People like to cook. But when it comes to cooking materials people always like to look for the best. Best not just on the features but also regarding the health. Now, considering the health issue, it is easy to assume that people like to choose stainless steel cookware. They think that stainless steel will not affect their health with injurious chemicals or any other negativity. But is it really true? Finding the answer is not easy and still not scientifically proved.
But what do we get from recent studies? Today we are going to talk about them. We need to talk about the safety of the stainless steel cookware. Health is always the most important thing for anybody. So, the cookware needs to be safe in every aspect.
The different types of food grade stainless steel
Whenever we say grade we only mean the quality of the steel. The grade also can indicate the place of the material and where it can be used. When it comes to stainless steel, there is a difference in the grade too. According to NSF internationals standard grade for food chart, we find 3 grades of stainless steel that are mainly for foods. They are the 200, 300 and 400 series.
Cheap stainless steel cookware manufacturer likes to use the 200 series stainless steel. They are safe though. on the other hand, there are mainly two types of 300 series stainless steel that are safe for cooking food. But not all the stainless steel on this series are safe. They are the 304 and 316-grade steels. If we compare it with the 200 series, they are better. #04 stainless steel is the most common one for any manufacturer. On the other hand, high-end cookware manufacturer likes to use the 316 series.
What is stainless steel?
Stainless steel is nothing but an alloy of steel. What is the difference between regular steel and stainless steel? Well, stainless steel possesses 10.5% chromium. The Chromium always produces a thin layer of oxide so that it may not catch any corrosion. If any manufacturer increases the amount of Chromium, it is likely to get much stronger. Not just chromium, stainless steel contains different amounts of silicon, carbon, and manganese, Nickel, Molybdenum. Manufacturers like to use stainless steel just to make the products corrosion free and durable.
Is stainless steel safe on cookware?
Now, this art is quite interesting. Now we are even worried about our cookware having poison. This is really a letdown. But one thing for sure. Stainless steel is safe for health. Whenever you are looking for the best stainless steel cookware that will affect quite low on your health, we will always tell you about stainless steel cookware. But still, you need to know some important things. We are going to point them out for you.
Check Out: All Clad Coper Core Cookware
First, the amount of chromium
At the start of our article, we told you that if you can increase the amount of chromium on steel than the stainless still will get durable. But to make a food grade stainless steel, you need the steel to contain less than 16% of chromium. Chromium is not quite a healthy component. But it needs to be a minimum. Our body does need chromium, but we get the amount from any veges. So, food-grade stainless steel needs to keep less than 16% chromium.
Second, the amount of nickel
Now, stainless steel does have nickel. There is a chance of nickel leaching. But we are not sure about the amount. But too much of nickel leaching can always lead up to allergy, eczema and many other problems.
Coating
A lot of stainless steel cookware comes with coating on top of it. But to be honest, some of them may contain various injurious chemical component. This is not good at all. So, considering all these facts, stainless steel cookware having a coating on them may be unhealthy.
Also Check: Cook N Home 12 Piece Stainless Steel Set
Grade
The grade of steel is also another thing to consider. We talked about the grade earlier and you can check that out.
Minimizing stainless steel reactivity
Stainless steel cookware requires high heats to produce food. So, stop cooking foods on low heat. Try to remove the food right after you are done with cooking. Also, avoiding acidic dishes on the cookware is not good at all. One other thing is that after the cookware is out of date, recycling it is always a good idea. Try not to destroy the surface.
Which types of food are safe on stainless steel cookware’s?
On stainless steel cookware, cooking foods like meat, egg poaching, a roast, curry is always the best types of cooking.
A Safe Cookware: Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 17 Piece Cookware Set
What type of food is not good for cookware?
Foods that tend to stick a lot or is acidic is not safe for any stainless steel cookware. Oily and sticky foods are also prohibited.
Conclusion
For our final verdict, the matter has got quite confusing. But in our opinion, it is positive. Stainless steel cookware is safe. No matter how you look it, they are safe. Customers are getting smarter and they know how to define the grade. So, the manufacturer is also trying to improve the standards. So, as far as our content goes, stainless steel cookware is safe for health.
Leave a Reply