Remember 10% of stainless steel is this dangerous metal! If that wasn't bad enough more people are sensitized to nickel then are sensitive to mercury! It may be able to be said that stainless steel cookware is more dangerous than if your cookware was 10% mercury. Think that the steel isn't "dissolving" so the nickel isn't getting into the food? Well first of all the amount of people sensitized to nickel would strongly suggest we are getting enough to cause massive problems. (see picture below) Also acids in the food and obviously the heat involved will create these super toxic ionic nickel compounds. It may LOOK like not much is happening to the pan but that is why nickel is added...so you can't tell when metal ions are coming off into our foods. Please take a long thought on stainless steel and transition to safer technologies like cast iron (made with iron and carbon) and glass cookware. Stay away from crystal clear glass as it is leaded but a pale green glass or amber should be free of lead. Glass is one of the most inert substances on earth so it is the ideal cookware. Check out my restitution product on the health remedies page and work on detoxing this along with other heavy metals.
http://www.melisa.org/pdf/biomark2.pdf
http://rais.ornl.gov/tox/profiles/nickel_and_nickel_compounds_f_V1.html
What about stainless steal made without nickel? Based on an article I have read, there are 3 main types of stainless steal:
ReplyDeleteAustenitic: Austenitic steels have austenite as their primary phase (face-centered cubic crystal). These are alloys containing chromium and nickel (sometimes manganese and nitrogen), structured around the Type 302 composition of iron, 18% chromium, and 8% nickel. Austenitic steels are not hardenable by heat treatment. The most familiar stainless steel is probably Type 304, sometimes called T304 or simply 304. Type 304 surgical stainless steel is an austenitic steel containing 18-20% chromium and 8-10% nickel.
Ferritic: Ferritic steels have ferrite (body centered cubic crystal) as their main phase. These steels contain iron and chromium, based on the Type 430 composition of 17% chromium. Ferritic steel is less ductile than austenitic steel and is not hardenable by heat treatment.
Martensitic: The characteristic orthorhombic martensite microstructure was first observed by German microscopist Adolf Martens around 1890. Martensitic steels are low carbon steels built around the Type 410 composition of iron, 12% chromium, and 0.12% carbon. They may be tempered and hardened. Martensite gives steel great hardness, but it also reduces its toughness and makes it brittle, so few steels are fully hardened.
There are also other grades of stainless steels, such as precipitation-hardened, duplex, and cast stainless steels. Stainless steel can be produced in a variety of finishes and textures and can be tinted over a broad spectrum of colors.
Passivation
There is some dispute over whether the corrosion resistance of stainless steel can be enhanced by the process of passivation. Essentially, passivation is the removal of free iron from the surface of the steel. This is performed by immersing the steel in an oxidant, such as nitric acid or citric acid solution. Since the top layer of iron is removed, passivation diminishes surface discoloration. While passivation does not affect the thickness or effectiveness of the passive layer, it is useful in producing a clean surface for a further treatment, such as plating or painting.
On the other hand, if the oxidant is incompletely removed from the steel, as sometimes happens in pieces with tight joints or corners, then crevice corrosion may result. Most research indicates that diminishing surface particle corrosion does not reduce susceptibility to pitting corrosion.
what type of material do you recommend for a very large pot (12 quart and up)? what large stock pot do you recommend to make a large batch of soup? Cast iron is too heavy and glass breaks easily...
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