I’ve been thinking about the ingredients I use in my kitchen for decades. Where was the produce grown and under what conditions? What were the living conditions of the animals providing milk and meat? Who’s hands raised, slaughtered and butchered this cow or pig or chicken? What kinds of salt and fat and acids will bring us the best flavor? How were they produced? And how nourishing is all of it?
But it wasn’t until I met the owner of a sweet little shop in Stillwater, Minnesota called ToxyFree that I started to think about the actual cooking vessels, utensils and cutting boards as ingredients in my cooking too. It was a life changing discovery.
Now, the same intentional decision making process that happens prior to bringing edible ingredients into my home is extended into cooking tools as well. Before you feel overwhelmed and without a starting place, let me share that this is a journey, not an immediate destination. Not everything in my home is a nutrient dense, clean, organic powerhouse. I own plastic wrap and aluminum foil. But I’m curious and learning and making the next right choice whenever possible.
Many of us saw the headlines in late 2024 about a study showing that of all plastic, black plastic was likely the most harmful when it comes to cooking utensils and kids items.
USA Today reported:
“They are likely coming from recycled black plastic housings used in televisions and electronics, which are required for safety purposes to contain flame retardants.
This type of plastic appears to be getting into at least some consumer products such as kitchen utensils, food serviceware, toys and hair accessories sold in the United States. Most of the recycling is done outside the U.S.”
And the Washington Post explained a mathematical error that led to a correction in the study results, but the authors still reached the same conclusion about the risks of plastic in the kitchen.
“In the study published last year, researchers found high levels of flame retardants in slotted pasta spoons, sushi trays and children’s black plastic beads. Initially, researchers noted that some items could approach the EPA limit of 42,000 nanograms a day for a person weighing around 132 pounds. But they clarified in a correction a few months later that the EPA limit is 420,000 nanograms per day.
Megan Liu, a co-author of the study, says the correction doesn’t fundamentally change the study’s results — they still found flame retardants in many household items, and in much higher quantities than most people would be comfortable with.
Researchers have also questioned whether that federal exposure limit is accurate. “It’s an old number,” Liu said, pointing out that the safe dose was last evaluated almost 20 years ago, before most of the scientific research on PBDEs.”
When I shared this study on social media, I was flooded with questions: What should I get rid of? Where should I start? What should I use instead? Can I just pick up wooden cutting boards and utensils anywhere?
So this morning on Minnesota Live, I invited Laura from ToxyFree into my kitchen to share her tips to building a collection of cooking tools that are non-toxic, functional and beautiful.
If you’re already sold on making a change – here are some quick clicks for you:
Olive wood utensils
Wood cutting boards
Wood wax
If you’re looking to prioritize items in your kitchen, Laura shared this helpful list and more information plus links to studies as well.
Top Ten Toxins in the Kitchen
- Aluminum
- Coffee pods
- Cutting boards
- Food packaging
- Food storage containers
- Soap
- Sponges
- Tap water
- Teflon and nonstick cookware
- Utensils
From HOME DETOX by Daniella Chace (foreword by Joel Fuhrman, MD)
CUTTING BOARDS:
-soft plastic is a concern because the knives also cut into the boards chopping little slices of plastic and potentially phthalates into our food (one of the reasons we ingest a credit card’s worth of plastic every week!)
-triclosan synthetic chemical used to kill bacteria (triclosan linked to cancer, immune suppression, and diabetes
CARE: clean with baking soda or coarse salt; dry well; can sand the surface to make it smooth again; if dry put a light coat of a good oil.
BEWARE RECYCLED PLASTIC (some outlawed toxins can show up in recycled plastic; it’s why many of the inexpensive black plastic utensils test high for BFRs -brominated flame retardants – linked to thyroid disease and cancer and some are so dangerous to human health they are no longer allowed in the manufacturing of new products)
UTENSILS: “can contain a variety of toxins”
-many and especially the black nylon type contain DDM -diamino diphenylmethane- an epoxy hardener
-when used at high heat, they can melt, releasing the DDM in our food (DDM is a known carcinogen and can cause cirrhosis and tumors)
-formaldehyde
MORE RESOURCES:
Utensils: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/food/a29755435/plastic-cooking-utensils/ “As to the advice the scientists want you to take on-board? Keep your plastic utensils contact with food as brief as possible, especially in high temperatures. Or even swap out your plastic for wood to eliminate risks altogether.”
Black plastic: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/people-ditching-plastic-cooking-utensils-200000969.html “According to the report, people who use black plastic kitchen utensils…can be exposed to an average of 34.7 parts per million of PBDEs [flame retardants]. A study found that people with high levels of PBDEs in their blood are 300 percent more likely to experience terminal cancer.”
https://www.ehn.org/avoiding-black-...wKWuRn4s2Q==:MzcDWqpuQ4k0ZIfrbGnMcrqlr5gA94iy
- A study found 85% of tested black plastic kitchen items contained harmful flame retardants.
- Heat and oil can increase the likelihood of these chemicals leaching into food.
- Experts recommend replacing black plastic tools with wood, stainless steel, or silicone alternatives. NOTE: silicone is not biodegradable; ends up in landfill
Microplastics & heart disease: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...laque-carotid-artery-heart-disease-rcna142067
Cutting Boards: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.3c00924 “This study identifies plastic chopping boards as a substantial source of microplastics in human food, which requires careful attention.” (American Chemical Society 2023)
Benefits of wood cutting boards: https://www.southernliving.com/benefits-of-wood-cutting-boards-8559791#citation-2
Food safety with wood: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33401823/ “This review demonstrates that the porous nature of wood, especially when compared with smooth surfaces, is not responsible for the limited hygiene of the material used in the food industry and that it may even be an advantage for its microbiological status. In fact, its rough or porous surface often generates unfavorable conditions for microorganisms. In addition, wood has the particular characteristic of producing antimicrobial components able to inhibit or limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.”
Antimicrobial properties of wood: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/9/5/225
Thanks to Laura and her husband Behzad for being such wonderful resources, freely sharing information and curating a beautiful shop filled with gorgeous, healthy, functional things.