Kitchen is the place which plays an important role in maintaining your health and kitchen cookware, utensils and appliances are your best buddies because they assist you in preparing different kind of healthy and tasty food. But there are some cookwares which can adversely affect your health. Let’s know about the link between kitchen utensils and food nutrition in detail.
What kind of utensils should be used for cooking and serving?
You should use metal cookware which can be easily cleaned. The cookware and utensil should not have any cracks or rough edges which can trap bacteria or food particles and for easy handling. Try to avoid metal and plastic utensils because it can easily get scratches and wear out soon. You can use wood, bamboo or silicon utensils instead of plastic one. If the coating of cookware peels away then you should stop using it.
What are common materials used in cookware and utensils?
Aluminum
You must have seen any aluminum utensil in your home. It is very popular due to its nonstick, scratch resistant nature. Its hard surface is easy to clean and since it is sealed therefore it can’t leach out into the food. Earlier, aluminum cookware was associated with Alzheimer’s disease but it was declared by the Alzheimer association that it is not a major risk.
Uncoated aluminum utensils are greater risk because aluminum can leach out from the utensils into food. It can also cause burn if it is very hot and can also melt easily.
Lead
Ceramic cookwares are found to have high amount of lead content which can be dangerous to health especially for your kids. Lead can be leached into the food and this leaching can be easily induced by acidic food such as oranges, tomatoes or vinegar containing food. This leaching process increases in hot environment as in case of hot liquids like coffee, tea and soups as compared to cold beverages. Avoid any utensil which retains a dusty or chalky gray layer on the glaze after washing.
Iron
Cooking in cast iron cookware is good for food because iron can be leached out into it and increases its nutritional value. This practice is suggested to those who have iron deficiency as this method can increase the percentage of this mineral in food significantly and regular cooking can overcome your iron deficiency.
Copper
It is a good conductor of heat and therefore very popular due to this feature but cooking in copper cookware can increase the copper percentage in food which can cause problems like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There are some utensils which are coated with other metal to prevent the contact between food and copper but this protective barrier can wear out easily which can lead to mixing of copper with food.
Although, it is not good for preparing food but it is recommended by Ayurveda to store water in copper vessel because the water never stale in it and leaching of copper in water give its positive properties to it. This water has many benefits like
- Improves digestive system
- Helps in weight loss
- Maintain cardiovascular health
- Slow down ageing
- Kill bacteria
- Fight off cancer
- Stimulates brain
- Improve thyroid hormone regulation
- Strengthen immune system
- Cures and prevent anemia
- Stainless steel
It is one of the most popular materials used for cookware and utensils due to its durability and functionality. It can be used on high temperatures and its sturdy surface does not wear out easily. It comes with a copper or aluminum base for even heating which makes it more efficient. Its negative health effects are very rare.
Now you must have understood that how different materials used in your utensils can affect your health therefore choose wisely before buying your next set of utensils.