The holiday season is upon us, which means many of us will soon be baking and cooking up a storm with our families! And I don't know about you, but I've been working hard these past few years to improve the materials I cook with in my kitchen. For one, non-stick is mostly out and so is plastic. Now I say "mostly" because I like to balance these goals with reality, but I do think the 80/20 rule is a great goal when it comes to these sorts of things.
So today, I'm excited to partner with our sponsor, MightyNest, to share some of the materials that you'll now find a lot of in my kitchen. They definitely know their stuff when it comes to smart choices - all their products are free from known toxic ingredients such as BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, melamine, formaldehyde, flame retardants, parabens and more. So while many of us are here because we're concerned about what foods we're cooking - let's be sure we don't overlook what tools we're using to prepare, serve and store all that wholesome goodness as well!
Cast Iron
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Stainless Steel
Bamboo
Glass
Ceramic
Bee's Wrap (Bonus!)
Kacey says
My knife I bought in Osaka, Japan
Dana says
I have slowly been upgrading our kitchen tools to get the older, unhealthy items out.
I am excited about the Bee's wrap and will be trying that soon!
Sandi says
I love my cast iron skillet. I was a little apprehensive about using it at first but with a little practice I can now even make over-easy eggs in that thing. I want to try reheating pizza in it as a previous poster suggested.
Lisa, have you ever tried making pizza directly on the grill, without a stone? It works very well and you end up with a really yummy grilled/charred crust. Plus, you don't have to get the crust perfectly round, just flatten it out and call it "rustic". :)
Faith J. says
I think I missed something: what's wrong with non-stick pots and pans? I mean, as long as the coating is intact?
Kate Goebel says
Thanks for this article! I am beginning to think about replacing my kitchen ware with items that are safer and more environmentally friendly. These products would be a great place to start! Especially the dutch oven which is a pan I use multiple times per week.
Tanya D says
Thank you for the introduction of great products. I am always looking for ways to make my cooking safer. I LOVE the glass containers!
Aaren says
Such great products! We SO need new cutting boards!
Jennifer h says
Awesome post, we need to get rid of our non stick egg cooking pan, that's my weakness.
Amy says
Jennifer, I JUST did this myself a few weeks ago! I got a ceramic frying pan (from Aldi of all places - $15!) and I am so thrilled with it. The egg slides right out of the pan and cleanup is just hot water! Definitely recommend.
Katie says
I love the bees wax muslin. I will have to search or find that online, I actually hate the plastic wrap because it never functions for me. The one thing I try to work on getting out of the house is canola oil.
Mandy says
My Christmas wish list just got a whole lot longer, thank you for such wonderful ideas.
Sue M. says
Lisa - I've been following you for some time and just love your blog, happy to share some things which I know will be helpful to you.
1, parchment paper .. It's been around forever and is a must-have for any kitchen. Instead of greasing or spraying your baking pans or cookie sheets, line with parchment paper. Works great for baking pastries or roasting veggies or granola or nuts. Once you have it in your kitchen you'll find lots of random other uses such as covering food in the microwave and making little paper patterns (I'm a quilter) which will hold up for re-use.
2. Stainless steel pressure cooker .. Every young family can benefit from learning to use this tool! It can have a wonderful tender pot roast with potatoes and carrots and cabbage ready for the table in an hour and a half. You spend ten minutes browning the meat in some chopped onions and just a tablespoon of oil, then remove the meat and put a little 'shelf' in the bottom of the pan to hold the roast off the floor of the cooker while you pressure cook it, put the meat back in, add a cup of water and put the lid on for fifty minutes. After that time, you add your veggies and put the cover back on for another twenty minutes. There is a little learning curve involved in using a pressure cooker . You need to learn to recognize when the pressure is just right and how to quickly bring the pressure down before opening to add the veggies.. But once you have the hang of it you will love it.
3. Good old glass quart canning jars and lids. Use the to keep dried beans and peas and macaroni and nuts .. They look good lined along your shelf and seal up tight to keep out bugs
Thanks for the bee wrap tip, I am going to look into that!
Reinele says
I love the idea of the bees wrap! Also, if anyone in your family is a little Iron deficient, cooking on cast iron helps with their anemia- for a little of the natural iron in the pan gets transferred to your food. We use our cast iron skillet a lot to help our 1 year old get the necessary iron in his diet.
Thanks for all the other kitchen "must haves". I think my Christmas list just got a lot bigger!
Lauren B says
That Bee's wrap looks awesome! As do all of the other products. :)
Julia says
I never heard of Bee's Wrap how interesting!! Might be the answer to all that plastic wrap!!!
Jennifer Ragazzo says
thank you for sharing this list, just in time for Christmas! I had a cast iron pot on my list and now I can send my husband a specific link to one!! Like you I have been trying to switch out my kitchen ware for safer alternatives. I am getting there, little by little!!
Stacey says
I have also gotten rid of almost all plastic. I just have a few more pesky pieces.
Nicole says
I LOVE my cast iron skillet and my me creuset dutch oven.
Molly B says
I love my ceramic casserole dishes. I would love to try all of the new cookware!!
Elizabeth Root says
I love my cast iron pots the most but I could really use another muffin pan. I need a good non toxic materials mini muffin pan. I'd love to win this!
AJ @ NutriFitMama says
I have never heard of the Bee's Wrap before- that looks interesting. We have been in the process of getting rid of all of our plastic storage containers and switching over to glass. I would like to get some new cookware for Christmas, so I will have to look into the different options you've posted. Thanks!
Colleen Conlin says
Is stainless steel non stick. Oh I have do much non stick. But I do throw them out the first hint of wear. Do I need to season a Dutch oven?
Tamela Camp says
I would love to win this!!
Katie Eaton says
I'am litteraly beyond excited for this. If I win this it will be a miracle. I hope to god I do!!!
Geneva says
I absolutely love cooking with cast iron (My mother is a Griswold so cooking with cast iron is in our blood). Most of the pieces I have are old hand-me downs, and they are the best. There is nothing better than a perfectly seasoned cast iron skillet.
Heather Angelo says
TheCast iron is my favorite too!
Lorrie says
The cast iron is my favorite!
Sarah says
I love the items mentioned. I am trying to convert more to glass and away from our plastic stuff.
Lori says
I try to use glass or metals when baking. We are fans of homemade pizza also. We reheat leftover pizza in a cast iron skillet on a low heat with a cover and a bit of oil in the pan. It becomes nice and crispy on the bottom and perfectly warmed on top. My husband tries to make them weekly--I believe he would eat it every night if he could.
Tiffany S says
Great tips for cooking materials. Most of them I use, but haven't replaced everything yet. The Bee's Wrap looks awesome....haven't seen many items to replace plastic wrap. I'll need to look into this for Christmas gifts.
Jeanne says
I need to try the Bee's Wrap! ~Jeanne
Ashley says
I LOOOOOOVE cast iron! I thought I'd had cornbread before but then I put it in a hot cast iron skillet with some bacon grease melted in the bottom. Oh-my-yum!
tuxgirl says
Wow! All those items look awesome. I love my cast iron, but since most isn't enameled, it can be a pain to clean. Your dutch oven looks beautiful.
anita says
We've switched to all stainless steel stovetop cookware. Slowly switching to glass storage. Eventually would LOVE to have no plastic anything!
Katie says
Stainless steel and glass. Looking into the bee's wrap!
Beth says
Where did you get your cookie pans? I am in desperate need (as in I don't have a single pan left) and don't have a clue where to look
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there, Beth. Just click on the mighty nest link above. :)
Kari @ Cooking with Toddlers says
I've never heard of the bees wrap before; how cool! I'm going to have to get some!
Anna says
We have recently began crossing over to all glass for our storage and cooking dishes. There are alot more options out there than it used to be. Also, the aluminium bakeware looks amazing... I have a few pieces that I use, but the Holidays are coming! so here's to wishing... LOL!
Lisa says
If someone is creative enough I think they could fit a new baking pan in your stocking :)
Sue says
Oh? I thought everyone hung up a 1.5-ft wide x 4-ft long Christmas stocking!
Bhargavi Potluri says
I use mostly glass, stainless steel, I would love to win some glass storage
Kim hokanson says
These are great! Thanks for sharing. But the link to the muffin tin is broken. I would love to see more information about that thing!
Lisa says
Oops here it is - fixing that now! http://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen-table/cookware-bakeware/stainless-cookware-bakeware/mini-muffin-pan
Heather says
I'm fascinated and excited about the
Heather says
Bee's Wrap. Sorry my computer thought I was ready to post. I'm going to try to find the Bee's Wrap online!
Lisa says
I agree, it's super neat stuff! Here's the link for it: http://mightynest.com/shop/kid-essentials/lunch-gear/sandwich-snack-bags/bees-wrap-set-of-3