Cookware Today
Following is a review of materials in popular use in
cookware today. This review may serve as a guide to safe
cooking.
Aluminum
More than half (52 percent) of all cookware sold today
is made of aluminum. But most of these aluminum pots and
pans are coated with nonstick finishes or treated using a
process that alters and hardens the structure of the
metal. Researchers still are investigating the connection
between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. But according to
Creighton Phelps, Ph.D., director of medical and
scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association, much
recent data supports the theory that brains already
damaged by Alzheimer's disease may permit entry of
abnormally high levels of aluminum. In other words,
Aluminum does not appear cause Alzheimer's disease, but
people with Alzheimer's tend concentrate and store
aluminum.
As FDA and researchers point out, aluminum is
ubiquitous. It is the third most abundant element in the
earth's crust (after oxygen and silicon). It is in air,
water and soil, and ultimately in the plants and animals
we eat.
Many over-the-counter medicines also contain aluminum.
According to the Aluminum Association, one antacid tablet
can contain 50 milligrams of aluminum or more, and it is
not unusual for a person with an upset stomach to consume
more than 1,000 milligrams, or 1 gram, of aluminum per
day. A buffered aspirin tablet may contain about 10 to 20
milligrams of aluminum. Not all antacid and buffered
aspirin contain aluminum. Read the product labels to
determine if aluminum is contained in your medication.
Aluminum cookware manufacturers warn that storing
highly acidic or salty foods---such as tomato sauce, all
fruit products, rhubarb, or sauerkraut---in aluminum pots
may cause aluminum than usual to enter the food. (Also,
undissolved salt and acidic foods allowed to remain in an
aluminum pot will cause pitting on the pot's surface.)
However, 50 mg aluminum intake is virtually impossible to
avoid, and when precaution taken the amount leached in
food from aluminum cookware is relatively minimal.
Aluminum can also leach from aluminum foil, do not store
acidic or salty food in aluminum foil.
FDA reviewed existing data because of consumer concern
and formally announced in May 1986 that the agency "has no
information at this time that the normal dietary intake of
aluminum, whether from naturally occurring levels in food,
the use of aluminum cookware, or from aluminum food
additives or drugs, is harmful."
Anodized Aluminum
One reason aluminum became popular for cookware is
because it is an excellent heat conductor. Heat spreads
quick and evenly across the bottom, up the sides, and
across the cover of a pot to completely surround the food.
Now cookware manufacturers have developed a process for
treating aluminum that retains the heat conductivity
properties of the metal, but changes aluminum in other
ways. The process, called anodization, involves a series
of electrochemical baths that thicken the oxide film that
forms naturally on aluminum. Food barely sticks on the
hard, smooth surface of this altered aluminum, making it
easier to clean. Anodized aluminum cookware doesn't react
to acidic foods, so these pots and pans are top choices
for cooking fruits and sauces with tomato, wine, and
lemon juice.
Nonstick Coatings
Because nonstick finishes may be scratched by sharp or
rough-edged kitchen tools, manufacturers recommend using
plastic or wooden utensils. Abrasive scouring pads or
cleansers should not be used to clean them. Nonstick pans
do abrade with heavy use and particles may chip off, if
ingested particles pass unchanged through your body and
pose no health hazard.
Cooking enthusiasts now are hailing Silverstone and
Excalibur nonstick coatings, which are made of three
layers of the same plastic used on Teflon and other
perflourocarbon resin-coated pans. This material is
extremely durable, inert and it will not migrate.
Stainless Steel
Consumers who do not use aluminum pots and pans
usually typically use stainless steel. Stainless steel
cookware and bakeware is exceptionally durable. Its
attractive finish won't corrode or tarnish permanently,
and its hard, tough, nonporous surface is resistant to
wear. As stainless steel does not conduct heat evenly,
most stainless steel cookware is made with copper or
aluminum bottoms. Manufacturers caution against allowing
acidic or salty foods to remain in stainless steel for
long periods. Although there are no known health hazards
from leaching of the metal, undissolved salt will pit
steel surfaces.
Copper
Copper is an excellent conductor of heat, especially
good for top-of-range cooking. Cooks often prefer copper
cookware for delicate sauces and foods that must be
cooked at precisely controlled temperatures. However,
copper cookware is usually lined with tin or stainless
steel. FDA's Thomas says that the agency cautions against
using unlined copper for general cooking because the metal
is relatively easily dissolved by some foods and,
insufficient quantities, can cause nausea, vomiting
and diarrhea.
Cast Iron
Cast iron is strong, inexpensive, and is an even
conductor of heat useful for browning, frying and baking
food. Cooking with cast iron also provides a source of
iron. Nutritionists suggest that foods cooked in unglazed
cast iron contain twice or more times the amount of iron
they would contain otherwise.
Cast-iron utensils should be handled differently from
other utensils. To prevent rust damage, the inside of cast
iron cookware should be coated frequently with unsalted
cooking oil. It should not be washed with strong
detergents or scoured and should be wiped dry immediately
after rinsing.
Ceramic and Enameled Cookware
In 1830, a Bohemian craftsman found he could create a
permanent, smooth, glassy surface on cast iron by
finishing it with porcelain enamel. This highly durable
glass is stain and scratch resistant and does not pick up
food odors. Today, enamel-coated iron and steel provide
colorful as well as practical additions to the cook's
collection. Cookware made properly of enamel on these
metals is safe to cook with, says Edward A. Steele, acting
director, executive operations staff, in FDA's Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Steele says that
because of the high firing temperatures required,
lead---which could present a safety concern--is not used
in the enamel for this cookware.
Lead, however, is used in some glazes for slow-cooking
pots (crock-pots). But, in tests done in 1987, FDA found
that the amount of lead that leached into food from these
pots did not exceed FDA standards.