A good, solid set of cookware isn’t just a kitchen accessory. It’s an investment in how you cook for yourself and your family. Just as some foods are healthier than others, the cookware you use can also have an effect on your health. Knowing how to choose healthy cookware will get you halfway to creating healthy, delicious meals.
Cookware Types
The first step to making an educated decision about your cookware is to understand the main types available to you.
Nonstick Cookware
This is probably the cookware you’re most familiar with, and perhaps have used most often as well. It offers convenience in that, well, as the name suggests, food doesn’t stick to it when you’re cooking. However, that can come at a cost.
You may have noticed that after a year or maybe even a few, your nonstick pans aren’t as nonstick as they were when you bought them. The problem is that over time, with frequent use and washing, the nonstick coating will start to degrade, and cooking will become more difficult.
Worse than that, though, is that as the coating degrades it can start to flake off into your food. This means you and your family will be ingesting that nonstick coating with is, of course, not meant for human consumption.
So nonstick cookware may start out as a healthy cookware option, but it doesn’t remain that way.
Stainless Steel Cookware
When you’re looking for non-toxic cookware, look to stainless steel. It’s usually made from 316 stainless steel, which is food-grade and non-corrosive, which means stainless steel cookware is safe to use every day and in just about any way.
Saladmaster cookware takes this a step further. All of our cookware—from our Personal Set all the way up to our Executive Chef Set—is made not just from 316 stainless steel, but 316Ti stainless steel.
This is a titanium-stabilized version of 316 stainless steel, meaning it’s more durable, more corrosion-resistant, and better able to withstand high temperatures. It’s why Saladmaster cookware can go from the stovetop to the oven to the broiler with no worry about warping or other damage.
Overall, stainless steel is also a healthy cookware option thanks to its smooth interior, which makes it difficult for food to stick, which makes oil-free cooking easier.
Ceramic Cookware
When you compare ceramic vs. stainless steel cookware, it seems at first as though they have a lot in common. Both can be a healthy cookware option because neither has a nonstick coating.
However, the ceramic coating also poses a danger of chipping and flaking off into your food during cooking. This is because, well, it’s ceramic, which is delicate and breakable.
It’s also susceptible to scratches, which will quickly lessen its nonstick properties. Over time, ceramic cookware will start to show wear and tear and becomes less nonstick as the ceramic coating wears down.
Ceramic cookware can start out as a healthy option due to the lack of the nonstick coating and the need for fewer fats when cooking, but it’s not a long-term solution when you’re looking for healthy cookware.
Why Stainless Steel Cookware is the Ultimate Healthy Choice
As you’ve discovered by now, nonstick and ceramic cookware both come with risks, both to your health and to your finances. As they degrade, they’ll flake toxic coatings into your food, and they’ll need to be replaced. How often depends on how you use them. The point is, they’re only short-term investments.
For a long-term investment in your kitchen and your life, stainless steel is the ultimate healthy choice. You’ll never have to worry about the finish flaking into your food, and it’s built to last a lifetime.
When you choose high-quality stainless steel cookware, you’ll be able to cook healthily for decades to come. You may even want to pass it along to other family members so they can also cook healthy meals without worrying about toxic materials getting into their food. Better yet, stainless steel cookware makes a great gift for the cooks in your life.
In the meantime, you can cook with fewer fats thanks to stainless steel cookware’s smooth, mirror finish that easily releases foods. And because it withstands high heat, you can sear meats and saute vegetables, cooking them quickly and preserving their nutrients.
Finally, if you select stainless steel cookware made from 316Ti stainless steel—the way Saladmaster cookware is—you can rest easy knowing you’re using the highest quality, food-grade stainless steel available.
Cook Healthier with the Right Cookware
You can now confidently select the right cookware for your kitchen, and your life. When you choose Saladmaster stainless steel cookware, you making cooking healthier easier than ever, and you’ll even save money in the long run by not having to replace cookware that doesn’t stand up to use. Locate a dealership to get started.
And there’s another way you can change your life—by becoming a Saladmaster Brand Ambassador. Find out how to start a business and share your love for high-quality, healthy cookware.