After beginning our clean living journey, we were on the hunt for ways to cut toxins out of our lives. Things actually doing more harm than good.
After doing our own research, we were disheartened with what we found about our everyday kitchen tools….
They contained toxins!
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So, what’s really in your kitchen you may not realize?
1 PTFE : polytetrafluoroethylene (also known as Teflon). The problem is that it breaks down with high heat and release polymer fumes. PTFE-coated cookware releases various gases and chemicals that present mild to severe
toxicity.
2 PFOA : Perfluorooactanoic acid. The Agency for Cancer research lists PFOA as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Exposure to PFOA is also linked to hormone disruption among other diseases. In May 2019, 180+countries joined together to ban the production and use of
PFOA’s.
Teflon quit using PFOAs to make their surfaces in 2013 so it’s the older non-stick cookware that ismade with those chemicals. If your nonstick has a scratch, it is best to toss it
3 PFAS : (Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of over 4,700 chemicals and that number is continually growing. Even though 2 common PFAS have been banned (PFOA and PFOS) they have been replaced by thousands of other PFAS, like one known as GenX. PFAS should be avoided due to the fact that it gradually accumulates and remains in the body for long periods of time. If you are using the pan daily to cook food, these chemicals never have the opportunity to clear from your system. That’s kind of a scary thought.
Anything branded “non-stick:” The phrase “non-stick” really should be a red flag in your cookware collection at this point. If you’re attached to those items, research for more specific information about how they’re made.
Silicone: Silicone baking pans and mats are technically neutral, but they’re not the best or safest option. Some brands (especially the cheaper ones) use fillers that may can release toxic fumes into your food. Putting parchment paper on oven safe cookware is a great alternative to silicone unless you trust the process and materials used to make them.
Aluminum: Can we just sadly admit, almost anything is a safer alternative to aluminum at this point. Aluminum can be dangerous if it leaches into your food. It’s scary because we used aluminum foil like it was going out of style until I heard a Dr speak about just how many toxins are leached into our foods, aluminum is a BIG one, and this is how.
What to look for:
Clean living swaps: Be sure to look for that “PFAS free” label, below are some great alternatives we use in our home. With my husband experience as a chef, he had a lot to suggest when it comes to what works best in the kitchen while protecting our bodies from harmful chemicals.
Clean living cookware | What to use:
Ceramic coated non-stick are becoming more widely available and they work well. Be sure to get one like GreenPan that doesn’t have lead or cadmium, and is PFAS free.
Stainless steel is an incredible option but can take time time getting the hang of
because food tends to stick to the pan. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never turn back!
Cast iron are amazing and we have multiple for different purposes. They are often budget friendly and you can cook lots of items on them! The best part, they ‘season’ with age and get better as you cook with them. They are very heavy and you would never want to drop these on your toes!
Last, but certainly not least is glass cookware. This is one we find gets overlooked on some cookware option lists because they are only for the oven, but we are going to list them. Now this is obviously not for cooking on the stove, however for microwave or oven cooking, this is a great alternative.
Remember these same chemicals can be lurking in baking sheets, air fryers, griddles, etc as well! Always check labels.
Our favorite clean living kitchen swaps :
- Greenlife ceramic nonstick are incredible and the company is really trying to create a high quality product that is safe! We purchased this set from Amazon and love that you get two sizes at an affordable price!
- GreenLife Soft Grip Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 12″ Frying Pan – According to my chef hubby, you need a large 12” pan for all our large items! He loved this pan and it’s easy to use and clean!
- Calphalon 10-Piece Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Set – We have a set super similar to this. My husband had it before we were together and if you can find a high quality stainless steel set, chances are it’s going to last you forever. Don’t forget though, these are a little bit more challenging to cook with because they don’t have the same nonstick! For example, eggs are really tough to cook in a stainless steel pan and we only use our ceramic pans to cook them!
- Lodge 12” cast iron skillet is what we use for about half of our cooking. My husband uses this for any meat and allllllll of our homemade tortillas! It’s heavy but my goodness it is magical. It took me a few rounds to get the hang of it but it cooks the perfect tortilla every time.
- Lodge reversible grill + griddle – this one lays right on your oven top burners. We use it for tortilla but because of the way it lays on the oven top, there are some spots that get hotter so we use it more as a warmer!
- Pyrex Easy Grab Glass Food Bakeware and Storage Containers are what we use weekly. The lids are plastic but they are BPA free! They are super convenient and we love that you can pop one of the lids on and it instantly becomes a storage for any leftovers! We are definitely all about making our lives simpler. 😉
- Pyrex glass storage containers with lids are a must have in our kitchen. Because we have make almost everything homemade, we need lots of containers to keep things in and we are trying to avoid plastic. One thing to note, the lids are notorious for cracking. I’m not sure if it’s just them aging or throwing them in the dish washer, but the lids always seem to crack. Between that and the accidental drops that just happen, we buy a new set every year. 😉
- Riveira Wooden spoons are what you will see us use for most of our booking aside from soups that need a ladle. We know this may get some eye rolls but we literally threw away every single plastic cutlery in our home after doing research. Check out this great article with some information to start you out.
- Stainless-steel kitchen sets had a few extra tools than we needed, but we decided to grab one because we didn’t mind having a spare. They are great quality for the price but be carful not to scratch you stainless steel or ceramic pans with them! We try to use only wood when we know we are going to have to ‘mix the pot.’
Because we promise to be honest…
We will show you all of these magical items, but we also won’t hide the fact that you will probably have to replace some of these safe cookware options more frequently than you would more traditional cookware. However, our take is that if we plan to use a certain pan on a daily basis to safely make tortillas or pancakes, for example, then we are thrilled to invest in replacements every few years. Having these non-toxic option are a big deal for us and worth the extra expenses to our family. In our opinion, companies making these products cheap with dangerous materials are doing such a disservice. If people understood that this cookware is not just expensive because of the brand name, but because of the quality materials used, I bet people would think twice.
So while some of your non-toxic cookware alternatives will probably never outlast your old school options, you can extend their shelf life by taking good care of them. That’s where maintenance comes in. For example, our ceramic pans are always the first to be replaced because they scratch the easiest. We make sure to only use wooden kitchen tools on it instead of metal. This prolongs the life of the pan.
We also make sure to always wash and dry each cookware after use to avoid any food causing damages by sitting. Plus, doesn’t a clean kitchen feel like magic? ❤️
Clean living kitchen | cutting boards:
Now this doesn’t fall under cookware necessarily, but this is where you food typically begins and if you are currently using plastic, you may want to consider swapping this as well.
Wood vs Plastic Plastic is harmful and its particles may penetrate the body with the food. Boards made of plastic may contain an anti-bacterial chemical triclosan. Plastic cutting boards are prone to deep scratches which collect bacteria you can’t get out!
or example, one of these additives is bisphenol A (BPA), works as a plasticizer to make plastic clear and stiff. One of the reasons to avoid BPA is that it mimics the female hormone estrogen and can act in the body as such. Moreover, as an endocrine disruptor, it may produce a variety of adverse effects on the developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune systems. In addition, studies show that it can increase the risk of insulin resistance and heart disease. Surely, these cannot be the characteristics of safe cutting boards.
Companies have begun trying to replace BPA with something else to appear ‘better.’ However, the common BPA replacements are things like Bisphenol S (BPS) and Bisphenol F (BPF), are just as harmful. |source|
Glass Cutting Boards: In my husbands words…PLEASE no, no, no, never. For the sake of saving every knife in your kitchen, or with tiny shards of glass in your food, please don’t do this. Get them out of there unless they are decorative ONLY.
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