Pans, baking paper... Beware of these kitchen utensils that can be dangerous to health

Valérie Darmon 16:30 pm, March 19, 2023

If you have to be careful about the food you eat, you must also watch the utensils in which you cook it. Because in our pans or cooking papers, there are quite harmful chemicals that can have severe consequences on our health.

Risks of certain cancers of the liver, testicles, mammary glands, pancreas, blood, immune system ... These chemicals are also suspected of disrupting the endocrine system in humans. In 2019, a study published by Public Health France had already shown that 100% of the French population was impregnated by these compounds used for their resistance to high heat or their non-stick and waterproof properties.

Pay attention to the cooking method

There are no less than 4,500 ultra-toxic chemical compounds being studied and the French government began in January to hunt down these substances, also called eternal pollutants. To know if an object contains them, you have to look at its label: until May 2019, they could be identified thanks to the name PFOA, now banned in 180 countries. It has been replaced by GenX which contains HPFODA, renamed "forever chemicals", already classified by the European Chemicals Agency as a substance of very high concern.

But if the choice of pan or pan is essential, the cooking method is just as important. "To have a diet that is as inflammatory-free as possible, I recommend gentle heat as a cooking method," explains Véronique Mounier, doctor of pharmacy, micro-nutritionist and specialist in integrative medicine. "It's a steam cooking where we're not going to heat the water too much either. The ideal is to be able to preserve all vitamins and minerals, so cook as quickly as possible and at a temperature if possible below 100 degrees."

Which utensils to choose?

When it comes to utensils, it is better to choose a stainless steel pan that is simple to clean, easy to use and durable. Another advantage: it allows you to cook your food without too much fat when cooking. Conversely, it is absolutely necessary to avoid using a striped Teflon pan. As for aluminum, its use in cooking is debated. If we know the criticisms on the aluminum salts contained in deodorants, which would be involved in breast cancer, the same questions arise for aluminum stoves.

Last solution: cast iron utensils. If this material is less manageable and expensive, it does not present a danger to health. Cast iron is also a durable material, usable for years or even decades.