Cookware For Healthy Chefs

The holiday season would not be complete without mouth-watering aromas from oven and stovetop while the turkey roasts or the spiced wine mulls. Nonstick users might notice another aroma, however, if their coated pans, when heated above 680 degrees, release toxic fumes such as the animal carcinogen tetrafluoroethylene. Beyond this, the manufacture of Teflon and other nonstick coatings releases perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which, according to an EPA advisory panel, is a likely human carcinogen. Although nonstick may seem like the most popular cookware on the market, the truth is that stainless steel, cast iron and enameled alternatives are widely available, more durable and usually preferred by chefs. Jacques Pépin points out in his book Complete Techniques that nonstick pans are "too delicate for general use" adding that "they will lose their releasing quality and the coating will eventually peel off and may be harmful to your health." Since most nonstick coatings start to peel in two years, this holiday season give friends and family the gift of a nonstick alternative such as cast iron or stainless steel.

Cast Iron and Enameled Cast Iron

Traditional solid cast-iron cookware provides a nonstick surface when properly seasoned: Warm the pan briefly, then coat the pan in lard or shortening and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Then remove to pour off excess oil and return to the oven to continue baking for two hours at 300 degrees. Make sure that the handle does not have a plastic coating that could melt in the oven. While you might be tempted to use olive oil, it will leave a sticky surface and sometimes smoke during cooking.

Enameled cast iron is ideal for holiday roasting since it translates easily from the oven to the stovetop for deglazing (Le Creuset roasting pan, $170; www.surlatable.com, 800-243-0852). Mario Batali's Italian Kitchen line from Copco (www.italiankitchen.com, 800-794-5866) is a new line of enameled cast-iron pots and pans in vibrant colors (6-qt. Italian Essentials pot, $100; www.amazon.com). For traditional cast iron, it's hard to beat Lodge (8-in. skillet, $13.45; www.lodgemfg.com, 423-837-7181).

Stainless Steel

KitchenAid, known for bringing professional quality cooking appliances into the home, also makes Stainless Steel Clad pots and pans (8-in. skillet, $31.99; www.shopkitchenaid.com). Ikea carries a full line of inexpensive stainless steel oven roasting pans, racks and utensils called Koncis (roasting pan and grill rack, $17.99; or sauce wisk, $3.99; www.ikea.com).

French-made De Buyer Priority stainless steel pans, distributed in the U.S. by World Cuisine, boast single-piece construction for stability and even distribution of heat, and are designed to produce taste results comparable to professional-grade copper cookware (91/2-in. Priority sauté pan, $85; www.worldwidestore.com, 360-604-0080).

Woks

Electric woks are usually coated in Teflon, but cast-iron woks outlast nonstick counterparts and provide a more authentic wok flavor over time, as the iron surface picks up spices and flavors from each use. The Wok Shop carries traditional cast iron, enameled and hand-hammered steel woks for use on the stovetop. (16-in. cast-iron wok, $16.95; www.wokshop.com).