While most of us concern ourselves with the cooking ingredients that are best in nutrition, growth, and hygiene, we tend to ignore the importance of cooking utensils that play an active role in retaining those nutritional elements.
Even if we don’t know or do not care about the fact that non-toxic cooking utensils are essential to maintain a healthy and safe life, it’s high time that we give it proper attention. Here we will discuss which material is good for cooking and healthy.
Safe And Healthy Cooking Utensils
Kitchenware’s that we use to cook in have a direct impact on the food being prepared or cooked. Traces of bizarre and toxic chemicals can leach into your food if your cooking utensils contain those elements. That’s why it is necessary to use safe and toxin-free materials for cooking. Here’s our list of which cooking utensil material is best for health that is healthy and non-toxic.
Wooden Utensils
When the matter is about food hygiene, wood is the best and safest cookware material for health and your kitchen wares. No matter how long you cook with wooden utensils, they will never leave harmful elements in your food, because they don’t have any! Since wood is naturally produced and therefore free of toxic chemicals like commercially made utensils, they are not threatening to your health. The best part of wooden utensils is they don’t cost you a bank and are always available around you.
What We Like About Wood
- Biodegradable
- Affordable
- All-natural
- Lightweight
- Cool in touch
- Hygienic and antimicrobial properties
- They don’t scratch the cookware
What We Don’t Like About Wood
- Although they are durable, they are not as strong as steel or cast-iron
- Can stain
Stainless Steel Utensils
Another material that is available and the best cookware material for health is stainless steel. They are non-reactive elements that do not leach into the food being cooked. To be precise, 304-food grade stainless steel is better than other forms of steels.
Since they are non-porous, bacteria or odors so not stick to them. Steel contains most of the food warm and nutrients without contaminating them with toxic elements. They are sustainable, rust-resistant, recyclable, and durable. Unlike the other cooking utensils, steel serves with enhanced performance.
What We Like About Stainless Steel
- Non-reactive with foods
- Hygienic and non-porous surface
- Easy to clean
- Durable
- Recyclable
- Dishwasher safe
- Always available
- Able to handle varieties of cooking
What We Don’t Like About Stainless Steel
- Can scratch non-stick pans
- Gets hot to the touch
Silicone Utensils
Lately, silicone materials are getting popularity as cooking utensils due to its non-toxicity. A combination of silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, this rubber polymer is soft, flexible, and non-stick. Also, it saves the cooking wares from getting scratches.
Thanks to its soft texture and non-scratchy feature, you’ll get a benefit over stainless steel cook wares. Furthermore, silicone is more stable and durable than plastic utensils which tend to break easily. It also best cooking material for health and ensures healthy and safe food as it endures heating up to 600℉, down to -40℉ without leaching chemicals.
What We Like About Silicone
- BPA-free food grade material
- Inert during extreme temperature exposure
- Soft and flexible
- Non-scratchy and non-stick
- Stays cool to the touch
- Recyclable
- Dishwasher safe
What We Don’t Like About Silicone
- If silicone materials are not cleaned well, they can stain and smell odor
- Low-quality silicone brands can contain plastic.
Bamboo Utensils
Probably the safest and the most affordable material for kitchen utensils. Many people confuse wooden utensils with bamboo, but they do have different advantages. Bamboo utensils are the most sustainable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly material you’ll ever find.
Naturally antimicrobial, this material does not absorb too much moisture and therefore cracks less than wooden ones. They are lightweight, easy to use, of course not as strong and durable as stainless steel, but comfortable to maneuver. Moreover, bamboo does not scratch the pan and stays cool to touch.
What We Like About Bamboo
- All natural and biodegradable
- Affordable
- Non-scratchy
- Hygienic
- Stays cool to the touch
- Lightweight
- Sustainable
What We Don’t Like About bamboo
- Not dishwasher safe
- Not as strong as stainless steel.
Cast Iron Utensils
Cast iron is as strong and durable as stainless steel and maintains food safest cookware material without letting harmful chemicals submerge into the food. To keep the iron away from food, manufacturers produce cast iron utensils with a strong enamel coating. This coating do not leach into the food or allow the iron get involved.
It also makes sure that the utensil remains rust-resistant. They are naturally non-stick unlike the commercially made non-stick utensils that cause damage to healthy food.
What We Like About Cast Iron
- Strong and durable
- Safe to use
- Maintains food nutrients
- Non-reactive with the food
- Dishwasher safe
- Easy to clean
What We Don’t like About Cast iron
- A little expensive
- Heavier than bamboo or wood
Cooking Utensils That Are Harmful For Health
Just the way we have let you know about the safest cooking utensils, we think it is important for you to stay alert about the harmful ones. These materials must be avoided to have healthy and safe food:
- Aluminum
- Granite
- Ceramic
- Non-stick cookware
Frequently Asked Questions
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully, we made it clear why certain utensils are safe for cooking while other can cause harm. We hope you understand the gravity of our concern and choose your best cookware material for health and kitchen utensils wisely so that your family can enjoy healthy and hygienic foods.