Maintaining our health in today’s world is
becoming demanding every single day. Some factors are changing
drastically, some myths are often breaking down. Eventually, what is the
best option to maintain our precious health is like participating in a world
war. There are way too many tactics, techniques, and technologies. And it can
be quite confusing to decide. Don’t worry.
Today, we are gonna cover an influential episode which is an integral part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle- Cookware.
In
India, the majority of the household use two basic cookware.
a) Aluminum
b) Non-stick
In India, Aluminum
Cookware is very cheap, widely available, and it maintains the heat
really well. That’s why it comes really handy. Apart from this, everybody uses Nonstick Cookware
in their kitchen frequently. Nowadays, most people are
becoming health conscious and prefer less oily and less spicy food. Hence,
Non-stick Cookware comes as a savior because it does take really less amount of
oil to cook any delicious food properly.
Now, let’s discuss the fun part. Do you know, both
Aluminum and Non-stick Cookware can be health-hazardous?
Let’s talk about Nonstick cookware.
Many of you must have known the fact that Non-stick Cookware is made with a coating called Teflon. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic
acid) or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) are
the chemicals used in the process of making Teflon. I think so many are still unknown
to the fact that it can be harmful to you. Let’s see how and why?
Most of the Indian dishes are made using very high
heat. All those curries, tempering require extreme heat to taste their best. When
Teflon gets high temperature, it releases a toxic fume that can be really
harmful to health. Even, some people develop the symptoms of Teflon Flue. For more info on that, click here.
It is not a one-day matter. Day after day, year
after year, we use Teflon coated pans. And the waste materials get deposited in
our bodies along with the food. The irony is, we often invest a good amount of
money to buy the nonstick cookware and want to use it until we can. In this
process, most of us ignore that the coating is long gone. And we are eating up
all the worn-out coating of the remaining Teflon. We end up using the very same
cookware for a long time. This is highly dangerous
and can be life-threatening.
If we use moderate heat, Teflon is still okay. But
with extreme heat, the coating starts to separate. And that’s high time to get
rid of that completely. I would advise not to use
any Teflon-coated or traditional Non-stick Cookware.
Let’s come to Aluminum
Cookware.
Though many studies have shown that Anodized
coating of Aluminum Cookware is safe for cooking, here to applies the same
formula of Non-Stick Cookware. After a specific time, the surface gets wasted.
And, it is time to throw that. Aluminum dissolves faster into acidic foods than
into basic foods. It is always risky to cook acidic foods like tomatoes, tea
& coffee in Aluminum vessels.
Recently, many studies have found Aluminum as Neurotoxic. It can also hamper with the hormonal balance in our bodies. In fact, human
bodies don't absorb aluminum as we don't need it. So, too much exposure to non-treated aluminum coming along with the cooked food
can be dangerous.
It is time to switch your regular deodorant if it
contains Aluminum as it directly absorbs into your skin. Also, throw away the
aluminum foil for wrapping food as it reacts badly with acidic ingredients.
So, what are the safe
options? Let’s talk about that.
Safe Cookware:
1. Cast Iron
 |
| Cast Iron Skillet From Lodge (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
Cast Iron is one of the safest and most reliable
alternatives as it is famous for its amazing durability and even heat
distribution. If you buy a quality product and maintain it properly, it can be
used for generations. Also, if seasoned properly, it acts as a nonstick vessel,
and you can cook food with less amount of oil.
Cast Iron also reacts with acidic food and taste
can differ highly. So, it is advised not to use anything like tomatoes, lime,
lemons, etc. until it is well seasoned for a decent time.
2. Stainless Steel
 |
| Stainless Steel Kadai From Bergner (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
Stainless Steel cookware is made of Chromium,
nickel and various other heavy metals. Though some people question their safety
issues, studies have shown them to be non-reactive to foods. They are safe for
cooking, holds heat evenly, and there is no artificial coating. Hence there is
no chance of any flakes to come out and mix with food.
3. Clay
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| Craftsman India Earthen Clay Pot (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
Though clay pots are less durable and hard to
maintain, they have been widely used in rural India since ancient times. They
keep all the food nutrients balanced, spreads the heat evenly, and maintains
the moisture needed in cooking. In fact, clay pot made foods are delicious in
taste as they add an earthy flavor to some dishes.
4. Glass
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| Borosil Casserole (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
Glass cookware is already well known for their
durability in high heat and widely used for baking and even for stove top
cooking. They are great at non-transferring any chemicals to the food.
I don't think, in Indian cuisine, to cook basic
food items, we can use glass cookware for stove top cooking. But we can use it in a varied way for oven cooking. As far as Indian cuisine goes, we can even make
special curry recipes in the oven if we adjust the steps and temperature
accordingly.
5. Ceramic and Porcelain Cookware
 |
| Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Casserole (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
Ceramic cookware and porcelain enamel coated
cookware also produce even heat distribution. They don’t generally transfer any
compound to the food. But recently, studies have found some adverse reaction
related to ceramic coated stove top cookware. So, if you chose to buy any of
those to use on stove top, check out all the manufacturing details properly.
 |
| Hitkari Potteries Porcelain Bowl (Pic Credit: Amazon India) |
However, Ceramic and Porcelain are safe to use in
the traditional oven or Microwave convection oven.
I, personally have thrown out all the Non-stick
and Aluminum cookware from my kitchen. Moreover, I don't store any cooked
or wet foods/ingredients in plastic containers. Though for storing dry
ingredients, I still use a few of them, but I plan to get rid of plastics and
switch to glass storage containers gradually in the near future. Nowadays, for
cooking, I am mainly using Stainless Steel and Cast Iron.
I think, for everyday cooking, the safest and easiest alternatives are Cast Iron and Stainless-Steel
cookware for stove top use. Glass and Ceramic
pots are good to go for Microwave/ Oven cooking. In any way, always do
your research diligently and invest in good and well-known brands. In the
longer run, that helps a lot.
In the next posts, I will come up with my favorite
brands of Stainless-Steel cookware, Cast Irons pots, and pans in India.
Cheers!!!
Happy Living…
