Authored by Jaipi Sixbear in Environment 
Published on 12-22-2009

Not all Cookware is Eco-friendly. Materials like non-stick coating can be hazardous to your health and the environment. The best options for cookware are those that are recyclable, long lasting or both. Why buy cookware that’s harmful to the environment? There are many options for Eco-friendly cookware. Some items you already have in your kitchen may be more environmentally safe than you think. Try these Eco-friendly cookware options today.

Glass

Glass cookware provides even heat for baking and boiling. It may seem glass would be impractical and easily broken. This Eco-friendly cookware alternative is actually quite indestructible in normal circumstances. Glass cookware is thick and difficult to break unless dropped with force. It cleans easily too. Eco-friendly glass cookware is 100% recyclable. If it does get broken, it won’t be going to the landfill.

Copper

Why is copper considered one of the most Eco-friendly cookware materials? First of all the manufacturing process for copper requires very little heat. Therefore less energy is used to produce it. Secondly, very little heat is required to cook in copper. Less energy is required to cook in it. Copper is also a very long lasting Eco-friendly material. Due to all these factors, copper cookware can be expensive but well worth the investment, since it rarely needs replacing.

Cast Iron

You will only need to buy a cast iron frying pan once in your lifetime. The durability of cast iron makes it an Eco-friendly product. You will find very few cast iron pans in landfills because they are often handed down through generations. Cast iron can be seasoned to act as a non-toxic, non-stick pan. Using cast iron in place of toxic non-stick cookware keeps harmful chemicals out of your system. Using Eco-friendly cast iron cookware adds iron to your system as well.

Teflon

Teflon coated products are not Eco-friendly cookware. Non-stick coatings have been shown to be a toxic health hazard, particularly when that coating is coming loose. This is bad news for those of us who have become accustomed to cooking with non-stick pots and pans. To solve this problem, cooks can use Eco-friendly cast iron. There are also new non-stick, non-toxic Eco-friendly cookware coatings. Check the label before purchasing non-stick cookware.

Ceramic

There is yet another alternative to non-stick cookware. Ceramic cookware lasts just as long as glass cookware, making it an Eco-friendly choice. You won’t find many of these pots and pans cluttering up landfills either. With an enameled coating these pans distribute heat evenly. They also provide easy clean up and a fairly non-stick surface. True, they are not as effective as Teflon but have the benefit of being completely non-toxic.

Anodized Aluminum

Stainless steel is inexpensive to manufacture but contains a wide variety of toxic metals. These metals can leech into food from well used cookware. A more Eco-friendly cookware alternative is anodized aluminum. We have heard of environmental health hazards concerning aluminum cookware as well, but this is a special type of aluminum. Anodized aluminum is coated to protect metal from leeching into food. It also provides a non-stick surface.

Non-stick coating and certain metals in cookware can be hazardous to your health. Choose Eco-friendly cookware to combat this problem. Glass cookware is recyclable. Copper, cast iron and ceramic are long lasting and practical as well as energy efficient. Cast iron adds iron to your diet as an Eco-friendly supplement. Anodized aluminum is an Eco-friendly alternative to aluminum and Teflon cookware.