Tips For Transitioning To Non-Toxic Cookware
When it comes to transitioning to non-toxic products in the kitchen, make sure to go at your own pace. You don’t have to change everything at once. Stressing about toxins can often be worse than the toxins themselves.
As for cookware, this is what you want to look for:
- Stainless steel
- Glass
- Cast-iron
- Ceramic
- Clay
- Copper
Avoid:
- Teflon & “non-stick” pans
- Aluminum
- Plastic
The reason teflon products aren’t safe to use is because the toxins from the pan leaches into the food (upon heating). When I threw out my teflon pans, I noticed pieces of the teflon were peeling off the pans, and I’m sure that was getting into my food. Better alternatives are stainless steel and cast iron pans.
Plastic tupperware containers can leach toxins into food when heating. Truthfully, I don’t think its realistic to get rid of plastic 100%, especially when it comes to food packaging (even regenerative farms typically wrap their meats in plastic). But you can get rid of all your plastic tupperware and replace them with glass or stainless steel. Plastic is going to be the most harmful when heated.
Uncoated aluminum will leach metals into food when heated. Personally I don’t think aluminum cookware is as dangerous as teflon, but I’d avoid it if possible!
Note: Cast iron pans are almost always pre-seasoned with toxic seed oils. A way you can remedy this is by washing it with soap when you get it, then re-seasoning with animal fat (tallow, lard) or olive oil.
You can often find cast iron and stainless steel pans at thrift stores for a very low price.