HEALTHY CAST IRON
Most of us have never given much thought to the kind of cookware we use. As long as it’s affordable and reasonably effective, we use whatever pot or pan we have on hand. But what we cook with is just as important as what we’re cooking. That’s because every type of cookware has the potential to leach chemicals or metals into our food. The type and amount depends on such variables as the construction of the pan, cooking temperature, cook time, and acidity of the food.
In the case of cast iron, it’s estimated that three to four milligrams of iron are leached into eggs, while as much as seven milligrams are leached into acidic foods during the cooking process. Since the recommended daily intake (RDA) for iron is ten to fifteen milligrams per day, depending on age and other health considerations, this is actually a good thing. My family tends to be anemic, so we choose cast-iron cookware specifically for this purpose. (Iron supplements can be hard to digest, so we prefer to get our daily dose in food, not capsules.)
What’s more important, though, is what doesn’t leach from cast iron, such as the carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals that are often produced by alternative cookware.
Nonstick Pans Are a Sticky Subject
It’s almost a rite of passage. As soon as we have a lease on our first apartment, our moms take us to the nearest store to stock up on essentials. Concerned we’ll never eat anything but pizza and Hot Pockets, she buys a big set of nonstick cookware, hoping we’ll feel inspired to cook something healthy every once in a while.
But it’s hard to cook anything healthy in a pan that can make you sick.
I’m referring to that chemical nonstick coating that’s supposed to make cooking and cleanup a breeze. You probably know that you shouldn’t use metal utensils or abrasive scrub pads on these pans because they can cause the coating to flake off in your food. However, there are other health concerns you should be aware of.
Invented in 1938 by DuPont, the chemical nonstick coating Teflon eliminated the need for scrubbing and seasoning. While most of the chemicals used to create the coating were burned off during the manufacturing process, a residual amount remained. Over time, an issue came to light known as Teflon Toxicosis, or the off-gassing of toxic fumes while cooking. Short-term exposure of these fumes is known to kill pet birds and can result in flu-like symptoms in adults. However, several of the chemicals are known carcinogens, so many fear that long-term exposure to these fumes can cause serious health issues.
Fortunately, DuPont and several other companies have eliminated the use of a particularly egregious chemical, PFOA, in their manufacturing processes. While PFOA has received a lot of media attention, though, it’s just one chemical in a class known as PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals). PFOA may be a thing of the past, but other PFCs are quickly taking its place—and in time we may find them to be just as dangerous.
Makers of chemical nonstick cookware claim their products are safe as long as they’re not heated beyond 500 degrees Fahrenheit. However, a nonstick pan left to preheat on high can reach a temperature of more than 700 degrees Fahrenheit within five minutes. Since the type and amount of residual chemicals in each piece of cookware is unknown, and most of us don’t monitor how hot our cookware gets on the stove, I don’t feel safe using any chemical nonstick cookware.
My cast-iron skillet cooks better, anyway.
Around 1970, a Canadian research team believed it had discovered a connection between aluminum and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Although recent research indicates the amount of aluminum we consume in our diets is not a cause of Alzheimer’s, many people aren’t so convinced.
That’s because our bodies have a hard time clearing out heavy metals like aluminum, which can act as neurotoxins, causing a host of health problems such as diminished intellectual function, bone softening and bone loss, and kidney damage.
When people began to look for ways to reduce their consumption of aluminum, cookware manufacturers developed something new: anodized aluminum. The anodization process uses acid and electrical charges to harden the aluminum. Supposedly, the anodized finish will not chip or peel, is nontoxic, and is heat resistant to the melting point of aluminum (1,222 degrees Fahrenheit).
However, even anodized aluminum leaches about thirty-five micrograms of aluminum into your food with each use, regardless of the cooking temperature. While that’s not a lot of aluminum, you may want to consider the cumulative effect. That’s because we encounter aluminum on a daily basis. Not only is it a plentiful element found naturally in our soil, water, and air, but you’ll find it in many household products, from toothpastes to antiperspirants. Aluminum-containing additives are common in baked goods and powders as well, and the metal can leach into foods and sodas stored in aluminum cans. In fact, it’s estimated that the average adult consumes about seven to nine milligrams of aluminum daily through food alone (though some baked goods have as much as four hundred milligrams per kilogram!).
If you’re looking for a safer alternative to regular or anodized aluminum, there are now many options in which the aluminum is completely coated in nontoxic ceramic or encased in stainless steel. The idea is that your food won’t have a chance to interact with the aluminum core at all, eliminating the risk of leaching aluminum.
Another alternative is stainless steel. However, stainless steel products also include chromium and nickel. Although you don’t want these metals leaching into your food, in the right amounts, they can strengthen the steel, thereby reducing rust, corrosion, and leaching. When it comes to cooking, “grade 304” products are considered food safe. These items are typically stamped on the bottom with “18/8” or “18/10,” which refers to the amount of chromium and nickel in the composition. For example, a pan marked with “18/8” is composed of 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. When I need to boil noodles or use a sheet pan, grade 304 stainless steel is what I reach for. Otherwise, I stick with cast iron and the occasional glass or Pyrex dish for baking.
The latest craze in cookware is copper. This metal is not only a great conductor of heat, but it’s also lightweight and beautiful to look at. The problem is that copper is a toxic metal that you don’t want leaching into your food. (Copper cookware also leaches nickel, another toxic metal.)
If you want the benefit of copper, though, you can safely use pieces that encase it between layers of high-quality stainless steel. Or you can use cookware that has a copper bottom and a stainless interior. Just be sure the copper doesn’t line the inside cooking surface.
