The Universal concern with Food Safety and its undeniable link with wellness is the main premise of Science, Research, Society, Law, Governance and the most important stake holder,namely the Consumer. Interestingly, the role of the Food Handler has never been undermined,but have you ever thought of the very containers in which we cook,process and store food. Well, their role in the entire gamut of food safety is paramount. The average consumer is extremely concerned with the concept of food contamination due to “bleeding”, whereby the very pot or pan in a sense dissolves into the food through the cooking process and serves to contaminate it .The consequences of this are far reaching and undeniably dangerous.Thus I thought that we could take a whirlwind tour of our pots and pans and examine them to pronounce them as a boon or bane!
The main issue with traditional bakeware like non-stick and aluminum is that they can leach hormone disrupting chemicals and toxins into food… probably not the best choice! Some of the new-old-fashioned options are a lot better, and are much more fun to cook with once you get the hang of them!
Ceramic Cookware and Bakeware are the most inert cookware I’ve found and they don’t leach anything into food. The limitation with them, however, is that they are fragile and need to be handled with care. They are the absolute easiest option to clean, as you can use steel wool or scrubbing pads without scraping the surface. They have a non-scratch cooking surface, heat evenly and flavors in foods remain intact.A very important warning…..check out for lead in ceramic(read the labels please).
More for baking than cooking on the stove, stoneware is a great alternative to aluminum baking sheets or roasting pans. These can be tricky to clean but give amazing flavor to food and cook very evenly. You won’t want to use soap, as the stone absorbs the flavor, but a properly cared for stoneware piece can last a lifetime!
It is worthwhile realizing that the kitchen is actually a Laboratory of Gastronomical experiments with Acid(from vinegar and citrus juice) and Alkali (from baking and cooking soda) and oil and fat and astringent ingredients……oh, it is a lab alright!!! Hence, our poor vessels suffer at the hands of these caustic and corrosive chemicals and finally we do too……..
Aluminum can be eroded from cookware if acid foods are cooked or stored in them for several hours or days. It is best not to store acid foods in aluminum or other metal containers for long periods of time. Copper is often used in cookware because of its good heat conduction properties. Most copper cookware is lined with tin or steel so there is little chance of copper migration into the food. Copper cookware that is unlined or has lost the lining due to repeated use should not be used in food preparation. Pottery or ceramic cookware should be made especially for food purposes so that any lead in the glaze does not migrate into food. If a pottery or ceramic piece is not specifically manufactured for food purposes, it should be considered a decorative piece, only. Even in properly manufactured pieces, acid foods should not remain in them for any length of time.
What’s cooking in your kitchen? Maybe nothing at the moment, but next time you’re going to whip something up – consider your cookware, even your ladles and spoons! Whatever it’s made from can end up in your food, so if you’re reading ingredients labels, you should also be reading cookware labels. The irony is that cookware manufacturers aren’t required to spell out ingredients like food manufacturers. So here are some suggestions…fruitful and safe of course!!!!
1. Trash the Teflon.
Teflon is a coating typically made from chemicals from the perfluorochemical (PFC) family. EPA officials have a growing body of evidence showing them to be highly toxic, and extremely threatening to the environment they serve contaminate human blood and wildlife all over the globe.
2. A definite No- No to non-anodized aluminum
Most cookware today is made of anodized aluminum, but if you’re are using Heirlooms, they need to be consigned to the Museum….they bleed badly….and are non-GRAS(Generally Regarded As Safe).
3. Be careful with copper
Large amounts of copper from unlined cookware can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Again, according to the National Institutes of Health, “some copper and brass pans are coated with another metal to prevent food from coming into contact with copper. Over time, these coatings can break down and allow copper to dissolve in food. Older copper cookware may have tin or nickel coatings and should not be used for cooking.”
4. Find something safer!
Here are some viable and safe alternatives:
Glass.
Porcelain or Ceramic.
Stainless Steel.
Cast Iron.
So keep cooking safely and enjoy sustainable Good Health and Wellness
Informative post for FBO s
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