Ice cream or yogurt? Soft drink or tea? Elevator or stairs? These are some of the everyday choices that make or break your health. You can eat yogurt, drink tea, or take the stairs and live a healthy lifestyle, but on the other hand, you can choose unhealthy alternatives which can affect your well-being drastically. So, if these small choices can transform your health over time, what would greater choices like your cooking utensils do?
The most important question here is what type of kitchen cookware you should use. There has been an endless discussion among the world’s greatest cooks about whether modern cookware is better than traditional cookware or the other way around.
How Modern Cookware Found its Place in the Market
When the age of modern cookware started in the 1900s, aluminum was quickly replacing traditional utensils in the market like copper and brass. Half a decade later, stainless steel cookware was introduced, which was cheaper and easier to maintain. So, people quickly started abandoning traditional utensils for cooking.
But after more than a decade, there has been a resurgence of age-old utensils in the modern kitchen. With the advancement of science and research in the field of medicine, many discoveries were made about the types of cookware in your kitchen and how they affect you.
So, to help you make your choice, here is a detailed comparison between both types of utensils and how they affect your health.
The Upsides of Traditional Cookware
With new discoveries, the biggest question that came to the fore was: does traditional cookware benefit your health? And the answer is a resounding yes. Many kinds of traditional cookware offer different health benefits.
Brass Cookware
Kitchen Accessories have been one of the most popular types of cookware and have been used and treasured since the rise of civilization. Their roots go back to Ayurveda, where they are credited to balance the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Today, brass cookware has been scientifically acknowledged as one of the best metals to cook your meals in. Not only is it a good conductor of heat, but it also retains around 90-97% of the nutrition available in the food. Its excellent antibacterial properties, as well as durability, make it a perfect kitchen utensil.
Copper Cookware
Copper cookware is one of the most used traditional kitchen accessories. They are the go-to utensils in many high-end French restaurants and Indian kitchens alike. Their continued use for generations is due to their great cooking properties and health benefits.
Copper is a natural antibacterial. It removes harmful bacteria from the water, like E. coli, and purifies it. The food cooked in copper cookware offers a bagful of health benefits too. The copper utensil makes the food rich in copper and other minerals, which are essential for making red blood cells, nerve cells, and the immune system healthy.
Furthermore, copper promotes good digestion and boosts brain functioning. They are 100% non-toxic and sustainable, which reinforces their advantage for everyday use.
Does Cooking in Modern Cookware Have Health Benefits?
Modern cookware might be easier to cook in due to its sturdiness and great heat conductivity. But do these offer any health benefits? According to many scientific studies and research, their use has been often linked to a negative health impact.
Aluminum
Though lightweight and inexpensive, there are many downsides to using aluminum cookware to make your food. Many studies have raised concerns that aluminum can potentially cause many diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
Moreover, aluminum can react with certain foods like tomatoes, vinegar or citrus fruits. This can lead to a slight change in the taste of the food as a little
aluminum tends to seep in. This is very problematic as high levels of aluminum can be toxic, leading to health concerns such as brain and bone disorders.
Stainless Steel
Though known to be an affordable and durable kitchen utensil, stainless steel develops many adverse effects after being used for a longer time. Studies show that some stainless-steel cookware can leach nickel and chromium into your food when it is cooked for a longer time. Similarly, acetic acid solutions, like tomato sauce, have shown an increase in the leaching capacity of these elements. Though this might not look alarming, high exposure to nickel and chromium can lead to inflammation of the skin.
Teflon
Teflon is the worst kind of cookware available on the market; not only does it affect your health, but if it is not disposed of properly, it can also pollute the environment. When used for a longer time, Teflon starts breaking down into microplastics, ingesting which can lead to cancer.
Scientists have also raised concerns about PFOA, a chemical used in making these kinds of cookware, which can cause several health complications.
Additionally, Teflon poses environmental risks as well.
The Last Line
This comparison derives the conclusion that traditional cookware is often safer to use in the kitchen and offers numerous health benefits. Modern cookware, though cheaper and easier to maintain, can be a good alternative if appropriately used. But for a long and healthy run, traditional cookware easily takes the cake.
There is a reason why utensils like brass tawa for roti and copper water dispensers are making a comeback in the kitchens. In the end it is relevant to ask: if the best recipes are handed down to generations, then why not utensils?
