How To Deal With Cookware Safety Issues
Kitchen gadgets and tools that we use, especially, those that come in direct contact with our food, like cookware and utensils are always subject to deep scrutiny. Foremost in our list of concerns is safety.
The issue of safe cookware is something all of us can identify with and something we all want to have. But, with all the news, opinions, studies, etc. about the safety of cookware that come into our sphere, frankly, it can sometimes make one’s head spin. It can be very difficult to decide, almost like food preparation is a serious risk.
Now, what are the safety issues that surround our choice of cookware? A particular knotty point is usually specific to a type of cookware. And, honestly, some of them have become overblown. Like when, a finding is released, someone picks up on it, talks or writes about it. Then, another one learns about it and interprets it, and so on, until it becomes an entirely different version. So, let’s tackle these safety issues.
Aluminum is a common cookware because it is relatively cheap compared to stainless steel. However, it has been found to react with acidic foods. Exposure to aluminum is suggested to be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s; however, there are no conclusive studies or evidence on it. Only few experts think that daily sources of aluminum pose a threat to humans.
With all the virtues of stainless steel there is one element that some people are concerned about…chromium. Stainless steel is a mixture of several metals, in technical term an alloy. Chromium is one of the metals that make up the alloy. It is highly toxic in concentrated amounts. The recommended inner surface for stainless steel cookware is 18/10 stainless steel, i.e., 18% chromium and 10% nickel. Now, will the chromium escape the solid metal mixture and go into your food? Not unless your cookware is so severely scratched, cut and damaged. It’s unlikely that your stainless steel cookware will get so warped with everyday normal use and the proper care.
When it comes to safe cookware, a popular issue that sticks out is non-stick cookware. These cookware has a non-stick, PTFE-based coating. At temperatures around above 465°F, decomposition of the non-stick coating can occur and produce toxic fumes which can kill birds and is toxic to humans. It also produces a sickness similar to a cold, which DuPont, the makers of Teflon coatings, call polymer fume fever.
Another concern with non-stick cookware is PFOA, which the EPA declared as a possible human carcinogen, although it is present in small quantities in non-stick coatings.
Cast iron is a reactive material and reacts with highly acidic foods. There is no mention of what the products of these reactions are. Iron can be toxic in a single high dose, which is unlikely you’ll get from your iron cookware.
Given all these safety issues, what is one to do? It is important to note that our bodies can tolerate some of the substances mentioned above as harmful, up to a certain level of concentration. That is called the tolerable limit. Chromium up to 50mcg – 200mcg can be tolerated by our bodies.
What is best to do is to get educated. Nothing beats knowledge. When you hear something, go and get the facts, then weigh them. Then you can make adjustments. Like if aluminum and iron reacts with acidic foods, then, don’t use it for that food type. Chromium won’t leach out of stainless steel, unless, it’s damaged heavily, then take precautions not to scratch it severely. Non-stick gives up toxic fumes, watch the heat, although it is difficult to determine whether the heat is within the safe level or not; you’d always be risking a guess with this.
When it comes to choosing a safe cookware it boils down to what poses the least risk and what is not outright dangerous, and which ones you can take measures to lessen the risk. We all need to cook. It’s a fact of life.
Rachel is particular about the safety of cookware she uses to prepare her families meals, and does research on this issue. If you want to learn about a safe and natural cookware go to orgreenic or orgreenic cookware reviews
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