Toxic free cookware

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ANewKaty
ANewKaty Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
There's lots of talk about detoxing the body. I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on safe cookware. I recently read about nonstick cookware leaching toxins into our healthy dishes we prepare. So now what?What is safe to use in our kitchens? Where and how to buy toxic free cookware: pots, sautée pan, tea kettles, muffin and cookie sheet, does anyone know?
Thx, Katy
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Replies

  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    If you truly want to be toxin free, get a HEPA air filter for your house, then wrap it in plastic and pump filtered air in. I read a study where they found the air inside your home is I forget how many times more polluted than the air outside.

    Everything is toxic in high amounts.

    I did read somewhere that Teflon lets off some kind of gas when heated but I don't know enough about it to say more. I do know that I've been using Teflon stuff for years and years. Will someday it cause some ill health effect? Maybe. Maybe lots of things will.

    What's that saying--the dose makes the poison. You can do everything possible to avoid "toxins" but guess what? There's always going to be something that you don't know about or that somebody somewhere claims is bad. I refuse to be that person that is scared of everything. I was turning into one and the stress of it all was enormous.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    What would be your definition of toxin-free?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    AFAIK, some types of nonstick are the only thing you need to worry about. Materials like stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel don't release fumes.

    http://www.ewg.org/research/healthy-home-tips/tip-6-skip-non-stick-avoid-dangers-teflon

    ...Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or, as scientists describe it, "Polymer fume fever"). Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn't toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.

    Manufacturers' labels often warn consumers to avoid high heat when cooking on Teflon. But EWG-commissioned tests conducted in 2003 showed that in just two to five minutes on a conventional stove top, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces could exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases.

    ...SAFER POTS, PANS AND BAKEWARE ARE READILY AVAILABLE

    While there are a growing number of new cookware options on the market, we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe -- even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick." We continue to recommend cast iron and stainless steel cookware as safer options for stove-top cooking, and oven-safe glass for baking. These safer pans might be a little harder to clean, but your health is worth it.

    Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

    Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I use cast iron for most stove top cooking. The exceptions are sauces and water (e.g., boiling noodles), which I do in Revere pots and pans.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
    edited November 2015
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    ANewKaty wrote: »
    There's lots of talk about detoxing the body. I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on safe cookware. I recently read about nonstick cookware leaching toxins into our healthy dishes we prepare. So now what?What is safe to use in our kitchens? Where and how to buy toxic free cookware: pots, sautée pan, tea kettles, muffin and cookie sheet, does anyone know?
    Thx, Katy

    Yard sales and thrift shops are good places to get cast iron. They may need to be refinished. You should also be able to get preseasoned ones at any store that sells cookware.

    I have this cookie sheet: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001MS3P6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

    I don't remember where I got my not-non-stick muffin tins, but I don't think they were too hard to find.

    Note - all of this lasts longer than non-stick, so it will be more expensive, so if your budget is tight, try yard sales and thrift shops.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Fumes from overheated non-stick coatings (PFOA):
    http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cooking-tools/cookware-reviews/a17426/nonstick-cookware-safety-facts/

    Aluminum:
    http://www.yourcookwarehelper.com/cookware-college/healthy-cookware-safe-cookware/is-anodized-aluminum-cookware-considered-safe-cookware/

    Nickel and chromium from stainless steel:
    http://www.ttl.fi/en/publications/Electronic_publications/Documents/Stainless_steel.pdf

    It is highly unlikely that you could absorb dangerous levels of PFOA, aluminum, nickel or chromium from your cookware, even from a lifetime of cooking.

    I use a cast iron frying pan for a small dose of extra iron. Besides, a well-seasoned pan is naturally non-stick.

    Stainless steel for everything else, and silicon muffin trays. Silicon is chemically neutral.

    If you really want to freak yourself out, get a sample of your fatty tissue tested for dioxins and PCB's. These are persistent environmental contaminants that we inescapably consume through the foods we eat. Every mammal in the planet, including polar bears, have them. You can't detox them either, as they are non-reactive stable molecules.
  • TheopolisAmbroiseIII
    TheopolisAmbroiseIII Posts: 197 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AFAIK, some types of nonstick are the only thing you need to worry about. Materials like stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel don't release fumes.

    http://www.ewg.org/research/healthy-home-tips/tip-6-skip-non-stick-avoid-dangers-teflon

    ...Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or, as scientists describe it, "Polymer fume fever"). Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn't toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.

    Manufacturers' labels often warn consumers to avoid high heat when cooking on Teflon. But EWG-commissioned tests conducted in 2003 showed that in just two to five minutes on a conventional stove top, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces could exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases.

    ...SAFER POTS, PANS AND BAKEWARE ARE READILY AVAILABLE

    While there are a growing number of new cookware options on the market, we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe -- even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick." We continue to recommend cast iron and stainless steel cookware as safer options for stove-top cooking, and oven-safe glass for baking. These safer pans might be a little harder to clean, but your health is worth it.

    Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

    Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.

    Is teflon even still a thing? I know it's a brand, but I'm pretty sure there was a govt decree that said PFOA (the chemical "teflon") was to no longer be used by 2014 or 2015.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AFAIK, some types of nonstick are the only thing you need to worry about. Materials like stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel don't release fumes.

    http://www.ewg.org/research/healthy-home-tips/tip-6-skip-non-stick-avoid-dangers-teflon

    ...Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or, as scientists describe it, "Polymer fume fever"). Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn't toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.

    Manufacturers' labels often warn consumers to avoid high heat when cooking on Teflon. But EWG-commissioned tests conducted in 2003 showed that in just two to five minutes on a conventional stove top, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces could exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases.

    ...SAFER POTS, PANS AND BAKEWARE ARE READILY AVAILABLE

    While there are a growing number of new cookware options on the market, we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe -- even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick." We continue to recommend cast iron and stainless steel cookware as safer options for stove-top cooking, and oven-safe glass for baking. These safer pans might be a little harder to clean, but your health is worth it.

    Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

    Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.

    Is teflon even still a thing? I know it's a brand, but I'm pretty sure there was a govt decree that said PFOA (the chemical "teflon") was to no longer be used by 2014 or 2015.

    TEFLON CHEMICAL HARMFUL AT SMALLEST DOSES: PHASED OUT, BUT STILL A THREAT

    Both PFOA and PFOS belong to a class of non-stick, waterproof, grease-proof chemicals historically called PFCs.13 Under pressure from EPA, 3M stopped making PFOS in 2002, and in 2005 DuPont agreed to phase out PFOA by this year. Those two chemicals are no longer produced in the U.S.

    But DuPont and other chemical companies are marketing a new generation of PFCs with similar chemical structures. The few studies conducted on these new chemicals show that they may also have serious health risks. But the weak and outdated federal Toxic Substances Control Act has allowed them onto the market without adequate safety testing. Grandjean and Clapp wrote that “the greatly underestimated health risks from [PFOA] and [PFOS] illustrate the public health implications of assuming the safety of incompletely tested industrial chemicals.”

    The new science demands urgent action to set stricter and legally enforceable limits on PFOA in drinking water. The threat to public health is most severe in the mid-Ohio Valley and the state-level test results reveal a problem nationwide. But federal regulators are moving at a glacial pace.

    EPA was first alerted to PFOA pollution in the mid-Ohio Valley in 2001. Not until 2009 did it produce the current advisory level, which it called a “reasonable, health-based hazard concentration above which action should be taken to reduce exposure.”14 Last year, EPA released a draft15 of its proposed “reference dose” – an estimate of how much a person can safely consume daily over a lifetime. That proposed reference dose would translate to a legal limit for PFOA of 0.1 ppb.

    That’s a quarter of the current advisory level but still more than 300 times the safe level put forth by Grandjean and Clapp. What’s more, the EPA draft study says that PFOA exposure is only “suggestive of carcinogenicity,” again disregarding the findings in 2006 of EPA’s own Science Advisory Panel that PFOA is a “likely” human carcinogen.

    Read more: http://www.ewg.org/research/teflon-chemical-harmful-at-smallest-doses/phased-out-still-threat
  • ANewKaty
    ANewKaty Posts: 2 Member
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    TU all for your excellent replies. I will check them all out and post my what I purchased.

    Cheers,
    Katy
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    I love my Le Creuset cast iron skillet... and their cast iron enamel coated cookware is awesome... I do also have one of their non-stick fry pans just for things like eggs, French toast etc... foods that don't require high temps to cook... IF I could afford it I would be all over some good copper... IF you value your kitchen time nothing better in the market.
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
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    Personally I'd rather take the risk of using a non-stick pan than spend precious hours of my life trying to scrub a cast iron pan clean, but each to their own.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I cook with cast iron. Including my teapot.
  • ptipton520
    ptipton520 Posts: 83 Member
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    I've been cooking for a long time and the best pans I have are the set of Faberware Classic Stainless I bought in 1985. Distributes heat evenly; browns nicely; can go in the dishwasher and with a little Bar Keepers Friend have stayed beautiful. I just recently added a new pot to my set. I ordered it from amazon. Just make sure it is the Classic Stainless; Walmart has a lighter weight cheaper version. Idea of price - the last item I bought was a one quart covered straining saucepan and it was $14.99. I also have a new skillet I love - a 8 in SilverStone White Ceramic but I'm not sure of it's toxic tendencies.
  • ptipton520
    ptipton520 Posts: 83 Member
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    As for missing the non-sticking properties of teflon - I simply paint a thin coat of olive oil or coconut oil over the cooking surface of the pan and it cleans up in a flash.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Cast iron skillet
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AFAIK, some types of nonstick are the only thing you need to worry about. Materials like stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel don't release fumes.

    http://www.ewg.org/research/healthy-home-tips/tip-6-skip-non-stick-avoid-dangers-teflon

    ...Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or, as scientists describe it, "Polymer fume fever"). Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn't toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.

    Manufacturers' labels often warn consumers to avoid high heat when cooking on Teflon. But EWG-commissioned tests conducted in 2003 showed that in just two to five minutes on a conventional stove top, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces could exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases.

    ...SAFER POTS, PANS AND BAKEWARE ARE READILY AVAILABLE

    While there are a growing number of new cookware options on the market, we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe -- even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick." We continue to recommend cast iron and stainless steel cookware as safer options for stove-top cooking, and oven-safe glass for baking. These safer pans might be a little harder to clean, but your health is worth it.

    Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

    Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.

    Yep...I only avoid Teflon as the fumes could kill my birds.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited August 2016
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    ANewKaty wrote: »
    There's lots of talk about detoxing the body. I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on safe cookware. I recently read about nonstick cookware leaching toxins into our healthy dishes we prepare. So now what?What is safe to use in our kitchens? Where and how to buy toxic free cookware: pots, sautée pan, tea kettles, muffin and cookie sheet, does anyone know?
    Thx, Katy

    I've been cooking for 35 years, and none of my cookware has ever presented a toxin problem. I cook in teflon, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, and aluminum. And I and my family are still alive. :) I do make sure I don't put my teflon pans on high heat, but they do eventually break down, and when they do, I replace them. My GF grill is used as much as anything, and it's teflon. I love it.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited August 2016
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    doublepost
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    smotheredincheese wrote: »
    Personally I'd rather take the risk of using a non-stick pan than spend precious hours of my life trying to scrub a cast iron pan clean, but each to their own.

    "Hours"? LOL!! I probably spend less time cleaning my cast iron than any other pan. Clearly you are doing it wrong.

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