Best Cooking Utensils
As people are getting more and more aware and concerned about their health and fitness level day-by-day, some questions are immensely intriguing to them. Pre Workout Meal: Nutritional Facts, Meal Options and a lot more
One of the most intriguing questions is “WHAT ARE THE BEST COOKING UTENSILS FOR HEALTH?” and “DOES THE MATERIAL IN WHICH YOU COOK FOOD, AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH?”
Undoubtedly, this will be one of the most interesting and informative blogs you have ever come across. This blog will provide you with shocking facts about the most commonly used cooking-materials and the best ones also. Excited? Let’s get started! 11 Incredible Health Benefits of Honey
Worst to Best Cooking Utensils for Health
This blog will evaluate various cookwares’ materials and at last give you the “BEST COOKING UTENSIL” on the following basis:
- Affordability
- Accessibility
- Maintenance
- Effect on Health
- Ease in Cooking
1. Non-stick Cookware
Non-stick cookware is one of the most-commonly used cookwares, especially in developed countries and urban areas. But it is the most harmful one and should be avoided completely. 14 Impressive Health Benefits of Pomegranate
Non-stick cookware is people’s primary choice as cookware because of the following reasons:
- Easy-to-clean/maintain
- Easy-to-use
- Light-weight
- Less oil needed for cooking
- Time-efficient
Despite these advantages, the non-stick cookware is dangerous for health because it is coated with materials like Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (Teflon/Plastic Polymer) and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid/C8). 10 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Yoga
These material releases toxic fumes and leaches into the food when heated during cooking. This has been linked to brain and lung damage.
2. Aluminium Cookware
Aluminium cookware is the second-most commonly used commercial cookware. Though it is less harmful than non-stick ones but still they are not ideal to use as far as health is concerned.
Why do people use aluminium cookware so extensively?
- Affordable
- Light-weight
- Strong
- Easily available
- Easy-to-use
- Recyclable
- Versatile
- Good thermal conductor
But the major downside while cooking the food in this metal is that the aluminium penetrates into the food and aluminium is a ‘Thyro-toxic metal’. Pull-ups: Benefits, Technique and Beginner Guide
Though the amount of aluminium leached into the food is minute and also it is excreted by the kidney easily. But still there are better options than aluminium cookware in the market.
SHOCKING FACT:– The food cooked in aluminium cookware, retains only 13-19% of the nutrients present inside the food.
3. Glass Cookware
Glass cookware is good for health as it does not release any toxins in the body but it has 2 limitations which stops it from being the best cooking utensil:
- Only used for microwave cooking
- Fragile
4. Ceramic Cookware
Ceramic cookware is another good option to use as it possesses no threat on one’s health but it is not the best option due to its following limitations:
- Difficult to find 100% pure ceramic cookware
- Highly expensive
- Inefficient cooking
- Fragile
- Difficult to maintain
5. Stainless Steel Cookware
Stainless Steel cookware is another better and healthy option you can try. It does not release any toxicity into the food but you need to ensure just one thing while buying this material utensils.
The quality of the stainless steel should be of high grade and it should be 100% stainless steel, often the ‘So-called Stainless Steel Cookware’ available in the market is not pure. 9 Fascinating Health Benefits of Flax Seeds
6. Cast Iron Cookware
Cast Iron Cookware is one of the great, healthy and easily available cookwares. It is not only healthy but also provides some additional benefits. 36 High Vitamin E Foods: Vitamin E Rich Fruits, Nuts, Oil And More
One of the massive health benefits is that, consuming iron cookware-cooked food increases the iron content in the food, which helps anemic people and enhances the iron and even the hemoglobin levels in the body.
Many research all across the globe has proven this explicitly. A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) conducted in Brazil in 1998, examined 45 infants for 8+ months, aged 4 months, who consumed food prepared in and iron and aluminium pot.
The findings suggested that the mean hemoglobin of the infants increased significantly who consumed iron pot food as compared to the aluminium pot. 7 Health Benefits of Vitamin A (Evidence-Based)
A 2004 Experimental Laboratory Trial tested 3 Malawian meals, prepared in 2 iron pots and a glass pot. And the results showed that the iron content improved massively in food, when cooked in an iron pot and continuous cooking further increased the iron content.
Other benefits of iron cookware:
- Energy efficient
- Heat distributes evenly
- Durable (One-time investment)
Despite such benefits, iron cookware has some limitations:
- Comparatively heavier which makes it a bit difficult to use.
- Rusting issue (But if taken care, rusting can be prevented and resolved).
NOTE:- Never cook food in a rusted-iron cookware.
7. Brass Cookware
Brass cookware is one of the healthiest options as cookware. There is no scientific evidence of brass utensils’ toxicity or leaching into the food, so you can use them safely. 10 Mind-Boggling Health Benefits of Turmeric
Though there are some limitations of brass utensils:
- Difficult to find 100%, high-quality brass cookwares in the market.
- Cleaning is also an issue, but if you can buy ‘Pitambari Powder’, it can be easily cleaned.
SHOCKING FACT:- The food cooked in brass utensils, retains 93% of the nutrients present inside the food.
8. Bronze Cookware
Bronze is also known as ‘Kansa Metal’. Bronze cookware is the another best option to use. Bronze utensils also have no toxicity or leaching into the food.
There is only one and biggest downside of this type of cookware, i.e, it is rare to find this material’s utensils in the market nowadays, and that too of high quality. But if you could manage one, then nothing like that.
SHOCKING FACT:- The food cooked in bronze cookware, retains 97% of the nutrients present inside the food.
9. Clay Cookware/Earthen Pots
The bestest option is clay/earthen pots to cook your food as our ancients used to do. The food cooked in clay pot is the healthiest, tastiest and most nutrient-dense. WHY?
- Easily affordable and available.
- Clay is a natural insulator and porous, helping the moisture and heat to circulate evenly throughout the utensil.
- Clay adds extra nutrition to the food like magnesium, manganese, sulphur, iron and many other minerals.
Though there are some downsides of using earthen pots in today’s modern world:
- Clay utensils are extremely fragile.
- It slowly cooks the food, almost doubles the cooking time. But the correct way of cooking is, ‘TO COOK IT SLOWLY’.
SHOCKING FACT:- Clay cookware/Earthen pot is the only material which retains 100% of the nutrients of the food cooked inside it.
Which cooking utensil material is best for health?
So, all in all, following are the best cooking utensils for health:
- Clay/Earthen Pots
- Bronze Cookware
- Brass Cookware
- Cast Iron Cookware
- Stainless Steel Cookware
- Ceramic Cookware
- Glass Cookware
Out of the above mentioned best cooking utensils, choose the utensil which is affordable, easily accessible and easy-to-clean and use according to you. Top 11 High Vitamin D Foods
Points To Remember
Preferably, always use a wooden spatula while cooking. If not, then always opt for the same material’s spatula as the cookware. 12 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Green Tea
Takeaway
The material in which you cook your food plays a significant role in maintaining your health. This blog will provide you the “BEST COOKING UTENSILS” while taking care of various factors. 10 High Protein Foods:Non-vegetarian and Vegetarian
