Are Ceramic Pots and Pans Safe to Cook With?
Our experts agree that while buying ceramic cookware from a reputable brand is safe, you may need to be wary of vintage and traditional pieces.
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Trendy ceramic pots and pans are all over the internet these days – thanks to their sleek designs, and pretty colors. To achieve their attractive smooth, matte finishes, these forms of cookware often come with several layers of ceramic coating. These finishes are meant to help make pots and pans nonstick and heat food evenly.
However, certain vintage or traditional handmade forms of ceramic ware have been known to contain levels of unwanted metals, and can be toxic when used for food and drink. So, is it really safe to use cookware with ceramic coatings? Here’s what experts have to say.
Is Ceramic Cookware Safe to Use?
Our experts agree that buying ceramic cookware from a reputable company is completely safe. “Ceramic cookware is safe to use if it is properly glazed, using materials authorized for food contact use, and the glazing is intact,” explains a spokesperson from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Taylor Wallace, principal and CEO at the Think Healthy Group, LLC and an adjunct associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University agrees, saying if the ceramic cookware is made in the U.S. and purchased from a reputable retailer, it’s completely safe to use. The U.S. regulates metals like lead and cadmium, while regulation in other countries can vary.
In addition, the FDA spokesperson explains, “If metal utensils are used on ceramic, the ceramic can be scratched and damaged … Some ceramic-coated cookware has a metal base and a ceramic coating over top. Metal utensils can chip or scrape the coating and expose the metal beneath. Provided the underlying metal is stainless steel appropriate for use in cookware, this is not harmful, but scratched or chipped coatings can be harder to clean than an unmarred ceramic finish.”
The FDA manages programs that are designed to monitor products including foods and certain items that are supposed to be for food use, like glazed ceramic ware. This is also because historically, manufacturing methods have resulted in the ingestion of toxic elements like lead. The FDA maintains a list of products it tests for these metals, and announces any that show contamination.
Should You Buy Ceramic Cookware?
Our experts agree that ceramic cookware is completely safe to use if you purchase from a reputable supplier. Commercial factories that produce ceramic cookware for everyday use are much less likely to have lead-related issues. Types of ceramic ware you want to avoid include:
- Handmade with a crude appearance or irregular shape
- Antique
- Damaged or excessively worn
- Purchased from flea markets or street vendors, or if you are unable to determine whether the pottery is from a reliable manufacturer
- Brightly decorated in orange, red or yellow color, as lead is often used with these pigments to increase their intensity
How Do You Know If Your Ceramic Ware Is Safe for Food and Drink?
To determine whether your ceramic ware is safe, the FDA recommends:
Testing the pottery. You can buy lead-testing kits online or in hardware stores. The kit contains swabs with instructions on how to use the swabs and read results.
Checking the manufacturer. Wallace recommends purchasing “U.S. brand products from reputable brands.” If you aren’t sure, then avoid using the cookware for cooking, serving or storing food or drinks.
Looking for a warning label. If the ceramic ware (or pottery) was created for use as a decorative item only, it may have a warning label that says, “Not for Food Use — May Poison Food.” This type of item should not be used for cooking, serving or storing food or drinks. The FDA also warns that even if you wash, boil or process the pottery in any way, this will not remove lead from it.
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