‘Facts’ About Teflon, Aluminum, Copper Utensils – Are They True?

I am a big fan of nonstick cookware but several friends and family members have expressed alarm about the safety of this. One cousin also told me that she had thrown away all her aluminium cookware, because cancer! I generally refuse to buy into such alarmism and decided to find out more about the various utensils that we use in our kitchen today.

Teflon is the trademark/brand name which people loosely apply to all cookware lined with nonstick material polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). There is the apprehension that the coating will flake off, enter the system along with food and cause all sorts of problems including cancer. The fact is that PTFE is a nonreactive substance and passes through our system even if ingested. Any possible dangers come from a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which is no longer used in making nonstick cookware. So, modern nonstick-ware from a reputed manufacturer is quite safe.

I grew up eating food cooked in aluminium vessels but suddenly everyone was telling me that this would give us aluminium poisoning because the metal reacts with and mixes with acidic foods. This is not true. If at all aluminum leaches into food, it is because the utensil is untreated, worn or damaged. Properly constructed aluminum cookware does not leach into food; if it does, it is in quantities so negligible as to be lower than the amount of aluminum contained in an antacid tablet.

There are concerns about chromium leaching into the food from stainless steel pots and pans. However, this is not in any significant amount. Even if chromium does actually get into the food, it is an essential nutrient for the body and there is no danger from it in small quantities. Hence, stainless steel is thought to be one of the safest materials for cooking. My main problem with it is that food tends to stick easily to stainless surfaces.

Servings in fancy restaurants come in tiny copper vessels. Marketers tell us copper water bottles are great for health. So we have come around the idea that cooking in copper is beneficial. While copper water bottles are a good idea, cooking in copper is not. Copper is safe to cook in so long as it is lined with tin or nickel. Problems occur when this coating/lining contains any amount of lead. Also, over time this coating /lining wears out. Ingesting large amounts of copper can result in copper toxicity and copper can react with certain foods when cooked at high temperatures.

This is a traditional cooking material and to this day, it remains safe and even beneficial to cook in iron vessels. However one can take some precautions: don’t cook in iron utensils every day. Avoid cooking acidic items in iron since they may react more with the iron. Also, avoid using steel wool and similar abrasive substances to clean iron pots. Don’t store water in iron pots and protect them from moisture and rust.

Many people insist that slow cooking is the best way to cook; that pressure cooking robs food of nutrition. While it is true that at times there is no substitute for slow cooking, the fact is that pressure cooking actually helps to retain more nutrients than other types of cooking. This is also a myth propagated by the West because pressure cooking is not common outside there. Since a pressure cooker is sealed and cooking takes less time, the nutrients of food are better retained. In short, use well-made cookware from reputable manufacturers – your cooking utensils are extremely unlikely to harm you.