With all the bad publicity Teflon and aluminum cookware has received, many of us are looking for healthy, non-toxic cookware. It doesn’t make any sense to buy healthy whole foods and then cook them in toxic pots and pans.
Although stainless steel cookware has been considered a safe alternative, it does come with a downside. Stainless steel cookware is made from a combination of stainless steel, chrome, and nickel. None of these are harmful in small doses, but many people are allergic to nickel. If you are allergic to nickel, you should refrain from using stainless steel cookware.
Another concern that many people are not aware of is that some glazes used on clay pots have a small amount of lead. The recommendation is to use terracotta clay pots without the lead glaze.
The best cookware that is healthy and non-toxic is anodized aluminum cookware. The process used to make hard anodized aluminum seals the aluminum with an extremely hard surface layer that is non-reactive and prevents aluminum from leaching into the food we are cooking.
The following three companies have excellent hard-anodized aluminum cookware sets that are healthy and non-toxic:
Calphalon is the leading manufacturer, but many other companies are now producing cookware sets made from hard-anodized aluminum. Calphalon cookware cooks evenly over low heat and is stick resistant. They have stainless steel handles that will stay cool during stovetop cooking. Pans and lids can be used in the oven and on the grill.
Cuisinart has introduced a line of nonstick cookware called Cuisinart Green Gourmet Hard Anodized Cookware. They work just like Teflon cookware, except they don’t give off any of the toxic fumes that Teflon pans do. Like Teflon pans, they allow you to cook with less oil and are also energy efficient and ecological. This Green Gourmet cookware set is oven and broiler safe.
KitchenAid has its own hard-anodized aluminum nonstick cookware set called KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials. This cookware set features stainless steel handles coated with silicone grips. The lids are shatter-resistant glass, which makes it nice to see what you’re cooking. These pots and pans are oven safe up to 400 degrees.
All three cookware sets from these companies are highly recommended non-toxic and healthy sets. I use Kitchen Aid Gourmet Essentials cookware in my kitchen. It is the best value of the three.