Since there is heat involved and food goes in your body, the kitchen is one of the most important places to make low tox choices. The easiest way to know whether something is potentially harmful or not is the material it is made of. You should do your best to avoid aluminum, plastic and non stick materials. I won't be covering every single kitchen item or tool there is, but these are the basic things that I think most people use almost daily. If it is something you use once in a blue moon, it's not quite as high on the priority list of choosing safer. I also provided links to the items I have in my kitchen or something similar.
Cooking Pans
This is probably top three on the list of big impacts on your health in the kitchen. If you're still using non stick pans, toss them asap, especially if they are scratched or chipped. Non stick pans contain PFAS aka forever chemcials. They're called forever chemicals because they never leave your body.
Opt for stainless steel or cast iron pans. Many people are hesitant to switch to these two options for fear of losing the non stick feature. Cast irons, when seasoned properly and taken care of, are essentially non stick! A trick with stainless steel is ensuring your pan is hot enough when using. Splash a little water on the pan and when the water dances around instead of evaporating quickly, it's good to go!
Some people are leaning towards ceramic today. Ceramic is a safer option. However, studies are showing if the ceramic gets damaged, it can leech chemicals as well. So, for me, I would rather go with the safest choices and not have to fear replacing them down the road.
2 special tools I have on hand for these two pans are a stainless steel chainmail scrubber for the cast iron and a pan scrapper for the stainless steel. Trust me.
When taken care of, both types of pans should last you many years.
Cooking Utensils
Another huge thing because, again, heat is involved. A lot of people are using plastic or silicone cooking utensils in an effort to not scratch their pans. A better choice is wood or stainless steel when cooking. Plastic should always be avoided when possible. Silicone is ok when no heat is applied. There are some studies that show when heat is applied to silicone, chemicals can leech out. So better to just avoid that. I prefer to use wood utensils with my stainless steel pans and stainless steel utensils with my cast irons.
One thing to note is caring properly for your wooden utensils, something I learned later to switching to wood and had to buy new ones. Make sure you hand wash them vs the dishwasher as they should not sit in water for long. You should also apply a food grade mineral oil every 6 ish months.
Cutting Boards
Avoid the plastic ones at all cost. When you are cutting on plastic, you are getting microplastics into your food and then cooking it which is even worse. Opt for wooden cutting boards instead. Silicone isn't a horrible choice when cutting something like meat and seafood. Even then, I usually stick to wood and clean them really well. Just like with the utensils, best to hand wash them and seal with mineral oil occasionally.
Baking and Roasting Pans
Aluminum and non stick is extremely common for these items, but as you're probably sensing a theme here, they are not the safest. Choose glass or stainless steel instead.
I should also note, try to avoid using aluminum foil when baking/roasting. I always use unbleached parchment paper instead. If I need to cover something with aluminum foil, I will put a layer of parchment paper between the food and the foil to limit the exposure to aluminum.
Food Storage
This is also in the top three of most important kitchen items. PLEASE do not microwave plastic containers. This is one of the worst things you can do for your toxin exposure. Glass containers are best. Most are microwave and oven safe, bonus points if you avoid the microwave too.
Glass food storage is not the cheapest purchase, especially if you're like me and you need a lot. Just do what you can and grow your stash a little at a time. Mason Jars are also a great affordable option for glass storage!
Other Safer Kitchen Options:
Stainless steel food strainers - again heat!
Glass mixing bowls - great for sourdough ;)
I hope this helps get you started on a lower tox kitchen. To me, it is the most important room in the house to limit your toxin exposure.
Did I leave anything off? Let me know below!
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