If you’re wondering what the safest cookware and pans are to avoid exposing yourself to harmful chemicals, we’ve got you covered! Here we share 5 safe cookware and pans that we recommend as registered dietitians who have spent over 15 years researching and tracking the negative effects toxins have on the body. Yes, we wanted to find safe cookware for ourselves, our loved ones, and customers (and you!), to avoid toxins and endocrine disruptors that promote inflammation and harm the body.
We put together this list of 5 safe cookware and pans because toxins are one of the biggest burdens on the body and the inflammation they cause affects the thyroid, metabolism and all aspects of health and disease. Toxins even affect weight loss—inflammation makes it harder to lose weight and easier to gain weight! Many of the toxins that enter our bodies come from food, food containers, storage containers and cooking utensils.
We’ve helped our clients (and ourselves!) lower their toxin load, liver enzymes, and many other important lab values that indicate overall health by making changes to their kitchens and their unique diet and lifestyle. Here are our picks for the safest non-toxic cookware and pans.
Cast iron cookware
it is safe and effective. If you are iron deficient it has a bonus as some of the iron from the pan will be absorbed by the food cooked in it. Although these pans are very heavy and take a while to cook, as the pan takes longer to heat up than other cookware, it holds the heat well and you can even put the pan in the oven without worrying about damaging the handle . etc. And if you are looking for a non-stick pan, a well made The cast iron pan is non-stick!
To be honest, we were a little intimidated by the thought of having to “season” a pan to make it non-stick, so we chose one of the other top non-toxic pan options below for ourselves. However, most people with cast iron pans say it’s no big deal to season it and if you grew up in the South (we spent a lot of time with you and loved it! :)) your grandma no doubt had perfectly seasoned pans. Our southern friends treated us to lots of home cooked meals using seasoned cast iron skillets and they were divine!
Wondering how to “season” a pan?
Seasoning seems relatively simple – the porous pan of the cast iron pan is lightly coated with oil and cooked past its smoke point to keep the pan from rusting, and in the chemical process as the oil transforms, it helps make the pan non-stick. To season the pan, simply rub it with olive oil and heat it on low in the oven for an hour.
- Cleaning Tips: Do not use soap to clean as this will remove the seasonings in the pan. Just clean the pan with water. You can also rub the pan with lemon and salt, let it dry, and then brush it with oil.
- A word of caution: If you have a history of iron overload (haemochromatosis), you should avoid cast iron cookware, especially for acidic foods. Postmenopausal women should also be careful, as monthly periods often mask hemochromatosis. When a woman enters menopause and no longer has iron due to monthly blood loss, she may find that her iron is high.
- Nutrition advice: If you want extra iron in your diet, cooking with acidic foods will help you get a little more of it. Although the amount of iron is generally small and does not add much to a person’s typical daily intake, it may be helpful for those who need a little more.
Our picks:
1. Utopia Cast iron pan
The Utopia Cast iron pan Lodge Ceramic (get the silicone handle as it gets very hot!)
2. Cast iron with enamel coating
This is also a non-toxic great option. It tends to be very expensive. Holds heat well and lasts a long time. It’s a great non-stick option without the harmful gases that come with Teflon. Caring for it requires less care than bare cast iron cookware. You just won’t get the added iron if you want that benefit.
3. Le Creuset Classic Cast Iron Pan
Le Creuset Classic Cast Iron Pan
3. Stainless steel cookware it is non-toxic and effective. Heats up quickly and is durable. Bonus: it usually browns food better than other non-stick alternatives.
Cooking Tips: We both spray our pan with oil and often add a little water as we cook to prevent sticking. If weight gain is not a problem for you, you can use a very healthy oil like organic extra virgin olive oil to avoid stickiness. Just remember that one thing that has been very helpful for our weight loss customers is that one tablespoon of oil has 100 calories, so if you’re trying to lose weight, be careful.
These two below are our favorites.
Lined stainless steel set We love this brand but it is more expensive because it is the best.
Calphalon stainless steel set This is another great quality, slightly less expensive one.
Remember: If you have a nickel sensitivity like us, you may want to avoid stainless steel because it contains some nickel. We personally don’t have a problem with our pans, but if we accidentally scratch the pan, we are very careful and note if our body reacts and can replace that particular pan to play it safe.
Suggestion: Lyssie has a gas stove with no good ventilation in her kitchen, so she recently switched to electric pans so she wouldn’t be breathing in the toxic gas fumes recirculating in her kitchen. Uses a stainless steel electric pan.
4. Glassware
it’s completely non-toxic (which is why we love glass Tupperware!). While glass cookware is primarily for baking, there are some cookware available. They’re just not as durable as other options – and they don’t hold heat as well as something like cast iron. The good news is that glass is usually less expensive.
5. Ceramic utensils
The key to a safe non-toxic ceramic pan is that it must be properly glazed – the glaze is what gives cookware a glass-like surface. Ceramic is a good conductor of heat and can go from the stove to the oven to the freezer. It is also quite heavy. It’s not non-stick though. —This brand it was recommended to us and looks good and is a bit less expensive than Le Creuset which also has some good options.
With changes like the ones we’ve helped our clients make (as well as making those changes ourselves!), we’ve helped transform their kitchens while working with their unique diet and lifestyle to reduce their toxic load, improve their hormonal health, liver enzymes, metabolism, as well as many other important lab values that indicate overall health. Our customers tell us they now feel like they are aging in reverse!
If you would like to learn more or be a 1:1 Nutrition Coaching client, apply for coaching here.
What do you think of our selection of 5 safe cookware and pans we recommend? Please leave your thoughts and comments below!
