An essential part of cooking is cooking utensils. Good utensils can be a part of your everyday life. Pans, pots, baking trays, knives, spoons, and tongs are the essential elements of the kitchen. Most utensils are generally made of metal because they are good conductors of heat and electricity. But you should choose only those materials that are not harmful to your body. In today’s blog, I will share some information about good cooking utensils, which one is suitable for everyday cooking, and which one should avoid. Here are some tips for finding out the best cookware.

Why aluminium is used for making Cooking Utensils:

Aluminium is highly used for making cooking utensils. About 60% of people use aluminium utensils for cooking because it has good thermal conductivity, are durable, have high tensile strength, and are lightweight with a high melting point. It is cheap, easy to use, and holds up heat very well. It is a highly reactive metal, which reacts with oxygen in the presence of air to form a layer of aluminium oxide. This oxide layer is very stable and prevents further reaction with oxygen.

Aluminium pans and pots are coated with a layer of anodized Aluminum to protect the cookware and barrier of oxidation. It is not suitable for storing food for a long time.

Is Aluminum suitable for cooking?

Utensils made of aluminium is perfect for cooking. It is a good conductor of heat. It takes comparably less time to Cook Bake than other utensils made of a different metal. It holds up the heat for so long also. Besides, it is not expensive at all. It is so lightweight that it does cooking more efficiently is easy to carry and handle. These good qualities made it popular among people. Most people prefer using aluminium pots and pans for their everyday cooking. It cools so quickly that you don’t have to wait too long to wash it. Besides, you can wash it easily with ordinary dishwasher soap, resisting scratching. But it leaches off to food while cooking. According to W H O, adults can consume 50 mg of Aluminum daily without harm. During cooking, it dissolves into the food.

 Is Aluminum safe to store food?

Yes! Aluminium pots and trays are perfect for storing foods, especially in the freezer. Aluminium containers are used to reheat cooked food. As it is a good conductor and distributes heat homogenously, it facilitates cooking. Aluminium baking pans are used for baking goods in the oven. But it would help if you had to use food-grade aluminium pots. Nonfood grade aluminium can be harmful to health.

Aluminium provides a water and gas barrier, protecting food from microbial contamination. It is beautiful to store cold food

in an aluminium pot, but keeping hot food in aluminium foil is not a good idea. It may lead to toxicity. But it is not safe to store acidic foods in these pots. Acids present in food may react with metal, creating toxic substances.

Which Cooking Utensils are best for health?

It is essential to choose the right cookware for the best health. Sometimes we choose modern, fancy cookware, which may emit toxic fumes while cooking. And it may further lead us to cancer in the future. The safest cookware till now is traditional clay pots. It cooks the food very well and preserves the nutrition and taste. Besides, utensils made of iron, brass, bronze, stainless steel, Aluminum are also safe for health.

Here are some utensils which are not harmful to your body at all:

Clay pots:

Clay pots made traditionally are made only of clay which is considered the ideal utensils for cooking. Yes, it takes more time than other pots to cook food, and handling isn’t easy. But it is good for health.

Glass:

Glass utensils are considered safest because glass is non-reactive. It is very healthy for cooking. It doesn’t absorb anything and is easier to clean. Besides, it doesn’t emit any fume.

Stainless steel:

 These pans and pots are easy to use, cheap, and easy to clean. Sometimes they are polished with chromium, nickel, or other metal. These metals can be dangerous.

Bamboo:

Utensils made of bamboo are cheap, eco-friendly, and budget-friendly. It is safe to use. It doesn’t emit any toxic materials that are good for health.

These utensils are safe to compare to knives made of other metals.

Best utensils for cooking according to Ayurveda:

In modern days people are more attracted to shiny, fancy stainless steel, glass, non-stick cookware. Our old traditional cooking pots are almost ignored nowadays.

According to traditional practices, you should use some utensils to make your food healthiest. According to ayurvedic physicians, some chemicals which leach off from cookware may be the reason for many health hazards.

Here are some utensils which ayurvedic physicians prefer:

Bronze Cooking Utensils:

Bronze is one of the most ancient types of metal. According to Ayurveda, cooking food in a bronze pot can reduce the risk of obesity, skin irritation, eye problem, and some allergies. Utensils made of bronze are often recommended to people having Alzheimer’s disease.

Brass utensils:

According to Ayurveda, brass increases the HB level to help get rid of many skin problems irritation. Storing water in pots made of brass is good for immunity. It is easy to cook in brass pots and pans. Banks made of brass are widespread in the village.

Clay pots:

According to Ayurveda, food prepared in clay pots is full of nutrition and flavour. Cooking in a clay pot is a prolonged process, but it infuses the flavour in the food and prevents it from burning.

Pots made of copper:

 Copper helps increase metabolism and protects the body from any harmful bacterial infection. Ayurvedic research prefers copper to stainless steel.

This ancient and traditional cookware is always better than other fancier utensils.

Why are Aluminum and copper metals used for make Cooking utensils?

Usually, cooking utensils are made up of copper or Aluminum. Copper is a good conductor of heat. Food can remain hot in a copper pot for a long time. They both have a high melting point. Copper cookware is better than stainless steel because it conducts more heat. It also can store heat for a long. It is suitable for storing food because it keeps food warm for a long time.

Aluminium sheets and pans are used for baking because of their corrosion resistance property. But you cannot store food for so long as it leaches in the food.

Which metal is used for Cooking Utensils?

Generally, copper, brass, and steel make cooking utensils. These metals can conduct heat and can absorb heat very quickly. Easy to handle and are cheap.

Sometimes tin is used to cover the surface to prevent corrosion. Sometimes copper and brass are covered with other metals to avoid contact with food. Nickel and chromium are used to make a layer of stainless steel.

What metal is commonly used and why?

Among all the metals, Aluminum is most used to make pots, pans, baking trays because it is lightweight and conducts heat homogenously. It is cheap and easy to store and handles. These properties make it popular among people and are primarily used.

Are aluminium Cooking Utensils harmful?

According to some studies Cooking Utensils in an Aluminum pot is safe, while others suggest it may lead to toxicity. Aluminium may leach off to the food while harmful cooking. But it depends on temperature, pH, and coking medium. If aluminium toxicity occurs, it may create a severe hazard to your health.

 Acidic foods like tomato, lime, many fruits may react with the vessel, which is harmful to the body.

Aluminium accumulates slowly in the muscle, bone, and liver cells and can become poison, and it has a hazardous effect on brain cells.

Many diseases like depression, anxiety, indigestion, diarrhoea, pain in the abdomen, inflammation may occur from aluminium toxicity.

Which materials are suitable for cooking:

Here are some materials that are recommended for healthy cooking:

Cast iron: Cast iron does not release gases or chemical particles into the air or food. It is easy to rinse and use.

Stainless steel: Stainless is standard in almost every kitchen. It is durable and easy to use and wash. Good quality stainless steel won’t rust or form any toxic substance when reacting with food acids.

Ceramic: Ceramic can work at extreme temperatures. It is also easy to use and wash and needs proper and careful handling.

Glass: Glass takes proper care and handling and takes more time than other utensils.

Silicon: Silicon is non-toxic and easy to handle. It is easy to wash and doesn’t stain easily. it is flexible and easily cleaned with a standard dishwasher. It is also suitable for heat resistance.

What is more muscular, magnesium or Aluminum:

Magnesium is lightweight, whereas Aluminum is more robust. It also becomes stronger than Aluminum after treating with heat. This magnesium is softer, less stable, and more expensive. Aluminium is a more stable and good thermal conductor.

Which metal is the cheapest:

 Cookware made of iron is the best metal for cooking within budget. Iron is the cheapest metal so far. You can easily do any cooking using iron utensils. Also, They have no harmful effects. It gets heated quickly and uniformly and helps to cook food efficiently.

Conclusion:

So, I hope you got some idea about what type of cookware should you use. Material that leaches off to food should be avoided. Try to use those which are eco-friendly as well as in your budget. Try to avoid materials made of plastic.