Best Healthy Cooking Utensils For A Nutritious Kitchen
The skill of cooking is enhanced by the proper plating, which requires so much attention to detail! While cooking, you take care of a lot of things, such as clean utensils and fresh produce, and you perform all the healthy food preparation methods.
But do you know whether the utensil you use to prepare your favorite dish is healthy or not? If providing your family with nutrient-dense, wholesome food is a top priority for you, keep reading since most kitchen tools you use have negative health effects and frequently act as catalysts for bodily chemical processes that impact our health.
Which Utensils Are Good For Health?
1. Copper
Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antioxidant effects are all attributed to copper. Hemoglobin synthesis and cell renewal are both facilitated by it.
The formation of melanin, which provides skin and eyes color and shields one from the sun’s harmful UV rays, is also aided by copper.
When food enters the stomach, it turns acidic, releasing toxins into the body and causing the body to heat up. When water is stored in a copper bottle for a few hours, alkali is infused into the water, making it safe to consume. This alkaline water assists with acid balancing, system detoxification, and lowering body temperature.
2. Clay
Using a clay pot for cooking results in a more tasty and nutritious cuisine. Cooking with a clay pot is advised by Ayurveda due to its many health advantages.
Clay pots retain heat and moisture because of the porosity and inherent insulation that clay possesses. As a result, cooking with a clay pot takes much longer, but it also has the added virtue of preventing inexperienced cooks from scorching their food.
More significantly, when it comes to cleaning clay pots is much easier to clean as compared with metal or enamel-lined utensils, this results in substantially less time in maintaining them and also longer shelf life.
3. Silver
Silver is one of the most often utilized metals for cutlery and kitchenware. One of the main reasons people eat silver is because metal has been shown to have antimicrobial effects.
Silver safeguards the body in various ways such as by preventing the flu and promoting faster wound healing. Silverware protects us from bacteria, lessens the chance of immune system degradation, and keeps us safe from illnesses.
Silver dishes typically survive a long time. Compared to other materials, silver-plated cutlery has more abrasive textures and hues. Eating from a silver plate promotes body cell renewal and the fight against free radicals.
4. Stainless Steel
Utensils made of stainless steel are simple to clean and maintain. Cutlery, plates, and bowls can all be cleaned by simply washing them in soap and water.
They are therefore excellent for young families, students, and other groups. It won’t break if the plate escapes your grasp. Warm water and soap will ensure no oil stains are left on stainless steel cooking equipment.
You may clean your stainless steel cutlery with plastic, coir, or sponge scrubbers, so you don’t need to worry about using a specific scrubber.
Utensils made of stainless steel are robust and nearly unbreakable. Additionally, they don’t rust. The simplicity of handling stainless steel cutlery is one of its main advantages. Also, it is budget-friendly.
5. Brass
A copper and zinc alloy is called brass. Brass is typically made of 75% copper and 25% zinc, with copper making up the majority of the material. Brass has a golden hue.
Although brass is known as Peetal in Hindi and has a more archaic and antiquated-sounding name, its advantageous qualities and health benefits spark our curiosity.
This metal is a significant component of copper and zinc, which interact with human bodies in different ways. If you want to retain the nutritional content of your food at or over 90%, you should use brass.
The greatest way to obtain all nutrients, so the saying goes, is to cook meat and vegetables with brass utensils. It is a reliable supply of copper and zinc. It also tastes amazing to drink water from a brass container.
Utensils To Avoid While Cooking
1. Aluminum
The most popular metal used to create utensils is aluminum since it is a great heat conductor. When exposed to high heat, the metal reacts violently with acidic foods like tomatoes and vinegar.
When food is cooked, metal and acidic veggies react chemically, contaminating the food. When ingested, this food may eventually damage your immune system.
Aluminum is a new, extremely popularly used utensil. While it may be very alluring when you cook or serve. Cooking in utensils made of aluminum is not recommended since it warms up quickly and reacts easily with acidic dishes and vegetables as well as if you have an induction cooktop your aluminum utensil might not work since they do posses magnetic properties.
2. Nonstick cookware
People all over the world use nonstick cookware to prepare their meals. Pancake flipping, sausage turning, and frying eggs are all made easy with the nonstick coating.
However, you need to be very careful while using nonstick coated cookware because certain metals react with the coating causing harmful and toxic chemicals mix with the food.
Always, ensure you buy nonstick cookware from trusted brands as well as check your cookware thoroughly before buying.
The most common coating you would find is a Teflon, a nonstick coating. While it can be handy for cooking delicate dishes that might otherwise stick to pans, it is made up from atoms of fluorine and carbon.
Teflon is utilized in the production of wire and cable coatings, waterproof garment materials, carpet protectors, and raincoats. Teflon coatings on nonstick cookware begin to disintegrate at temperatures beyond 5700°F (3000°C).
3. Plastic
According to research, several chemicals in plastic have the potential to leak out of the container and into our food and beverages.
Numerous health issues, including metabolic abnormalities (including obesity) and decreased fertility, have been related to several of these substances.
It is now well-established that plastic poses a health risk. We are dependent on plastic because it is lightweight, practical, and affordable.
According to some investigations, practically all BPA-free plastic still releases compounds into drinking water that have estrogenic properties similar to those of BPA, and others release alternatives such as BHPF that can lead to unfavorable pregnancy outcomes.
Safety Tips While Using Cooking Vessels
- Please stay away from owning faulty or damaged appliances, and stay away from purchasing them.
- To avoid dropping them and spilling, turn the handles of pots and pans inside.
- Along with loose clothing, long sleeves, and long hair, dishcloths and potholders should be kept away from hot burners. Avoid donning clothing that is excessively loose.
- When you are through cooking, always be sure that all of the oven and stove dials are turned off. Food should never be left alone when cooking.
- Keeping flammable objects on the burner is not a good idea (eg. potholders, hand towels, etc.).
- Keep electrical outlets from being overloaded.
- A multi-purpose extinguisher should be close by.
- To stop carbon monoxide from gas cooking appliances from accumulating in the kitchen, ensure it is well-ventilated.
Conclusion
Choosing the best cookware for your home is important since good health begins in the kitchen. Your lifestyle is incrementally improved by the methods you employ to prepare your food, such as the oils you choose or the equipment you use. In the world of cooking, each metal has advantages and disadvantages.
Simply use what suits you best; you don’t always need to buy pricey things. Pick cookware made of metal that is simple to clean. There should be no crevices or rough edges that could catch or hold bacteria or food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Advika is a talented Indian cook with a passion for sharing her culinary expertise with others. Born and raised in India, she has spent years mastering traditional recipes from across the country, as well as putting her own unique twist on classic dishes. Her recipes are easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for cooks of all levels
