Stainless Steel Leaches Nickel and Chromium into Foods During Cooking

submitted by [deleted] from self.Cooking

Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284091/

The short n curly version is that all stainless steel cookware leaches nickel and chromium into your food, particularly when the food is acidic.

Particularly when the cookware is new. Might want to boil vinegar in new SS pots before use, or cook the first 6 meals for other people.

Not covered by the article, but cast iron has the same issue with acidic foods, except they leach iron, which can be a problem.

Moral of the story, be careful cooking acidic shit.

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[–]Optimus85 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

It's OK. I'm not getting enough chromium in my diet anyway.

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Oh nooo....I'm allergic to nickel too, when it touches my skin. Who knows what it does to my insides.

[–]jet199 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Puts hairs on your chest

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Just another toxin to add to the list. We're full of PFAs and microplastics anyway.

[–]send_nasty_stuff 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

cast iron has the same issue with acidic foods, except they leach iron, which can be a problem.

The stainless leeching might be true but the iron leaching is a myth. Everyone that cooks with cast iron seasons it. The polymerized oil acts as a rust (and leaching) prevention layer between the iron and the food. Acid dishes will break this seasoning down though which is why most cast iron addicts keep an enameled cast iron dutch oven around for acidic dishes.

or cook the first 6 meals for other people.

kek. I guess that's one way to mitigate risk. For yourself.

Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and cast iron are still some of the best types of cookware to my knowledge. Unless you can get some copper or brosilicate glass. The glass has been discontinued and the copper is expensive. If you look at the cookware options besides SS and CI most of them are terrible. Graniteware = garbage. Teflon = super garbage. Aluminum = neurological damage.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

The stainless leeching might be true but the iron leaching is a myth. Everyone that cooks with cast iron seasons it. The polymerized oil acts as a rust (and leaching) prevention layer between the iron and the food. Acid dishes will break this seasoning down though which is why most cast iron addicts keep an enameled cast iron dutch oven around for acidic dishes.

All the studies I'm aware of show trace amounts of iron added from cooking in cast iron, and I've personally had iron overload, my seasoned pot and a multivitamin are the only big sources of iron in my life. There is a theory that the studies were done with newer, poorly seasoned pans, but mine doesn't fall into that category.

Iron isn't easy to get rid of, I needed therapeutic phlebotomy. Doesn't surprise me small trace amounts can build up into unhealthy amounts given enough time.

brosilicate glass. The glass has been discontinued

You can still get borosilicate cookware, it's on Amazon, just Pyrex switched to soda-lime glass in '98.

copper

Most copper cookware is lined, some of the linings aren't great either like tin or nickel, and takes advantage of copper only for its heat transfer. Copper toxicity and overload is a concern too.

Aluminum = neurological damage

Yeah, I would never cook with aluminum, even my camping cookware is SS. Not worth Alzheimer's.

[–]send_nasty_stuff 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

There is a theory that the studies were done with newer, poorly seasoned pans, but mine doesn't fall into that category.

I think this might be the case and I've seen those studies posted on r/castiron. Seasoning can break down and some iron and rust bits can get integrated into it but good seasoning and cleaning practices should prevent that.

Iron isn't easy to get rid of, I needed therapeutic phlebotomy. Doesn't surprise me small trace amounts can build up into unhealthy amounts given enough time.

So do you have a sensitivity to iron? Most people are chronically low on iron.

You can still get borosilicate cookware,

Nice. I'm going to have to look for that. I've been scouring the goodwills for years looking for this one company that made brosilicate sauce pans. They discontinued them because like one or two exploded.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

So do you have a sensitivity to iron?

My iron levels were dangerously high, it can cause chronic pain (why they were looking into it) and organ failure. It's not that there was a small amount of iron in me I didn't react well too.

I'm probably more susceptible to the problem since I cook a lot, pretty much all of my own meals, and my numero uno cookware was and still is my cast iron skillet. I am more careful about cooking and deglazing with acidic ingredients now. I had been under the impression that was not a problem to ever be concerned with.

Most people are chronically low on iron.

Women that menstruate tend to be low, and I've heard there is a problem in Africa, but considering my own experience I'd highly recommend people check their iron levels before supplementing iron.

[–]send_nasty_stuff 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

You don't drink well water by any chance?

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

My water comes from a municipal supply, the water tests are surprisingly clean, although not perfect. I filter it, or use commercially filtered/ distilled water.

Iirc the municipal water supply is mostly from Lake Houston.