Kitchens- Is the heart of your home really healthy?

For most of us, the urge to constantly eat and in some cases, feed all those around us, is what makes the kitchen the heart of our homes. This is the place where families and friends get together, when comfort food is doled out in times of crisis and where late night chats are held over endless cups of coffee (or tea). Even if it's only toast and eggs that are your specialties, when it comes to the kitchen you need to know what really goes on behind those closed cabinets.

Cookware:  

According to an EPA (Environmental protection agency) study, 95% of humans have Teflon chemicals in our systems? Does that sound scary? You bet it is! PFOA, the compound used in Teflon coatings have been tied to thyroid damage studies, yet we surround ourselves with it - Teflon cookware, burger wrappings and other daily consumed food packaging. The US EPA has asked major manufacturers to phase out the use of this compound by 2015, and so while there's not been any direct advisory telling us to throw out what we already have, environmentalists are saying that we should be looking to see what we have in our kitchen drawers, and getting rid of them.

So, what can you cook in? Stainless steel may be a little stickier, but it's a whole lot safer. Just add a bit more oil (no cooking sprays please) and you're good to go. Cast iron skillets are another choice and if you really want to splurge, then think of investing in light-weight titanium. Glass is another great renewable source and makes excellent cookware. Copper and aluminum can be used, but ensure that they are stainless steel coated. A little copper is okay to ingest, a lot can be quite poisonous.

Bake ware:

This is where muffin makers sigh! What are the alternatives to baking in non-stick muffin tins? Sure, you can line them with paper cups, but then you're talking of bleached paper which is also disposable. So, what can an eco friendly baker do? Ceramics are popular for bake ware and look great on the table too. Silicon is another excellent option. It may look strange and come in funky colors, more suitable to kids play toys than serious adult cooking, but it's non-toxic and made from combining silicon (sand) with oxygen.  And who wants to be serious while baking cookies anyways!  You can literally stock your entire baking cabinet with items made from silicon, including spatulas, cookie sheets and oven gloves. Perhaps the best option though is stone bake ware. Most of this kind of bake ware is water-tight, unbreakable and chip resistant, ideal for clumsy bakers. And the best part is that you need grease it only once or twice to make it non-stick for life. Other options include stainless steel, but bake ware made from this can be hard to find and it may take time to get used to baking in them.