Is your cooking pan making you ill?

Is your cooking utensil making you sick? Most of us buy utensils or pans for cooking based on their utility, look and feel. But the quality of metal is the last thing that crosses the mind while making a purchase decision.

This might sound strange, but not all metal utensils are safe for health. Traditionally various metals were used to make cooking pans, vessels, but over the years there’s a change in the narrative and studies have proved that cooking in some metals can be hazardous for health. Let’s find out…

Since ages, drinking water in copper glasses or water pots have been a part of Indian traditions. It was believed that the nutrients of this metal seeped into water making it a healthy potion. However, cooking in copper utensils may not be a great idea as cooking food with salt is reactive in nature, which may have harmful impact on food as well as health.

The presence of Iodine in salt reacts with copper, which further releases copper particles that aren’t good for health. However, eating or drinking from copper utensils is not harmful for health, but heating food with salt and spices in a copper utensil can impact health by mixing up copper particles with food.

In many ancient cultures, brass cookware was used to cook and serve food. In most royal kitchens the big utensils used to cook delicacies were made of brass, but the lesser-known fact about this metal is that it reacts instantly when exposed to heat and salty food. The particles of this metal are released into the food, which are not very good for health.

According to experts, cooking in brass pans or utensils may not be a great idea as exposure to zinc based foods cooked in brass utensils can release zinc oxide fumes, which may lead to the development of a corrosive patina (tarnishing), which is harmful for health.

Cooking in aluminium utensils is a common thing in most Indian households. The reason why aluminium is widely used for making utensils is that it heats up quickly and is a very good conductor of heat.

However, health experts suggest that cooking foods that are acidic in nature like tomatoes, lemon, vinegar may often end up reacting with the aluminum utensil, when heated and the particles of aluminum seep into the food turning it harmful for health.

Consuming food cooked in aluminium utensils may often impact the immune system and lead to disease like cancer to name a few.

Nonstick cookware is basically coated with a material called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is commonly known as Teflon. However, cooking in a Teflon based pan may seem easy, fast and less messy, but their safety has been a matter of concern for a few decades.

This is because of the presence of PFOA, a chemical that was majorly used to manufacture Teflon. According to studies, the PFOA was linked to several health conditions such as kidney and liver disease as well as certain types of cancer. Nowadays, Teflon products have been PFOA-free since 2013. However, make sure you buy good quality pans and cookware, if you are buying non-stick pans.

It is best to avoid cookware that is reactive in nature. According to experts, cooking in Iron, ceramic, clay pots or stainless steel are some of the safest options to cook food.

It is believed that cooking in iron utensils makes food more nutritious as it releases iron particles when exposed to heat. However, cooking acidic food often ends up leaving a blackish colour to the dishes. So, it is always advised to avoid cooking veggies that are acidic in nature to avoid the iron particles changing the colour and taste of delicacies.

On the other hand ceramic and earthen pots help in retaining nutrients and cooking the food evenly. Lastly, stainless steel utensils are made by amalgamating chromium, nickel, silicon, carbon, which help in heating the food quickly, keeps food warm for a long time and is durable.

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