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  • Which Cookware is Safe and Healthy
    [2008-08-12]

  • Which Cookware is Safe and Healthy       
       
    Can certain cookware materials be considered safe or healthy? We've all heard the phrase "We are what we eat." We probably haven't thought of that in terms of aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, glass, enamel, or non stick surfaces. In the next few paragraphs, I will address the issues of cookware and our health.
    You Are Ultimately Responsible For Your Health
    As I write this article and summarize the facts, I must remind you that ultimately it is you who has to take control and responsibility for your health. As you review this information, you have to decide if what you are presented with makes sense for you. Understand that cookware manufacturers are always going to claim their products are safe. There are industry associations, representing manufacturers, who may conduct some tests and claim certain cookware as safe. Regardless of these claims, it is still you who has to decide whether you believe the tests and arguments presented. History is prolific with examples of products claimed to be safe, tested as being safe, but ultimately recalled or slowly banned from use. Doctors once advertised and promoted cigarette smoking as good and safe. That is one example the medical community would love to forget. So as you read what is presented, it is OK to be skeptical of certain claims and tests. It is your health, and you are responsible for your own health.
    What Can Make Cookware Healthy or Unhealthy?
    The most important health factor to consider is the transfer, or leaching, of the cookware cooking surface to the foods being cooked. External surfaces that do not come in contact with food are not a health concern. Copper was once used as a common material to cook food. It was later discovered that native copper interacts with foods, especially acidic foods, and is highly toxic. Today copper is only used clad in between other cookware materials or on the outside, and not on internal cooking surfaces. Another factor is not just the internal cooking surface, but what happens to that cooking surface when it is heated. Heat changes the composition of materials. What may be safe at room temperature can be extremely toxic when applied to a heat source.