How to Choose Safer Cookware and Kitchen Tools
Tips on how to avoid PFAS, BPA, and other harmful chemicals in cookware and kitchen storage products
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Making healthy food isn’t only about what we eat, but also how we prepare our food. Cookware, kitchen tools, and food storage containers can contain harmful materials that might leach into food you eat. To walk you through the potential risks in commonly used kitchen products, we’ve partnered with Made Safe, an independent organization that certifies safer and more sustainable household products. Here’s some practical advice to help you choose healthier options.
- Tips on Healthier Kitchen Products: Cookware Food Storage Dinnerware
How to Choose Safer Cookware
Nonstick coatings on cookware and other kitchen gadgets—including waffle makers and air fryers—are often made with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). While these chemicals help food slide right off a surface, they’ve been linked to many health concerns, including cancer, as well as reproductive and developmental issues. They also degrade extremely slowly in the environment, earning the moniker “forever chemicals.” One common nonstick coating made with PFAS chemicals is PTFE, familiarly known as Teflon.
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See our reviews of the best baking spatulas and turner spatulas.
Opt for uncoated cookware. Good options include cookware made from glass, stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron. That includes not only pots and pans but also baking sheets and pie and cake pans. An added benefit of cast iron: Well-seasoned cast iron develops a coating that resists sticking.
Care for nonstick pans appropriately. All nonstick cookware, regardless of the coating, should be well cared for, because the coating can deteriorate over time, making it more likely to release potentially harmful chemicals. Avoid using nonstick pans with high heat, and never heat up a pan while it’s empty. Use soft utensils such as those made of silicone or wood, don’t stack your pans, use oil or butter instead of cooking sprays (which can cause a buildup on the pans that is difficult to remove), and wash them by hand, avoiding abrasive cleaners and sponges. If your pans are scratched, flaking, or damaged, stop using them. And because cooking with a PTFE-coated pan may release potentially harmful gases, ventilate your kitchen by using an exhaust fan, if you can.
How to Choose Safer Food Storage and Kitchen Tools
Plastics are ubiquitous in the kitchen and can affect health by introducing harmful substances into our food and water in at least two main ways: through plastic chemicals and through microplastics.
Plastic manufacturing uses thousands of chemicals, and some can leach into food during and after production. Phthalates make plastic flexible, and they are also associated with developmental and reproductive toxicity. A recent CR test of nearly 100 foods found phthalates in almost all products tested.
Bisphenols are commonly used to make plastics rigid; they’re also used in food packaging. You may be familiar with BPA, just one of more than 100 bisphenols. It’s linked to a multitude of concerns, including developmental toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and early puberty.
Given these issues, there has been a push to remove BPA from products. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes replaced with other bisphenols that, while less extensively researched, have been linked to hormone disruption and early puberty. One thing is clear: Swapping in other bisphenols for BPA is not inherently a safer choice. The same pattern holds for phthalates. In CR’s recent tests, we found that the concentrations of replacement chemicals were often much higher than the originals.
Photo: Shutterstock Photo: Shutterstock
Plastics can also shed tiny pieces called microplastics, which also contaminate food. These particles can release not only bisphenols and phthalates but also other toxic substances they’ve absorbed from the environment, like heavy metals and polycyclic hydrocarbons. In addition, preliminary research suggests that the particles themselves may accumulate in the body, triggering an immune response and other health problems.
Aluminum foil, another food prep go-to, has a number of environmental concerns, especially given that it’s typically used once and tossed. Aluminum manufacturing is a source of perfluorocarbons, persistent greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change. Manufacturing foil uses a lot of energy—typically relying on coal—and can divert land from rainforests and farmland relied on by native communities. The process also creates toxic waste that can contaminate water.
Despite the pervasiveness of plastic and aluminum foil, we can take steps to reduce our use:
Swap out plastic food storage for glass or stainless steel. Though they are more expensive than single-use plastics in the short run, they can be used endlessly, making the long-term reward worth the initial investment.
Try reusable silicone storage bags instead of single-use zip-top plastic bags. Silicone storage bags can go in the dishwasher and are great for the freezer. Unlike plastic zip-top bags, they can be used over and over.
Limit use of plastic utensils and tools. Choose bamboo, wood, stainless steel, and food-grade or medical-grade silicone spatulas, cooking spoons, cutting boards, and other gadgets.
Cut back on your use of aluminum foil to reduce waste. Consider marinating foods in glass containers instead of foil, invest in a ceramic nonstick cookie sheet or use parchment paper instead of lining a sheet with foil, and use a stainless steel basket for your grill rather than wrapping foods in foil. When you do use aluminum foil, make sure to rinse and recycle it because aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials in existence.
Don’t heat up food in plastic. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing so in the microwave, in hot water (like baby bottles), or otherwise. Even if the container says that it’s okay to heat, plastic is more likely to leach harmful chemicals when heated.
Try beeswax or fabric coverings as a way to protect your food. Traditional waxed paper is often coated in paraffin wax, which can be contaminated with carcinogenic compounds if not fully refined.
How to Pick Safer Dinnerware and Glassware
Plates, bowls, and cups are also common plastic offenders, especially products for children. Just like plastic cooking tools and food storage bags, these items can leach microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenols, so they’re best avoided.
And look out for lead. This toxic metal can be found in ceramics, from glazes and pigments, and in some glassware, from the manufacturing process. Lead exposure is linked to many health concerns, including brain and developmental issues in children and hypertension, reproductive problems, and more in adults.
To spot safer options, use our dinnerware and glassware tips.
Avoid plastic dinnerware. Choose dinnerware made from stainless steel, glass, or ceramic. Make sure glass and ceramics are made without lead by using our tips below.
For small children, opt for silicone or stainless steel over plastic. Both are durable and drop-safe. Look for products that list only medical-grade silicone on packaging to ensure that they’re made with a higher purity standard.
Exercise caution with vintage and imported ceramics. While the Food and Drug Administration has regulated lead in ceramics since 1971, vintage and imported ceramics may still pose risks. Consider permanently relegating these to your display china cabinet.
Beware of lead in glassware. Crystal is not regulated in the same way as ceramics, so new crystal glassware can still contain lead. Make sure to check labels on new glassware items to ensure that they’re lead-free.
