Affordable Non-Toxic Cookware (Free of PFAS, Lead, Cadmium, Nano-Metals, etc.)

This is a complete list of the best pots and pans that are free of PFAS, nanometals, Lead, and Cadmium.

If they contain other metals of potential concern I will list those too.

It’s best to rotate your cookware since the most common types can leach metals.

The only totally pure option is the glass cookware.

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Affordable Non-Stick Ceramic Coated Pans

“Ceramic coatings” in frying pans, pots, and bakeware are usually made of a sol-gel ceramic, which has a Si–O–Si (siloxane) polymeric structure (source, plus product descriptions).

Based on the testing that we have so far, it also seems that ceramic non-stick coatings contain various metals.

Green Pan

Green Pan, a brand of frying pan with a ceramic coating, did not test positive for lead on the food surface but it tested positive for Barium: 1,220 +/- 200 ppm, Chromium: 126 +/- 59 ppm, Antimony: 66 +/- 40 ppm, Iron: 2,361 +/- 177 ppm, and Titanium: 51,900 +/- 900 ppm. (Source)

They say they don’t use nanometals and it is free of PFAS.

I own this GreenPan and I consider this a good option and a good item to have in rotation with stainless steel (which also leaches metals) and other choices (I can’t easily use the glass options below since I cook on gas, and my body doesn’t do well with extra iron from cast iron, so I don’t have that many choices).

Though once it got scratched (see pic) I tossed it. Once the coating is compromised I don’t feel good about using it. So be sure to be careful not to use metal in the pan.

The large GreenPan (12 inches) is around or under $40.

GreenLife

Tamara tested Green + Life (now called GreenLife) pan in 2019, it was free of lead and it tested positive for Zinc (Zn): 74 +/- 16 ppm, Copper (Cu): 159 +/- 30 ppm, Iron (Fe): 3,198 +/- 197 ppm, Titanium (Ti): 63,800 +/- 1,600 ppm, Platinum (Pt): 230 +/- 38 ppm, and Manganese (Mn): 3,111 +/- 262 ppm.

It is free of nanometals according to the company and free of PFAS.

This is a brand I recently bought to replace my very damaged GreenPan pictured above. (Both are owned by the same parent company and have the same coating).

I bought the faux wooden handle one pictured below, and I would recommend it, especially if your other options leach metals.

I bought the two pans, 11 and 9.5 inches, for under or around $55.

GreenLife statements

GreenLife claims they are free from Lead and Cadmium which is confirmed by Tamara’s testing.

The substrate is aluminum, which can leach potentially when the coating scratches.

Not all brands with a ceramic non-stick coating should be assumed to be free of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances aka PFAS (which is why most people buy them). One brand, Great Jones for example, is or was not free of all PFAS. And the air fryer brand Yedi also uses a ceramic coating and they could not say it is free of all PFAS.

An Affordable Dutch Oven

A Dutch Oven is enamelled cast iron, the same type of cookware as Le Creuset makes.

Well known brands of enamelled cast iron have commonly tested positive for heavy metals (this isn’t a guarantee that it leaches though).

You can use it to fry, make soups, or put it in the oven.

The IKEA VARDAGEN is an affordable version (I own this one, pictured above).

IKEA has been known to be excellent in keeping Lead and Cadmium out of their products. So while we don’t have any third-party testing of this yet, I feel confident using this everyday.

While enamelled cast iron will never be the cheapest type of cookware, I doubt you will find a brand that can beat IKEA prices (and still have excellent non-toxic credentials).

The 6.9 qt Vardagen is $80.

Discrepancy Between XRF Testing and Leach Testing

Why is there a discrepancy between the XRF testing which can show some metals of concern and the leach testing results that the companies say have no detectable metals?

Dr. Mudgal, toxicologist, says:

“The discrepancy arises because XRF testing measures total metal content, whereas leach
tests measure only the metals that are released under specific conditions. Thus, a product can contain high levels of metals but still pass leach tests if those metals do not migrate out significantly during leach testing”.

Can Ceramic Cookware Leach Metals?

Based on the testing that the companies have provided, they have passed EU, FDA, and/or Prop 65 leach testing.

These tests do allow for some Lead and Cadmium – you can see the levels here.

However, I am listing brands that do not contain any Lead and Cadmium at all (based on XRF testing).

Dr. Mudgal explains that “there is evidence suggesting that these ceramics and ceramic coatings can leach metals into food, particularly when the coating is damaged through thermal degradation, chemical interactions (in acidic or alkaline food making conditions), or physical abrasion (mostly induced during cooking cleaning) to the surface of the cookware.”

She also explains that if the scratching reveals a substrate that contains metals of concern (like Aluminum or Lead) those could begin to leach when exposed.

Glass Cookware

Visions Glass Cookware

Shannon from Natural Baby Mama tested a brand new Visions Glass Cookware set in 2017 for Lead, Cadmium, and other metals with a Niton XL3T XRF.

The old Visions brand glass cookware may contain heavy metals, but the new Visions cookware is free of Lead, Cadmium, and any other metals, she says (source).

This is certainly one of the purest, completely non-toxic options on this list as it doesn’t leach any metals at all.

The downside is it can be tricky to use, it’s easier to burn food, and difficult to impossible to use on gas stoves, and even on electric stoves it’s possible for the glass to break if you are not careful.

A saucepan is around or under $60.

Leaves and Trees

This glass cooking pot by Leaves and Trees tested free of Lead and other metals of concern by Tamara Rubin.

Another totally pure option.

This small pot is under or around $20.

Cast Iron

Tamara Rubin has tested the Lodge cast iron pan which came out Lead-free.

Cast Iron does leach iron but it doesn’t leach other metals of concern so this is a good cookware to have in rotation if you do well with some more iron in your diet.

The Lodge 10.25-inch pan is under or around $25.

Stainless Steel

While stainless steel used in pots and pans (generally) does not contain Lead, stainless steel items can contain Lead parts (like brass parts or printed logos made from leaded paint).

Stainless steel cookware does leach Nickel and Chromium.

For this reason, I like to rotate the types of cookware that I use.

It’s very likely that all stainless steel items from Cuisinart are Lead-free since Tamara Rubin has tested a lot of Cuisinart items, plus modern stainless steel in high-quality grades and brands generally no longer contain Lead.

Someone in the comments said that Cuisinart pots and pans when dried had a silver residue rub off and that the stainless steel flaked off.

I can’t confirm this, but this is not a good sign if true.

Though this is the only brand that we have XRF results from, I would trust other high quality stainless steel brands.

I would consider Oster (minus the black plastic utensils) and Calphalon.

I use this Instant Pot which has a confirmed lead-free stainless steel liner and lid.

Titanium

I started looking into titanium because it is safer than stainless steel (which leaches Nickel and Chromium), cast iron (at least for me, as I don’t do well with that type of iron), and the ceramic non-stick pans that I am using (because I keep managing to damage them, though that is my fault).

Titanium essentially doesn’t leach after the first use at all.

However, it’s one of those products where very few brands actually legitimately use a substantial layer of titanium as the cooking surface.

(Some use 316Ti which is not different enough from stainless steel, some use a nano-layer which might be PVD, some use some titanium in their ceramic layer, etc).

Taima is one brand that shows test results to show that their products are titanium.

Real titanium will never be one of the most affordable options, because it is a more expensive metal, but if you want something that doesn’t leach at all this is one of your best options.

Though the version on their website has a brass handle which is not something I would use due to the fact that brass normally contains lead.

Taima frying pan is available on Amazon (brass handle), the titanium pots on their website do not have brass.

Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.