Which utensils are dangerous for cooking and what to replace them with: check if you are poisoning your family

Markets and stores are full of cheap but beautiful pots, pans, pie tins and muffins. True, these utensils are often dangerous for cooking, because they were made in violation of technology and were illegally imported into the country or are intended only for specific dishes. If you're concerned about your health, check to see if you have any "enemies in disguise" in your kitchen.

Aluminum

Aluminum frying pans and pots are popular due to their cheapness, but they are hazardous to health. It is generally accepted that the layer of oxide film that naturally appears on the walls and bottom of cookware protects food from metal penetration. However, acids contained in many vegetables and fruits destroy this film.

You can replace ordinary aluminum cookware with multilayer cookware - it costs several times more, but does not harm the human body, since the inside is covered with high-quality stainless steel.

Non-stick coating

When it comes to non-stick coating, Teflon immediately comes to mind. However, real Teflon does not pose a threat to human life and health. This material is inert; it does not react with foods or body tissues. Even if you accidentally eat a broken piece of Teflon, it will leave the body along with solid waste. The only problem is that Teflon is very expensive, so dishes with such a coating cannot be cheap. To reduce costs, manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom apply paint to frying pans, baking sheets and pots that resembles Teflon in appearance. Often it is not intended for contact with food; moreover, after a few days it begins to “peel off”, exposing the metal (at best it is aluminum, at worst it is an unknown alloy).

If your financial situation does not allow you to purchase high-quality cookware with a non-stick coating, pay attention to “cast iron”. A natural coating is formed on the inner walls of cast iron frying pans and cauldrons, which prevents food from sticking.

Enameled

Enamel-coated cookware is one of the safest, but only if the manufacturer adheres to quality standards. Unfortunately, not all pots, saucepans, mugs and baking sheets are made with the health of customers in mind.

Enameled cookware should be thrown away immediately or not purchased if:

• a piece of enamel broke off and cracks appeared;
• the internal coating is too thin, there are unpainted areas;
• enamel is brown, red or yellow in color - this means that it contains a high content of harmful chemical compounds.

Instead of low-quality utensils, often made by nameless Chinese companies, it is worth purchasing products from well-known domestic or foreign manufacturers. Pay attention to the thickness of the coating - a double layer of enamel means that the product is more difficult to damage during cooking. The color of the inner covering should be white, black, beige, light blue or light grey.

Stainless

Stainless steel cookware is not as safe as many people think. Real stainless steel is expensive, so when purchasing a set of pans for 1000 rubles, you should think about what metal they are actually made of. Manufacturers from China and other Asian countries often add components to the alloy whose ions are harmful to humans.

If you have cheap stainless steel cookware in your kitchen, made by nameless companies, it is better to replace it with higher quality ones. However, this requires considerable financial expenditure, so buying pans with enamel coating would be a good alternative.

Approach the choice of cookware responsibly and remember that high-quality kitchen utensils must be made in accordance with GOST, be marked with the manufacturer and technical characteristics, as well as a certificate of conformity.