing you may notice is stainless Steel pots and pans being described as 3ply, 5ply or 7ply. This is the number of layers they are made of. Multi-ply can be a great long term investment; they may be passed on to the next generation as they last a lifetime. Also, the heavier they are, the better.

4. To reduce the risk of leaching in any type of pots and pans, it is better not to add salt until the food is already cooked or at the very least, until it has been heated. Doing this will not only reduce leaching but will also lower your salt intake as your food will need less salt to taste when heated/cooked as against starting with salt.

One last point, although metals leach essential nutrients, it is more beneficial to get your nutrients from food than from your cookware!

Enjoy the rest of this good day! Till next week, Ciao!