The Dangers of Modern Cookware (and How to Avoid It!)

Before you reach for your favorite pan or kitchen gadget to cook your next meal, you might want to take a closer look at what it’s made from. It might surprise you that your cookware could be making you sick, or worse. In May of 2015, hundreds of scientists from various disciplines published “The Madrid Statement,” a serious warning about the dangers that poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS’s present.

Let’s face it we live in a chemical world now, and contamination is everywhere. Companies like DuPont and 3M have even been caught hiding information about the severe health risks of PFAS exposure from the public for decades, and they are still fighting lawsuits and denying culpability. The real problem is the fact that under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act a chemical does not have to be proven safe before it can be used, and with companies in charge of their own regulation, it’s no wonder that health professionals from around the world strongly recommend to avoid exposure of these chemicals as much as is possible.

The dangers of modern cookware are real, but fortunately, there are alternatives to toxic and potentially toxic cookware. Here is a list of the materials that are proven to be safe when used with food and around the kitchen.

• Iron is one of the oldest cooking materials humans have used. Time-tested traditions go back thousands of years passed down straight to us. While using cast iron can take some real work to use and maintain, the health benefits cannot be denied. A quick video (web) search on the subject can show you how to maintain cast iron properly.

• Glass is another ancient substance used to prepare and serve food. Wikipedia defines glass as a non-crystalline amorphous solid commonly made from sand. Which means it’s natural and mostly inert, which is one of the reasons why is safe to cook with.

• Stone made the first cooking surface and changed human society forever. Even before we learned to craft metal, earthen cookpots and stone ovens were the high-tech marvels of their time.

• Parchment paper and wax paper is also a classic tool of the ancient kitchens. Safe for baking and wrapping, natural parchment and chemical-free wax paper can be heated to 500 degrees with no ill effects or chemical transfers into your food.