The food we eat is what nourishes our body and gives the vital nutrients our body requires. Our health mostly depends on the food we consume. That's why we try to make sure we cook our food as safely as possible, like cooking in a clean environment, using clean cookware and utensils, and so on.
The topic of cooking safely also brings the question of whether the type of pot we are using is safe. One of the most popular pots is ceramic pots. So in this article, I'm going to give you all the information you need on the safety of ceramic pots. Let's get started.
What Are Ceramic Pots?
Before anything else, let's find out what a ceramic pot actually is.
A ceramic pot is a pot that has a ceramic coating. The coating is what makes it different from other types of pots that use cast iron or stainless steel for their finishes.
Ceramic pots have become very popular for a few years now. This is mostly because of the wonderful benefits it offers.
The major benefit of a ceramic pot is its quality. It offers a lot of other benefits that make cooking a lot stress-free.
For example, ceramic pots are known for high conductivity and even cooking. It distributes heat evenly, therefore preventing cold spots. This also helps in preventing some parts of your meal from being undercooked.
Ceramic pots are also versatile. If you like to minimize resources or materials in your home, ceramic pots can be your buddy.
Another huge benefit of a ceramic pot is the slick cooking surface its coating naturally provides. The slick surface prevents food from sticking to the pot while cooking. It works like traditional non-stick pots, but there are differences between them.
The slickness of a ceramic pot is natural. It’s not made or enhanced with any toxic chemicals. While the slickness of traditional nonstick pots, on the other hand, is made with chemicals, which can be toxic. Let’s discuss more on that in the next section.
Issues With Traditional Nonstick Pots
Traditional nonstick pot surfaces are slick, just like ceramic cookware, but the problem with them is that their surfaces are made of materials that contain toxic chemicals.
One of the most popular materials used to make traditional nonstick pots is Teflon. Teflon is actually a synthetic chemical. Another name for it is polytetrafluoroethylene.
Teflon is mostly used to coat products, like pots, because it makes a product's surface slick and frictionless. That is what gives a pot its non-stick property. But the downside is it contains chemicals like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
These chemicals can be harmful to our health, as they have been linked to health issues like cancer, thyroid disorders, and many more.
Teflon and traditional nonstick pots also contain chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which pose similar health risks like PFOA.
Cooking with traditional non-stick pots that contain these chemicals can be very risky because you might consume those chemicals. Of course, you aren’t going to intentionally put them in your mouth, but you might accidentally consume them when the coating of your pot gets scratched or flakes and mixes with your meal.
The heat resistance of Teflon is not very high. At 570°F, it will start to break down, releasing fumes and chemicals that are toxic.
Is Ceramic Pot Safe?
The short answer is yes, ceramic pots are safe. Now let’s find out why that is so.
The surface of ceramic pots is naturally nonstick, which means they are not made of any toxic chemicals unlike traditional nonstick pots.
If you’ve seen a website or a post on social media advertising a nonstick pot that is free of PTFE, PFAS, or PFOA, they are most likely talking about ceramic pots because ceramic pots are free of those chemicals and still provide a nonstick property.
They are also free of lead, cadmium, and other toxic metals, ensuring safe and healthy cooking.
With ceramic pots, you don’t need to worry about using oil or butter to season your pot because ceramic pots give a non-stick property without exposing you or your meal to toxic or unhealthy chemicals.
Maintenance Tips
One of the benefits of using a ceramic pot is its ease of use and maintenance. It’s not complicated to maintain a ceramic pot at all. Most of the time, you only need to wash it with just mild soap and warm water. There’s actually no need for a special cleaning or seasoning.
Ceramic pots are also fantastic for new chefs and new home cooks because they're easy to use and maintain. You don’t need to spend lots of time scrubbing remnants of food in a pot.
Now, let’s cover some ceramic pot maintenance tips.
Avoid High Temperatures
It is recommended to avoid high temperatures when using ceramic pots. Though ceramic pots can withstand a higher temperature compared to traditional nonstick pots, it is best if you stick to using low- to medium-heat temperatures.
The reason is the coating of ceramic pots wears off with time. If you use a high heat temperature, the coating will wear off faster, and I’m sure that’s not what you want.
Use Non-Abrasive Utensils
To preserve the coating of your ceramic pot, I recommend using wooden or silicone utensils. It helps prevent you from mistakenly scratching the coating of your pot.
You might want to ask questions like, What will happen if you use a metallic utensil? What will happen if you mistakenly scratch your pot with a metallic utensil? Will the scratched pot still be safe?
If you scratch your ceramic pot with a metallic utensil, the pot will lose a little of its nonstick property but it won’t pose any health risk to you or your meal as long as the ceramic pot is not made of any toxic chemical.
Hand Wash Only
The best and safest way to wash your ceramic pot is handwashing with warm and soapy water. Avoid using a dishwasher because its washing power might affect your pot with time.
You should also avoid using harsh detergents or abrasive cleaners. Use a soft sponge instead to scrub your pot even when food is stuck on it.
To get rid of a food remnant that is stuck on your pot, boil water and baking soda and allow it to stay in the pot for a few minutes. It will do the work for you.
Creating a paste from baking soda and white vinegar and using it on your pot is another solution.
Store Carefully
The storage of ceramic pots is a vital part of its maintenance, but some people tend to overlook it.
Firstly, you shouldn’t stack heavy items or other pots on your ceramic pot. It could scratch off the ceramic coating of your pot or deform your pot.
If you’re out of storage space and you really need to stack items or other pots on your ceramic pot, place a soft material between them to protect your ceramic pot.
Conclusion
If you’ve been wondering whether to get a ceramic pot or how safe it is to use, I’m sure you have the answers and enough information after reading this article. Now, you know what ceramic pots are, why they are safe, and how they are better than traditional nonstick pots.
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