As an avid home cook, I believe the type of cookware you use is as important as the food quality and ingredients used in your meals. Having the correct type of cookware ensures a dish is cooked to perfection and means a dish you can feel good about eating. I’ve even convinced my grandparents and parents to ditch their nonstick cookware recently — which is no easy task for an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type of crowd.
A recent study has suggested that even a tiny surface scratch in Teflon cooking pans can shed over 9,000 microparticles and nanoparticles of plastic into your food. If you ask me, this is reason enough to switch to stainless steel cookware free of PFAS (also known as forever chemicals) that build up in your body and cause adverse effects on your health and the environment. I recently tried an 11-inch pan by Hestan NanoBond cookware, which has made the switch to stainless steel pans a breeze. Here’s why I think this pan is perfect for any home cook.
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Even heat distribution
Emily Caldwell / The Manual
For those like my grandma, the most common argument against giving up traditional nonstick cookware is that stainless steel cookware doesn’t distribute heat the same way. Many argue that food doesn’t cook relatively as evenly in these types of pans, which can be a barrier to making the switch. Meanwhile, I haven’t had this issue with the Hestan NanoBond titanium stainless steel pan.
The NanoBond technology of this pan creates a patented, multilayer structure of titanium-based alloys that bond directly to stainless steel for an even cooking surface that is also resistant to scratching and staining. Unlike other pans I’ve tried, the handles don’t get hot while cooking either, helping to ensure your safety as you cook. Although there are dozens of brands to go with when shopping for stainless steel cookware, Hestan’s NanoBond offers something different by bonding titanium-based nanolayers into stainless steel. I’ve cooked everything from seared steaks to scrambled eggs in this perfect, everyday pan. The 11-inch size is a great “medium” size that isn’t too big or small for most basic meals.
The quality of this pan feels like something every avid home cook deserves. Its sturdy construction is made to last even with everyday use. I like the feel of these pans and their durability, which is a bit better than my HexClad Cookware pans. Handcrafted in Italy with exquisite detailing on the handle, you get what you pay for with these quality pans. If you’re not used to cooking with stainless steel cookware, there is a learning curve. You’ll want to figure out how to preheat the pan to avoid cooking incorrectly. The learning curve isn’t difficult (regardless of your skill level as a home cook) and is worth it in the long term.
Chemical-free cookware
Hestan Culinary
While I love how the Hestan NanoBond pan cooks my food, the health-conscious factor of these pans is most important to me. If you’re cooking quality food daily, it’s worthwhile to do so in a frying pan that is 100% nontoxic and free of PFAS. I also like that it is a dishwasher-safe and nickel-free (good for anyone with nickel allergies) pan. Simply put, my meals just feel “cleaner” coming from high-quality cookware like this.
I threw my cutting board away after reading this study, and so should you – here’s why
Should you ditch your plastic cutting board?
A cutting board is one of those kitchen tools that isn't really up for debate when it comes to necessity. Unless you care not a bit for your knives or countertops, cutting boards are an absolute must when it comes to food preparation. We use them for everything from butterflying filets to mincing shallots, and every chop and dice in between. In the interest of avoiding cross-contamination, many people even have color-coded cutting boards in their kitchen, earning themselves a gold star in the world of food safety. Until now, at least.
While there are certainly plenty of cutting board options available on the market in both size and material, most of us probably have a few plastic versions lying around in our kitchens. And while these are great for giving that celery a quick chop, a recent study published by Environmental Science and Technology indicates that a good deal of that cutting-board plastic is actually ending up in our food.
The study
The study was conducted by chopping carrots on two different kinds of plastic cutting boards; one made from polypropylene and the other from polyethylene. Taking into account factors such as an individual's chopping style and force, the number of times an ingredient needed to be cut, and how often each board was used, the results indicated that all of that chopping could result in shedding 14 - 71 million polyethylene microplastics, and 79 million polypropylene microplastics from their respective boards each year. To put that into perspective, that's about the same amount of plastic as ten credit cards going straight into our food annually.
Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it. Since plastics have taken over the world, microplastics have been found almost everywhere in our bodies, including our blood, lungs, and even placentas. Another study conducted by the National Library of Medicine shows that microplastics can have drastically ill effects on the body. First, to the digestive system, starting when microplastics are first ingested, and then physical irritation to the gastrointestinal tract that may cause inflammation, resulting in various gastrointestinal symptoms. Microplastics can cause chemical toxicity, caused by these substances entering the body through the gastrointestinal tract when microplastics are ingested orally, leading to various gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
You’re probably not using the broiler setting on your oven, but it’s a game-changer — here’s why
What is a broiler, you ask? Only the best oven setting you're not using.
In the summertime, we talk an awful lot about grilling. And who can blame us? Grilling is a hoot, and grilled foods are spectacularly delicious. But for many reasons, grilling isn't always an option. Perhaps you haven't yet been inspired to buy a grill for yourself, or you live in a place that's especially rainy with no covered patio. Maybe you had a particularly embarrassing experience years ago that involved burning off your eyebrows, and you've been too scared to pick up the tongs ever since. Whatever the reason, it's okay. There is another option. In fact, it's likely something you already have in your kitchen and may not even be aware of. It's your broiler setting.
In addition to being a fantastic substitute for a grill, your broiler can also do a multitude of other impressive culinary tasks, from cooking to crisping to browning to brûléeing. So it's in your best interest to learn how to use this handy tool as soon as possible.
Broilers come standard with almost every oven on the market, be it gas or electric. In most cases, the broiler will be on the inside of your oven, the heat coming directly from the top. You'll access the broiler's heat by placing one of your oven racks on the highest setting — usually two to three inches from the broiler. In other cases, the broiler may be located in a drawer at the bottom of the oven and will work similarly, but with less control as to how closely your food can be placed to the heat source. Either way, it should be fairly obvious when you give your oven a quick inspection. So in case you've ever wondered what that button is for, or, if you're just noticing it for the first time since you moved in, this is how to use your broiler.
Cook
A broiler is, essentially, an upside-down grill inside your oven. If you know your way around a grill and think about it this way, cooking with the broiler will become quite simple. It gives off very high heat, so it's designed to cook quickly. Anything that cooks well on fast, high heat will do well in the broiler. Things like thin cuts of meat, smaller vegetables, and even pizza all cook beautifully this way. Simply adjust your settings according to your ingredients.
Stop tossing your garlic and onion skins: Here are 6 incredible reasons why
It turns out you might be throwing away the best part of your everyday ingredients
They may be the first thing we toss in the bin when it comes time for dinner prep, but it turns out that papery onion and garlic skin actually has some pretty incredible talents other than frustratingly sticking to our fingers. These are our favorite onion skin and garlic skin benefits.
Benefits of onion and garlic peels
1. They add nutrients to your diet
It may sound peculiar, but you can actually eat your onion and garlic skins. And while that papery skin may not be the first thing you want to turn to when it comes time for a midnight snack, it can actually be incorporated into your recipes. Add garlic and onion peels to stock for added flavor, grind, and mix them into savory baked goods. However you choose to include them in your cooking, you can rest assured that you're getting extra boosts of vitamins A, C, E, as well as many additional antioxidants. Skins are also a hefty source of flavonoids, including quercetin, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
2. They add protection and flavor during the cooking process
Keeping the skins on onions and garlic during the roasting process has many benefits. Firstly, all of the wonderful health benefits mentioned above. By keeping the skin intact as long as possible in the cooking process, more nutrients can make their way from the skin into your dish. But by keeping that skin on, you're also protecting the ingredients themselves from harsh cooking and over-browning. Onion and garlic skin will help to protect the more fragile flesh beneath from high heat, providing you with a softer, gentler, more flavorful ingredient.
3. They can relieve muscle cramps
Onions — especially onion skins — are rich in anti-inflammatory properties. By steeping your onion skins in hot water for a few minutes to make tea, you can help to alleviate muscle cramps and tension throughout your entire body. Enjoy before bedtime for full-body relaxation.
4. They're great for the garden
It turns out all those added nutrients in onion and garlic skins aren't just good for your body. They're great for your garden, too. Instead of tossing those skins in the garbage, compost them and put them right back into the ground where all of those wonderful nutrients can help other ingredients grow and flourish.
5. They relieve itchy skin
In addition to all of their other health benefits, garlic and onion skins contain anti-fungal properties that help to alleviate itchy skin ailments, including bug bites and athlete's foot. Simply apply onion or garlic skin-infused water to the affected area for instant relief.
6. They're to dye for
Did you know that onion and garlic skins can be used for dyes? By boiling skins in water, you can create a solution that will give a beautiful golden brown hue to most fabrics, including wool, linen, and silk. It will even help to eliminate gray hairs and give them a natural shine and bouncy texture. Who knew?!
