Cooking with Chris Profile picture
Dec 20, 2022 22 tweets 4 min read Read on X
A GUIDE TO NON TOXIC COOKWARE

-Which cookware to avoid
-Which cookware is safe
-When & where to use each
-Brands that you can trust

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Cookware can be a major source of toxins and heavy metals if you are using the wrong material at the wrong time

Even brands labeled as “healthy” use greenwashing and are not completely safe

Let’s break it down👇🏼
Let’s start with cookware to avoided altogether:

Teflon or nonstick

Nonstick pans are typically coated with plastic polymer PTFE, PFAS, PFOA and more

When heated, these pans can release toxic fumes into the air and into your food
Luckily PFOA has largely been phased out of American cookware, but older cookware and cookware made overseas can still very well contain them

However, now it is even more misleading where brands can greenwash claiming their brand is “PFOA free” yet use other sketchy materials.
That is why it’s best to avoid altogether
Aluminum

Aluminum is a neurotoxin and has zero known use in the human body

It has shown that when heated, especially with acidic foods, it can leach into your food

Avoid
Copper

Copper can also leech into your food in amounts that aren’t safe to consume, especially unlined.

However, even common copper cookware coatings, like nickel or tin, aren’t safe either.

Avoid
Now let’s take a look at safer options, and where they’d be most appropriate.

To be clear: just because these options are *safer*, it does not mean they are perfect or do not have any danger. I will explain below.
Stainless steel

Pros: durable, doesn’t require much care, even heating

Cons: can still leech heavy metals including nickel and chromium into your food when cooking with acids

***Make sure to buy American made stainless steel
Cast iron

Pros: durable, lasts forever, seasons over time, great heat retention

Cons: can rust and leech excess iron into your food especially when cooking with acid, requires up front care and have to be careful cleaning it
Enameled Cast Iron

Pros: doesn’t react to acidic foods, heats evenly, retains heat well

Cons: very heavy, enamel can chip
Carbon steel

Pros: lighter than cast iron but same performance, seasons over time, great heat retention

Cons: just like cast iron, can leech excess iron into your food especially when cooking with acid, requires up front care and have to be careful cleaning it
Ceramic

Pros: non stick, easy to clean

Cons: can be sensitive to higher heat, many brands, can scratch easily, many brands are can leach nanoparticles and heavy metals like lead into your food as well

***Make sure to buy 100% pure ceramic
Glass

Pros: non-reactive, so it doesn’t release chemicals into your food

Cons: extremely fragile
So, as you can see, no cookware is perfect. But if you use the right cookware at the right time, you can avoid any negative health effects that come with them
High Heat Searing/frying:

Stainless steel, carbon steel and cast iron are all safe options for searing and cooking meat (make sure the cast iron & carbon steel are well seasoned). I believe stainless steel is the safest of the 3, but they all work great.
Low/medium heat:

100% ceramic is the best for low/medium heat cooking, like making eggs because of it is non-stick and easy to clean.
Braising/sauces: enameled cast iron is the best for braising (usually braising with acidic food) because it will not react to the acid like the others above. Just make sure the enamel is not chipped.
Sautéing: ceramic, stainless steel, cast iron and carbon steel are all safe as long as you aren’t using acids.
Recommended brands:

Stainless steel: All clad
Cast iron: Lodge
Enameled cast iron: Le Creuset
Ceramic: Extrema

There are definitely more brands out there that are safe, so feel free to leave them in the comments!
If this thread was helpful, please RT the original tweet to help spread awareness!
PS,

Is your new years resolution to lose weight and become healthier?

I am running an incredible weight loss challenge to kickstart to the new year that will teach you how to stay lean & healthy for LIFE

There are also AMAZING prizes for the winners!
chriscooks.gumroad.com/l/teutb

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More from @coookwithchris

Mar 26
THE ULTIMATE EGG BUYING GUIDE🍳

-Free range
-Organic
-Cage Free
-Pasture raised

A deeper dive into the extremely misleading egg industry

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If you’ve spent a minute in the health world, I’m sure you’ve heard that “free range” eggs are healthier than regular eggs.

If you’ve spent a minute looking at eggs in the grocery store, you’ve seen the various titles: free range, organic, cage free, who knows what else.
These terms are very trendy nowadays, and suppliers can now charge a few extra bucks by slapping a “free range” label on their eggs.

The real question is, do any of these labels actually mean anything?

Let’s get into it
Read 21 tweets
Mar 25
THE ULTIMATE BONE BROTH GUIDE🦴

Why you should drink it + how to make it perfectly

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Humans have been making bone broth for thousands of years.

After consuming all the meat and organs and using the hide, they were left with the bones. By heating the bones, they could extract the nutrients.
Hippocrates recommended it to people with digestive issues. And bone broth has always been used in Chinese medicine to heal the gut.

There are countless examples throughout history—they were definitely onto something. Using the whole animal is the most nutritious way to eat.
Read 19 tweets
Mar 24
STEAK THREAD🥩

Steak with just salt & pepper is great, but there are endless ways to cook it while incorporating different flavors

Here are 8 of my favorite ways to enjoy steak with a variety of flavors:Image
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Garlic steak bites

Ingredients:

1 lb steak of choice
4 tbsp butter
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
Avocado oil, tallow or ghee

Let the butter soften, then stir in crushed garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt then set aside.

Cut your steak into bite sized pieces, then season well with salt and pepper on all sides.

Heat your high-heat cooking fat (avocado oil, tallow, or ghee) over medium-high heat in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet.

Sear the steak on both sides, for about a minute each side. You want to get some nice color, so make sure the pan is ripping hot before putting the steak on.

When all of your steak has been seared, turn the heat off and add all the steak back in the pan. Put your garlic butter in the pan and toss well until it's fully melted and has completely coated your steak bites.Image
Easy Pho

Slice some flank steak as thin as possible

Boil some bone broth, season to taste, then pour it over the raw steak

You can add any vegetables, herbs or spices to the broth when you’re bringing it to a boil, or just enjoy it simply

You can also add rice noodles or already cooked riceImage
Read 10 tweets
Mar 20
If you want to:

-Make fat loss easier
-Control cravings
-Have steady energy

You HAVE to control your glucose levels

Here’s how to do it:

(Thread)Image
Having big glucose spikes and dips can be associated with insulin resistance

Insulin is a hormone that can play a role in fat storage, and insulin levels tend to mirror glucose

So, how do we manage this?
First of all, when trying to lose weight, protein is king:

-It keeps you the most full
-You burn more calories digesting it compared to carbs & fat
-It helps build/maintain muscle, which means you will burn more calories while resting
Read 13 tweets
Mar 18
NON TOXIC COOKWARE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

-Which cookware to avoid
-Which cookware is safe
-When & where to use each
-Brands that you can trust

(Thread)Image
Cookware can be a major source of toxins and heavy metals if you are using the wrong material at the wrong time

Even brands labeled as “healthy” use greenwashing and are not completely safe

Let’s break it down👇🏼
Let’s start with cookware to avoided altogether:

Teflon or nonstick

Nonstick pans are typically coated with plastic polymer PTFE, PFAS, PFOA and more

When heated, these pans can release toxic fumes into the air and into your food
Read 20 tweets
Mar 17
Ground meat is one of the best foods to meal prep because it:

-Cooks in minutes
-Reheats well
-Is cheap
-High protein
-Easy to cook

Here are 7 of my favorite ways to cook it in 30 minutes or less:Image
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1. Burger Bowl

Inspired by the In n Out burger animal style fries, but healthy

Here’s how I make it👇🏼

Start by roasting your potatoes.

Preheat the oven 450 and cut your potatoes into 1 inch pieces.

Toss them in a bowl with oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Roast for 30 minutes, giving it on occasional stir. If you’re making a large batch you may need to let them go longer to get crispy.

While the potatoes are cooking, simply cook your ground meat of choice. When fully cooked, drain the fat, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

For the special sauce, combine:

1/2 cup avocado mayo
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
.5-1 tsp sugar
2 tablespoons relish

Adjust the vinegar & sugar to your preference.

Assemble your bowls with the potatoes on the bottom, then the ground meat, then top with lettuce, onion, pickles, tomatoes, avocado, sauerkraut or anything else you want.

Drizzle the special sauce on top and enjoy!Image
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2. Fried Rice:

First thing’s first, you need leftover rice (ideally cooked in bone broth) Making fried rice with warm rice will result in a very mushy fried rice.

This can be made with pretty much any protein source, and any veggies, but ground meat is the easiest.

If you have pre cooked protein in the fridge, save it until the end. If you need to cook your protein, do that first, then set aside.

Optional step: add this stir fry sauce to your ground meat:



To a clean pan, add a drizzle of oil then onions and cook until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

Add another drizzle of oil to the pan then add garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.

Next, your veggies. I like using frozen peas and carrots, but you can use anything. Stir fry for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to combine everything.

Make some room on the pan, then add an egg or 2 and scramble. When they are almost cooked, mix in with the rest of the rice mixture.

Lastly, add your protein, a healthy drizzle of soy sauce or coconut aminos, sliced green onions and stir it all together until heated through. You can also add a tablespoon of butter here.

Garnish with more green onions and enjoy!

Again, this can be thrown together with any ingredients, and if you are missing anything above it will still be totally fine.Image
Read 9 tweets

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