Why must we choose safe&healthy ceramic nonstick cookware?

I believe everyone has already understood the harmfulness of Teflon-coated pots. After exceeding the extreme high temperature, Teflon-coated pots will release a harmful substance called polyfluoropropane (PFOA for short). If absorbed by the human body, it will damage the liver and increase the risk of cancer in severe cases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Dark Waters directed by Todd Haynes, 2019)

Therefore, from the perspective of chemical safety, the coating of ceramic non-stick pots is better than that of Teflon-coated pots, because it does not contain PTFE and PFOA, is more resistant to high temperatures, and will not produce any harmful smoke even if it exceeds 450 degrees, which is much higher than the limit of 230 degrees of Teflon.

But here comes another question, how could we choose the correct nonstick cookware from the market?

1.      Brand Warranty

Ceramic coated pots are still an emerging market, and the formulas are relatively non-uniform. In other words, you are very likely to buy products with immature technology. Ceramic coated pots produced by some small manufacturers can easily cause heavy metals such as lead or alkali to exceed the standard, which can damage your health without you knowing it.

2.      Easy to Scratch

Ceramic coating is wear-resistant, but it does not mean it is scratch-resistant. In fact, it is more delicate than Teflon coating. Any hard objects, such as steel shovels, iron shovels, and steel wool, will leave scratches and damage the fragile coating on its surface, given the fact that most small brand products does not have enough thickness for the ceramic coating layer.

 

 

(Scratch from small brands)

If the interior is white ceramic coating, the scratches will be more obvious.

3.      Difficult to Clean

The quality of the ceramic coating does matter a lot for the pot. The market has not issued standards for different coatings so far, which provides rooms to low-quality brands to use cheap coatings.

 

In conclusion, we should care more of the factory and production condition for different brands when buying the ceramic nonstick cookware. Also, the coating material claimed by different brands should be considered, as well as the layer quantity and coating thickness (20u-30u). If you have more ideas for selecting nonstick cookware, please share with us!