Vessel of choice

The utensils you cook your food in could put you at a health risk

The utensils you cook your food in could put you at a health risk
Cooking utensils made of aluminium,copper and iron are used every day almost every home. Doctors,however,point out the dangers of cooking,storing food or water in some of them. Take a closer look at your kitchen vessels with these points in mind.

Non-stick
Non-stick utensils are not really harmful but they need to be used with a lot of caution. One should never leave an empty non-stick pan or utensil on the stove for more than five minutes,because after it reaches an extreme temperature,the Teflon melts and leaches into the food in small quantities. Teflon leaching in the food can be carcinogenic. One should not use metal spoons to stir the food in non-stick vessels,scratching the coating can cause it to come off and get mixed in the food, says Dr S K Aggarwal,internal medicine,Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals,Delhi.

Aluminium
Because these utensils are lightweight,cheap,rust-free and easily available,their use has increased a lot over the last decade. However,doctors say aluminium utensils can be very harmful. The reason is the fact that aluminium readily reacts with oxygen present in the atmosphere and produces aluminium oxide. The aluminium oxide forms layers on the utensils surface. When we eat the food made in aluminium utensils,the aluminium enters and gets accumulated inside our body, says Dr S K Aggarwal,internal medicine,Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.
Aluminium oxide can seriously affect the brain,affect neurons and cause dementia. It can also result in kidney and renal failure. Aluminium also neutralises the vitamins and minerals present in the food. So,food materials like salt,tea,soda,lemon,tamarind and tomato should not be cooked or kept in aluminium vessels.

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Copper
Copper vessels are commonly used for storing food and water. Drinking water from a copper cup is said to purify the blood and remove toxins from the body. Storing water in a copper vessel,however,can prove to be harmful if the vessel is not washed regularly. Before using a copper cup or glass,one must make sure that it is scrubbed and rinsed well to ensure that no deposits remain, says Dr Aggarwal. The water or food from unwashed copper vessels can cause stomach ailments.

Iron
When cooked on a high flame,iron leaches into the food. The increase of iron levels in the body is harmful to the blood vessels. An increased level of iron in the body may make us more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, says nutritionist Shikha Sharma.

Steel
Stainless steel is the safest type of utensil to be used for cooking. Food cooked in stainless steel at a normal,domestic cooking temperature absorbs nickel (an ingredient of steel). But the level is much below the harmful limits allowed in the human body, says Dr Aggarwal. One must,however,make sure that the steel utensils they buy are ISI-marked.