If you are a healthy cook, I am sure you are already aware of clay cooking. Now that people are becoming more knowledgeable about what happens with food cooked in metals, they are slowly turning towards this thousand-year-old method of cooking. But just like metal ions leach and react with food and contaminate it, choosing the wrong clay pot can also leave your food unhealthy. Here are some important tips that can help you choose the right one:
All Clays Are Not Equal
It's a common mistake to confuse any kind of clay to be good enough for clay pot cooking. In order to be healthy, the clay has to be in the purest form. The only clay that is suitable for making healthy cooking pots is primary clay because it is void of natural contaminants like mica. It is more elastic therefore requires no addition of chemicals and toxins. But for the consumer to know that the clay is primary clay, it has to be tested and certified.
And remember ceramics is not a natural material. Although loosely referred to as "clay" sometimes, it's a material prepared by combining oxides and metal ores to a small portion of clay. So it can be shiny, colorful, beautiful and durable but not healthy! Similarly, there are several other kinds of clay pots that have chemical additives and are not fit for cooking. Only tested primary clay whose purity is retained through the processes of making, is the healthiest for cooking.
Can you Check If Your Clay Pot Is Toxic?
Yes! And don't worry it's not rocket science, all you need is some baking soda, water, and your clay pot. Mix some baking soda in water and boil it in the pot. Turn stove off after 10 minutes of boiling. Let it cool down enough and then taste. If it has metals leaching, you will clearly taste the difference. If chemicals are present, the water will have a rubber/paint like taste to it.
For a control or comparison, mix some baking soda in one glass of water and taste it. This is exactly how it would taste after boiling in a (non-toxic) pure clay pot.
Why Choose Pure Clay Cookware
Pure clay pots are made from primary clay without the addition of any chemicals or metals in the making and finishing processes.
DOESN'T LEACH: Pure clay is naturally inert, it doesn't leach or react with food while cooking like other materials.
NO LOSS OF NUTRIENTS: Unlike conventional cookware, the heat generated from the walls of pure clay pots is food-friendly. It doesn't destroy delicate nutrients like complex carbs, flavonoids, and other phytonutrients.
EXCELLENT STEAM MANAGEMENT: When you cook in a conventional pot, you will notice the steam is released freely. So, the water-soluble nutrients are lost and your body is deprived of its daily dose of these nutrients (water-soluble nutrients are not stored in the body). But pure clay pots handle steam in a very efficient way.
While cooking, it rises from the food, condenses on the underside of the lid and settles back on to the food after the cooking is finished. Thus, you get all the nutrients from food - your body is nourished in the best way and in the words of an experienced user (myself): "you feel more energetic and 'full' throughout the day."
So for 100% non-toxic and healthy clay pot cooking, all you need is a pure clay pot!
Hi, this is Sharon Ray and I hope you enjoyed reading my article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am a passionate healthy cook and I love to spread the word about cooking healthy. For that, you need a healthy and non-toxic cookware and I got mine from Miriams Earthen Cookware -- an All-American company that makes 100% Healthy, Green & Non-toxic cookware. Their pots and pans are individually handcrafted and hand finished without using ANY chemicals, metals, glazes, additives, extenders or toxins.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9920294
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