Best cooking surface?

[Alfonsoo]

What are some health related drawbacks or things to look out in pots n pans?

• raw cast iron (sometimes comes pre-seasoned)
• enameled cast iron
• stainless steel (you can even get medical grace steel
• traditional non stick (no more PFOA, but PTFE still used)
• ceramic coatings
• stone (like volcanic or marble)
• silicone (I know the high quality ones are very stable, but how to know what you’ve got)
• Plain aluminum
• carbon steel (like woks)

 

Like lead paint being used in the ceramic coatings, iron leaching into the food n stuff like that.

Edited March 7, 2023 by Alfonsoo

[player1995]

I would think thick glassware, probably something fully ceramic or clay/stone, as close to nature as possible.

[Alfonsoo]

Where I live, red clay pots are very traditional but they’re glazed with a lead containing glaze. Only some people are know about it and some even believe that by seasoning/curing it it makes the lead harmless or disappear (they boil salt water in it). This is what I’m talking about. Something might seem like the right choice.

[Michael569]

I'd love to have a stove made of stony surface like my grandpa used to cook on. The whole thing was propelled by fire from a locally collected wood. It was also serving as the main boiler for house heating. Efficiency 101. No gas/electricity charges and stone cooking is as pure as it gets. Obviously compared to gas, it took hours to heat up a house and you're constantly exposed to hydrocarbons so...

Back in the real world, opinions on each differ. If you can get something ceramic that doesn't stick, go for that. You're unlikely to find glass pan. Personally i think Teflon in 2023 is safe but there are other options for you.

Maybe as long as you water cook rather than oil cook which caps the heat to 100 degrees it matters less than if you deep fry and heat up the metal to 200 degrees+ 

[Leo Gura]

Stainless steel pans are awesome. Just learn to use them properly. They will last you a lifetime.

I upgraded all my cookware to steel and haven't looked back. I keep one small Teflon pan for cooking extremely sticky things. But I never even use it.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Leo Gura

[mmKay]

19 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I keep one small Teflon pan for cooking extremely sticky things. But I never even use it.

do you think teflon is only dangerous if scratched? I'm looking for a rice cooker but 99% of them are coated. And i dont trust creamic.

[Leo Gura]

34 minutes ago, mmKay said:

do you think teflon is only dangerous if scratched? I'm looking for a rice cooker but 99% of them are coated. And i dont trust creamic.

I find it easy to cook rice manually in a small stainless steel pot.

Teflon is toxic and should be avoided.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Girzo]

1 hour ago, mmKay said:

I'm looking for a rice cooker but 99% of them are coated.

Instant Pots can cook rice and have stainless steel pots. I have the Silvercrest branded Instant Pot from Lidl, it works great and also cooks beans really fast.

Can double up as a pressure cooker for sterilizing grain jars for DIY mushroom cultivation 

[mmKay]

6 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I find it easy to cook rice manually in a small stainless steel pot.

Teflon is toxic and should be avoided.

Ok stainless steel instant pot or stove pressure cooker is the anwser

[Alfonsoo]

@Leo Gura what about enameled cast iron?

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Alfonsoo said:

@Leo Gura what about enameled cast iron?

Unsure.

[mmKay]

On 13/3/2023 at 5:15 PM, mmKay said:

stainless steel instant pot

I ended up buying this and it's a game changer. 100 bucks and its versatility and convenience is great. Actual 18/10 stainless steel. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel