Ceramic is the latest craze in cookware, and for good reason. As you might have heard, pure ceramic cookware offers an eco-friendly alternative to cookware made of harmful metal and non-stick coated chemicals and toxins. Pure ceramic cookware also offers a laundry list of benefits for the ambitious home cook. Moreover, ceramic pots and pans offer a wealth of safety advantages over competing cookware. One of the greatest advantages to cooking with ceramic is its non-scratch properties. At Xtrema Pure Ceramic Cookware, we believe that staying well-informed is the path to better health, which includes knowing what goes into making the cookware you rely on for everyday meals. In this article, we take an in-depth look at what makes ceramic cookware non-scratch, so you can gain the insight needed to decide what your next set of cookware will be.
How is Ceramic Cookware Made?
You have probably heard or read a lot about ceramic non-stick pans. Truth be told, many of the pans and pots that are advertised as non-stick ceramic are actually metal pans that feature a chemically applied ceramic coating. However, Xtrema' s pots and pans are made of ceramic down to the core. The non scratch properties from our cookware are derived from a surface of ceramic glaze on the ceramic that smooths and fills micropores in the base layer ceramic. The earth's minerals used to make the non-scratch glaze on our signature pots and pans include Kaolinite, Clay, Sand, Mullite, Petalite, Cordierite, and various inorganic oxides. Many of these materials come from Australia, Africa, Asia, and the United States. The combination of these various oxides gives our products the timeless black color that customers love.
These ceramics pots and pans are also made without any dyes or toxic chemicals. This ceramic glaze is 100 percent safe and non-toxic, so you can feel great about the cookware you're using as well as the resulting taste of the food you prepare. We form our pots and pans in high-pressure casting molds and triple-fire the ceramic glaze at 2,500 degrees, which increases the surface hardness and makes it scratch-proof for your peace of mind.
How Does Ceramic Compare to Teflon and Ceramic Non-Stick Coatings?
With a wide variety of cookware options to choose from, one of the most important factors to consider is whether the cookware is safe for your family. As you now know, Xtrema's revolutionary ceramic glaze never emits gaseous or toxic odors. Non-stick cookware, on the other hand, features a synthetic coating made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or a few ceramic minerals and chemical. Due to the strength of its carbon-fluorine bonds, PTFE has non-scratch properties. Although Teflon has been in widespread use since the 1940s, research conducted in the last several decades has shown that Teflon cookware should not be heated to extremely high temperatures. This is also true of ceramic coated cookware. This limitation can be extremely problematic for home cooks that use gas heat to prepare their meals because gas stovetops heat more quickly than electric stovetops. PTFE coatings have also been found to be acutely toxic to birds. If you can't safely cook with Teflon while a bird's in the house, how can you feel safe serving food to your family that's made with Teflon cookware?
Furthermore, recent studies have revealed that when Teflon pans are heated to 680 degrees, they release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical that is lethal to humans at low doses. Some PTFE coatings are also made with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a man-made chemical that's designed to resist heat, water, grease, and sticking. PFOA can have harmful effects with too much exposure as well as an increased risk of cancerous conditions. Both PTFE and PFOA are capable of flaking off or leaching chemicals into the food you prepare. Thanks to its non-scratch glaze, our ceramic cookware is also resistant to bacteria, so that even highly acidic foods cannot stain the surface or leave behind food particles. Some cookware brands are very transparent when it comes to the non-scratch coating they use on their products, but other brands are less forthcoming. Be sure to perform your own research into the possible side effects and long-term risks of your cookware before making a decision.
How to Care for Non-Scratch Ceramic
One of the greatest advantages of owning non-scratch ceramic cookware is its versatility. Ceramic glaze cannot be damaged by the use of metal cooking utensils. In fact, ceramic pots and pans are safe for use with nylon, silicone, and wooden utensils. Plus, ceramic skillets and pans are completely safe for use on the stovetop, in the microwave, and on the grill, because they can withstand temperatures up to 2,500°F. Ceramics are also easy to maintain and clean. If you frequently cook with oil, you should completely clean off all of the cooked oil after each use. When using Xtrema the less oil the better. Although our cookware is dishwasher-safe, hand-washing with hot, soapy water is often the easiest way to keep your cookware clean. As needed, you can also use abrasive cleaners such as baking soda or gently scrub with steel wool pads. Thanks to the non-scratch glaze of ceramic cookware, you will end up saving so much time cleaning up after making a flavorful and nutritious meal for your family.
Deciding on the cookware you'll use to prepare ingredients, whip up a delicious meal, and even store the leftovers in is just as important as deciding what ingredients to buy at the grocery store. Now that you know what makes ceramic cookware non-scratch and how ceramics stack up to metal or other alternatives, we hope that you will make the smartest decision for your family and your health by switching to ceramic. We offer a large selection of saucepans, skillets, stock pots, woks, bakeware, and more, all made of natural ceramic. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our products or the non-scratch properties of ceramic cookware.