As we all know, home-cooked, balanced cooking is good for your health. However, we must not forget that the container in which we cook is also to be considered. Small overview of the materials that exist, with their advantages and disadvantages, as well as a description of potentially toxic compounds.
Stainless steel: the ultimate
Stainless steel is an easy-to-maintain, solid, stainless alloy composed of nickel, steel and chromium. The best mixture is 18/10 stainless steel, which contains 18% by mass of chromium and 10% by mass of nickel. Stainless steel is harmless to health, since it does not oxidize and does not impart flavor to food. It is particularly suitable for cooking at low temperature, which better preserves the vitamins, mineral salts and proteins from food. In addition, it allows cooking without fat, the combustion of which can lead to toxic fumes. And little more for the environment, this material is 90% recyclable.
Natural cast iron: expensive but guaranteed without toxic products
Durable and free of toxic products, natural iron and carbon cast iron (unlike aluminum cast iron, enameled cast iron and volcanic stone) has won many votes among stoves. And for good reason, once the base is coated with oil, it is the ideal utensil for simmering food. However, neophytes must be vigilant, because it is a material that quickly rises in temperature, the temperature of cooking must therefore be increased gradually if we do not want to see the food attach. Natural cast iron thus enables energy-efficient cooking. Small flat for the frail among us: some cast iron utensils can be very heavy and bulky.
Aluminum: light but potentially toxic
Aluminum is a better heat conductor than stainless steel. Very light, this material makes it easier to handle pots and pans. It does not rust and is dishwasher safe. Yes, but ! Aluminum is a compound toxic which gradually intrudes into our body. And if our body eliminates more than 95% of the aluminum ingested and more than 83% of the aluminum that has crossed the intestinal barrier through the urine through the stool, a tiny part can remain in the kidneys and even accumulate in our body. the nervous system. Since the 1960s, aluminum has been associated in several studies with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, although this link is still controversial. In practice, and as a precaution, it is better to avoid direct contact with food. Especially since aluminum in derivative form (aluminum oxide, aluminum sulphate, etc.) is already present in certain industrial foods (confectionery, bread, cold meats, cakes, cheeses) where it serves as an anti-caking agent, of dye or even synthetic leaven.
What about ceramics?
Ceramic-based coatings are ideal for healthy, natural cooking, and have been used for centuries for cooking. However, ceramic-based utensils covered with varnish, enamel or containing an aluminum base should be avoided. The terracotta of this type of utensil helps retain heat and preserve the flavor of food, thanks to low-carbon stewing. fat. A problem, however, sometimes cracks appear quickly after only ten use, which then makes the tagine, casserole or ceramic dish quickly unusable.
Beware of non-stick
Without always paying attention, our pots, pans and other casseroles are often equipped with non-stick coatings more or less advisable. They allow food to be cooked with very little or no fat, without them sticking. Most of these release agents are made of Teflon, or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a compound that is stable up to around 260 ° C. Beyond this temperature, reached by a frying pan for more than 5 minutes of cooking over high heat, the PTFE would emit toxic gases whose fumes are dangerous.
Sometimes, Teflon is composed of PFOA (ammonium perfluorooctanoic acid), a potentially carcinogenic compound, which will be banned in the United States during the year 2015. PFOA would worry some scientists by its ability to gradually detach itself from its container to accumulate in organisms. It would have been found in the umbilical cord of fetuses, and even in the body of polar bears. As with aluminum, we are exposed to this substance through food containers, but also through other products: PFOA is used in packaging, in stain-resistant products, in certain textiles, in paints and even in certain carpets. .
In 2009, the French Food Safety Agency (Afssa) concluded that “the risk to consumer health relating to the residual presence of PFOA in non-stick coatings of cooking utensils [était] negligible ”in view of the concentrations, considering that the results of studies carried out on rodents could not be extrapolated to humans. However, PFOA has been classified as reprotoxic by the European Union since 2006, and appears in the list of priority substances to be evaluated by the International Cancer Research Center.
Finally, for those who love dishes heated in the microwave, it is best to favor noble materials such as borosilicate glass of the pyrex type, which do not contain compounds liable to cross the barrier of food once heated, unlike some plastics. Because if bisphenol-A has been banned in food containers in France since January 2015, it has been replaced by bisphenol-S, a compound that would harm brain development according to a Canadian study published in mid-January.
