The Best Cookware for Your EcoFriendly Kitchen

You’ll Want The Best Cookware in your Green Kitchen!

The kitchen is the heart of the home.

It’s also where you do your food preparation and cooking, and (because you are what you eat) it’s definitely a place where you want to be clean, healthy and eco-friendly.

Cookware is an important part of any kitchen. So what’s the best cookware for a green kitchen?

The Best Cookware is Already There

Whatever cookware you already have in your kitchen, is the greenest cookware. That’s because those resources have already been used to manufacture, ship and package them.

So the most eco friendly thing that you can do is to keep using them. You don’t want to cause more resource use by buying new ones while there’s still life in your current cookware.

If you need new cookware, consider looking online for used items – it sounds odd, I know, but you’d be surprised at the bargains you can find on sites such as CraigsList, and you might even get good stuff for free on Freegle and more.

For example, good quality cast iron or copper cookware is quite expensive to buy. But it’s highly durable – it lasts for years. So you might be able to pick up a beautiful set online that you wouldn’t want to pay for new.

That’s also very green, because those resources used in the manufacture as being re-used over and over again, and you’re not contributing to landfills.

Let’s look at the different types of cookware available.

Is The Best Cookware NonStick?

There’s a big debate over the safety of non-stick cookware. The best-known brand of non-stick coating is Teflon, but there are others, and most of them contain PTFE and PFOA.

PFOA is being phased out of cookware as it is a potential carcinogen – but it evaporates during the manufacturing process and only traces remain. In fact, you’re far more at risk from PFOA in microwave-popcorn bags, fast-food packaging, shampoo, carpeting, and clothing.

So what about non-stick cookware and PTFE?

The short answer is that it’s safe – as long as you don’t over-heat it. You need to keep it below 500 F or 260 C.

That’s easy enough in the oven, but you don’t always know the temperature on the stove top. There have been a large number of studies carried out by both the non-stick industry and independent researchers.

Without the hype and emotion and dire warnings, here’s how to make nonstick cookware safe:

1. Don’t pre-heat an empty pan on high. Some pans will reach 500 F or 260 C in less than 5 minutes! The smaller, lighter non-stick pans are the most risky – more solid, heavier pans are safer. Pre-heat on medium heat.
2. Don’t cook for a long time on high. Use a medium heat all the time to be completely safe. Tests show that searing a steak on high for 10 minutes will cause the pan to heat up to more than 500 F or 260 C. But cooking scrambled egg or leftovers, or boiling pasta will not normally heat cookware too high.
3. Ventilate your kitchen (you should anyway, whether you use nonstick or not).
4. Don’t chip or scratch the pans. Don’t use metal utensils, and don’t stack non-stick pans on top of each other (if you do, put a napkin or paper towel between them).

Oh, and what happens if your non-stick cookware overheats and off-gases? You get flu-like symptoms (chills, fever and headache) which are temporary.

What about birds? Sadly, a couple of birds have been killed in kitchens. They have a very sensitive respiratory system (that’s why canaries were used in mines to identify noxious gases). But there are many other fumes in kitchens anyway, so if you have a pet bird, you shouldn’t keep it in the kitchen.

Nonstick cookware is great for its ease of cleaning and for the ability to cook with less or no oil. On the downside, however, nonstick cookware rarely lasts much more than 5 years – other options are more durable.

Is The Best Cookware Silicon or Ceramic Nonstick?

Coatings for non-stick ceramic cookware are free from PTFE and PFOA – a popular brand of this coating is Thermolon. NP² is a non-stick coating using silicon.

Because these technologies are quite new, there is little research on their safety. But we do know that silicon should not be heated beyond 350 F / 178 C – much lower than traditional nonstick. Silicon is a type of plastic, but apparently without the “nasties”. However, check for BPA-based colours.  Silicon doesn’t rust or break. Phosphate-free dishwasher detergents may cause staining, so use a vinegar rinse.

The Best Cookware is Durable

Cast-iron, copper, and steel are good choices for an eco-friendly kitchen as they are heavyweight and durable. Since their construction is so heavyweight (and typically these pots are thicker than most), they hold more heat and cook faster. And if you are cooking faster, you are using less energy in the form of gas or electricity.

They use a lot of resources during manufacture, and also during transport as they are relatively heavy, but they are more durable than cheaper pans.

One of the benefits of these cookware choices is that the more they are used, the more stick-resistant they become. Plus, over time, these cookware choices become more valuable.

Cast iron pans may rust – keep them spotlessly clean to avoid this – but are energy saving as they retain heat so well that you can turn off the heat ahead of time.  Copper pans also retain heat well and are naturally anti-bacterial. Glass cookware can easily be recycled.

The Best Cookware Has a Lid and a Flat Bottom

To be eco-friendly, choose cookware that comes with lids – covering your cookware will save energy. Flat-bottomed pots and pans will also help with even cooking and will use less energy.

The Best Cookware is Induction-Ready

An induction cooker is one of the most eco-friendly ways of cooking, and it’s also extremely safe. Many new cookware today is suitable for induction cooking – so if you buy an induction cooker in the future, you’ll be able to use your existing induction-ready cookware on it.

Related: What you need to know about induction cooking

It’s Worth Having The Best Cookware

Going green is not just an environmentally friendly thing to do when it comes to your cookware choices; it’s good for your health and wellbeing as well.

Spread the word about the best cookware that’s also green and eco-friendly – Sharing buttons below and right – thank you!