Best Cookware for Baby Food

Different questions come from different parents about their babies, what to feed them, and how to feed them. Countless articles have equally been turned out about infants, and the type of foods that are safe for them to eat. But as a parent or caregiver, have you ever paused to see if the gadgets with which you cook your baby food are as safe as the food itself? 

There is really no point buying the most nutritious food in the market for your baby, if what you cook it in is anything but medically safe. Hence, ensure to consider the safety status of your pans, pots, and food cookers before you embark on your baby food adventure.

Fortunately, in this article, we have taken it upon ourselves to help you find the best cookware for baby food. So, why stress yourself when you can simply just read on? Okay, let’s go!

Cast Iron

Cookware made of cast iron is outstanding for reasons that are great. It retains heat, is durable, and has a flexibility that works at escalated temperatures. When seasoned the right way, it also features non-stick cooking, and is protected from rust. When cast iron is heard; cookware examples that should come to mind include – Dutch ovens, griddles, waffle irons, flattop grills, deep fryers, tetsubin, woks, karahi, potjies, Panini presses, crepe makers, amidst a few others.

Is Cast Iron Cookware Safe for Babies?

Cookware made of cast iron is widely used, and finds application in searing. And while it can be said to be safe, it has a tendency to leach iron which happens to be a powerful pro-oxidant. 

Iron, apart from being a necessary material in the making of cookware, doubles as an essential mineral in diets. And because your baby, like every human being, requires a portion of iron in their diets, cooking their food in a cast iron cookware can move the iron from the food to their body. This makes sense in a world where quite over a billion people are anemic from iron deficiency. 

But the very thing that makes iron so required and important, that is, its ability to transport electrons, makes it insidiously inimical when the ingestion becomes excess. What happens when your baby ingests too much iron is that, the production of free radicals are greatly increased. 

There has been an established link between excess of iron and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and colorectal cancer, amidst many others. So the takeaway here is that: cast iron cookware is safe for babies, in that, it helps them get some dietary iron as a mineral. The excess of it is what is not okay, and how do you know when it has become excessive? Do not use cast iron cookware all the time.

Cast Iron Cookware Benefits and Side Effects

Benefits

• It contributes iron, an essential dietary mineral, to the body.
• It retains heat, hence, is good for searing meats
• It is durable
• It has the ability to work well at elevated temperatures
• Cast iron is tough
• It is naturally non stick
• Easy to clean
• Affordable

Side Effects

• The handle can become hot
• It is quite heavy 
• It could need re-seasoning 

Example of Cast Iron Cookware: Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet Set 

Product Pros:

• 8 inches diameter
• Black color
• Comes with a nonstick coating
• Even heat distribution
• Great cooking versatility
• Silicone hot handle holder
• Lifetime warranty

Enameled Cast Iron or Steel

Is Enameled Cast Iron Cookware Safe?

Enamel cast iron cookware is durable, and unlike cast iron, does not leach iron at all. It comes with a non-stick surface that is natural, and does not rust. These features tamp down on possible health risks that accompany cookware produced from other materials, and obviously make Enamel cast iron cookware safe.

Enamel Cast Iron Cookware Pros and Cons

Pros:

• They can be used with diverse heat sources on every cooktop
• It has a better heat-retention ability compared to other cookware
• It has the ability to remain free of rust, provided the enamel is not damaged
• It has a fabulous look

Cons:

• It is heavy
• It has a lower thermal conductivity
• It takes a longer time to heat up than seasoned cast iron
• It has a requirement for oil, as it is not as non-stick as seasoned cast iron
• It does not have any metal, silicone, or wood
• It can be very expensive

Example of Enameled Cookware: Suteck Enameled Cast Iron 2-In-1 Skillet Set 

Product Pros:

• It works well for casserole dish, hot pots, and soup pots
• It functions as a container, and can store food
• Enamel finish does not react to food, hence, can be used to marinate
• It is flexible
• Easy to clean

Ceramic

Is Ceramic Cookware Safe?

The fact is, ceramic cookware is not always solely made from ceramic. It contains metal, and is coated with a nonstick material such as silicone. There is no clear-cut proof as to the safeness of ceramic cookware. What is however known is that ceramic cookware is safe at higher temperatures. 

Ceramics are sealed with a type of glaze that can leach unhealthy materials, such as heavy metals, into food. 

Ceramic Cast Iron Cookware Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Easy to clean
• Available in different awesome colors
• Serves as a safe storage for foods
• Dishwasher safe

Cons:

• Not so durable
• It chips easily
• Not exactly safe
• Food sticks

Example of Ceramic Cookware: Greenlife Soft grip 15 Piece Ceramic

Product Pros:

• Versatile in cooking
• Soft grip’s Bakelite handles
• Tough and strong
• Dishwasher safe
• Comes with a rivetless interior that blocks snags and food buildup
• Durable
• Works on all stovetops with the exclusion of induction
• User-friendly

Stoneware

Is Stoneware Safe to Cook With?

Stoneware is clay that has been projected at a great temperature to produce strong, firm, and chip-proof materials. Stoneware is known to be remarkably durable and strong. A flexible material, stoneware is safe to be used at various temperatures in the oven and thus enjoys a wide application in the manufacture of different cookware and bakeware. 

Being a hard and chemically inert material, stoneware has a chemical coordination that makes its cookware safe and ideal for cooking.

Stoneware Cookware Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Durability
• Usability
• Has heat-retentive qualities
• Even baking ability
• Offers clean flavors
• Natural-stick resistance
• Versatility 
• Easy to clean
• Appealing sight

Cons:

• Heavy weight
• Does not look good when seasoned

Example of Stoneware: Le Creuset Stoneware set of 4 mini cocottes

Product Details and Pros

• Material: Stainless steel, Aluminum
• Cerise color
• Round shape4
• 4 mini 8-ounce cocottes
• Odor-resistant
• Comes with a cookbook that has 25 original recipes
• Resists chipping, cracking, and staining
• Easy to clean and giftable

Glass

Is Glass Cookware Safe?

What makes glass cookware different from other types of cookware, indeed, is that it is safe for usage and quite green. Not only does it prevent unhealthy chemicals from leaching into foods, it is also not reactive to foods which have acidic contents. 

As a matter of fact, when it comes down to maintaining good health, glass cookware makes a lot of sense.

Glass Cookware Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

• It is visually appealing 
• Efficient and versatile
• Non-reactive
• Non-porous
• Dishwasher-safe

Disadvantages:

• Breaks easily

Example of Glassware: Anchor hocking over basics

Product Details and Pros:

• Durability 
• Safeness
• Ease of cleaning
• Sturdiness
• Great value for money
• Giftable

Stainless Steel

Is it safe to use Stainless Steel Cookware?

Stainless steels are go-to cookware for chefs and anyone who prioritize their health above any other thing. Really, stainless steel cookware is safe, but the fact that it has a tendency to leach low levels of chromium and nickel into foods cannot be evaded. And this mostly happens when you cook foods like tomatoes, which are quite acidic.

Stainless Steel Cookware Pros and Cons

Pros

• Versatile
• Easy to clean
• Dishwasher safe
• Sturdy

Cons:

• Leaches heavy metals into food
• Contains nickel which is of no nutritional good to the body
• Causes allergy

Example of Stainless Steel Cookware: Cook N Home 12-piece stainless steel

Product Details and Pros:

• Has a reflective finish on the interior and exterior
• Stackable and flat base for storage
• Stays evenly on cooktops
• Riveted stainless steel handles 
• Induction compatible
• Heat resistant
• Durable
• Easy to clean
• Quality material

Conclusion

If you knew that what you cook with is as important as what you cook, you would pay rapt attention to the safeness and details of your cookware. When it comes down to your baby food, you want to pay much more attention to your cookware. This is how to ensure an overall safeness of what she eats. In this article, we have discussed extensively on different cookware, their details, and the status of their safeness. We hope the information helps you.