Cooking with chemicals? Here's why you shouldn't be, and how switching to ceramic can improve your home, and provide peace of mind.
If you’re in the market for new cookware, chances are you’ve thought about (or have used) a non-stick pot or pan. And chances are, you’ve realized they’re not really that non-stick.
We all know it too well, the mornings spent scrubbing stuck-on cheese or eggs (or worse, both) from a pan. But did you know when you’re scrubbing off all that food, you’re also scrubbing off chemicals from your pan — the same chemicals that were released into your home and food that you just consumed minutes ago? Yup, you read that right… chemicals in your food, from your pan.
Over 95% of non-stick pots and pans are made with a chemical called Polytetrafluoroethylene. While you might not recognize this term, you probably are familiar with its other name — Teflon®. So what exactly does Teflon® contain?
According to Cancer.org, one of Teflon®’s main ingredients is a man-made chemical called Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), or C8. This chemical is recognized as a “forever chemical,” meaning it stays in your body forever once ingested, no matter how small the amount. To make matters worse, they also never break down in the environment.
With most Americans using Teflon® based products, you can imagine how many chemicals we are leaching into our home, our bodies, and our planet as a whole. Knowing our impact, it’s understandable why you’d want to make the switch to non-toxic coated cookware. Here are three ways opting for better-for-you, better-for-the-environment cookware can make an impact.
1. Protects You & Your Family From Ingesting Chemicals
In addition to Teflon®, traditional non-stick cookware can also include ingredients like lead, cadmium, and other toxic materials. What’s more, one 2019 study found that it only takes traditional non-stick pans 2.5 minutes to heat up to 500 degrees, the temperature where the chemicals begin to break down and release into your home. Many stoves heat up to 1600° on high heat, meaning you are (most likely) leaching chemicals with every meal you make in your cookware.
Caraway's ceramic-coating is 100% non-toxic, free of PTFE (such as Teflon®), PFOA, PFAs, lead, cadmium, nickel and other toxic metals. Non-toxic coating means you are at zero risk of ingesting harsh chemicals of any kind, meaning safer cookware for you, your family, and our planet.
2. Creates A Sustainable & Environmentally-Conscious Home
When cooking with traditional non-stick cookware, you are leaching chemicals into your home and environment, and could be putting others at risk. These chemicals are known as “forever chemicals,” and never biodegrade.
Additionally, studies have found that some pets are not safe when exposed to Polytetrafluoroethylene — for instance, pet birds are at risk of death within 24 hours. While our respiratory systems are stronger, can you imagine the effects we are putting ourselves at risk of over time?
By opting for a mineral-based ceramic coating for Caraway, we not only produce 100% non-toxic coated cookware, but are able to release up to 60% less CO2 into the environment compared to traditional non-stick cookware.
3. Provides Peace of Mind
As of 2021, there are over 20 pieces of legislation in the United States trying to ban PFAs because of its harmful effects. While we wait for change to come, you can start by protecting yourself with your cookware choices. Cooking without the chemicals not only is a safer alternative, but makes your cooking experience more enjoyable: because ceramic is a naturally slick surface, you can still enjoy those slide-off-the-pan eggs while also cutting down on cleaning time. Now that’s a win-win!
But the best benefit of all? The peace of mind you have knowing you are cooking with ingredients and a pan that is made to make you feel your best.
