Non-Toxic Clean Kitchen Essentials From Top Eco-Friendly Brands

With great culinary ambition comes great responsibility. If the idea of kicking ‘forever chemicals’ out of your kitchen sounds equally appealing and overwhelming, consider this the easy-to-follow, eco-friendly and non-toxic kitchen product roundup you’ve been waiting for. We’re determined to help you make your kitchen a truly clean, nontoxic, and joyful place to enjoy nourishing the whole family.

By taking out the guesswork of deciphering which brands you can trust, and by simplifying what you actually need to know to get started, think of us like warriors battling the silent enemy of modern homes on your behalf. Here’s to living and eating well without having to fight the good fight alone!

First, let’s get down to the basics of what makes a “clean kitchen”, so that you can better understand the dangers of toxic cookware, identify and avoid harmful chemicals, and make informed decisions about which home essentials are best for you and your loved ones.

What is toxic cookware vs. NON-TOXIC Cookware?

Does having to check for deadly poisons in your pots and pans seem like a shocking task for the everyday home cook? If you’re still in the dark about toxic cookware, you’re not alone. For more than four decades, cookware that leaks toxic chemicals into our food when heated has been willfully suppressed by industry giants and therefore ignored by consumers who don’t know the dangers of their own kitchen tools.

According to The Intercept, 3M—the company that first developed and sold PFAS and PFOA, the two best-known PFAS compounds—knew since the 1970s that toxic chemicals in their products were accumulating in people’s blood. Commonly known as a family of “forever chemicals”, PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl) substances include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) a.k.a. Teflon, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFAS), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

These frighteningly common chemicals have been demonstrated to directly correlate with a plethora of health issues such as immune and endocrine system damage, developmental and fertility challenges, and even cancer. Other toxic materials in these household staples include lead, cadmium, aluminum, and unglazed ceramic surfaces.



What are the alternatives to toxic cookware?

A complete overhaul of all the toxic chemicals in our cookware may not be a luxury that everyone can afford. But, if it’s time to replace or upgrade your existing kitchen tools, choosing pots and pans that are made from natural, organic materials not only ensures you can cook your meals safely, it’s also an investment in more long-lasting, durable cookware that is proven to be non-toxic to your health.



Pure ceramic cookware is lead- and cadmium-free, two toxic heavy metals known to cause a myriad of long-term health problems like nervous system, kidney, and lung damage, among others. Other alternatives include glass, bamboo, wooden, stainless steel, and enamel-covered products, and those that are made without the use of nonstick coatings like PFAS.



Check out the Non-Toxic Clean Kitchen Essentials From Top Eco-Friendly Brands our editors recommend, and a few of the reasons we think you’ll love them. If you’re not ready to restock your kitchen just yet, skip down to the bottom for some key takeaways we hope you’ll find helpful to navigate the process of detoxifying your kitchen, your home, and your life.



Our Favorite Non-Toxic Flatware & Cookware Brands

1. Zwilling

Established in 1731 in the “City of Blades”—Solingen Germany—Zwilling is widely regarded as one of the foremost knife and cookware brands in the world. What makes a Zwilling knife truly exceptional is the painstaking labor that goes into creating a forged blade (versus the lower-quality alternative, the stamped knives) from top-quality steel, offering maximum performance and endurance. While the company’s centuries of expertise are practically unmatched throughout all its offerings, our editors’ top pick is the Miyabi Birchwood SG2 7-pc Knife Block Set. Not only is it equipped to handle almost any kitchen task, it’s also a work of culinary art with an elaborate flower Damascus pattern. It takes 42 days and 100 steps to forge these knives! These knives are also protected by 100 layers of steel and handcrafted in Seki, Japan, the world’s epicenter of knife forging since the 14th century. One particularly impressive feature is that Zwilling’s Miyabi knives use Karelian (Masur) Birch, the only wood ever used in a Faberge egg. As an added sustainability bonus point, birch trees cause minimal interference with biodiversity when cut down, thanks to their abundance and relatively quick growth capacity.

2. Caraway Home

According to Caraway Home, over 95% of the cookware on the market today is made of toxic chemicals that can leach into our food and the air. What makes Caraway Home a pioneering and exemplary pick for clean and conscious kitchens is that its ceramic coating is 100% non-toxic. Free of PTFE, PFAS, lead, cadmium, nickel, and other toxic metals, their products employ a mineral-based ceramic coating, releasing up to 60% less C02 into the environment. As an added sustainability marker, their use of recycled cardboard, low-impact print dyes, 100% biodegradable cork trivets, and zero plastic bags in their packaging goes above and beyond to protect the planet from further damage. We love the sleekly designed Whistling Tea Kettle to keep your water chemical-free, the 11-pc ceramic coated Home Bakeware Set with storage organizers, and the 14-pc Glass Food Storage Set, which boasts built-in Air Release Technology for lasting freshness.

3. Our Place

Immigrant- and woman-owned, mission-driven brand Our Place is committed to investing in products made from thoughtful, responsible materials like recycled glass, natural sand, and 100% post-consumer recycled aluminum. The icing on the plates? Their products also come in biodegradable packaging, and they consciously collaborate with women-owned manufacturing collectives. Among our top picks are the Always Pan 2.0, a culinary system that does the work of 10 pieces of traditional cookware, the 6-in-1 Air-Fryer Oven with steam infusion and dreamy vintage vibes, and the 36-pc ceramic hosting bundle Everyone’s Invited Set made from premium ceramic stoneware. Combined, these clean kitchen must-haves will make you feel like even the smallest victory is worthy of hosting a dinner party. Truth be told, the entire Our Place collection is a trusted and tested one-stop shop for practically every non-toxic essential you could ever need, from tableware to appliances and cookware. Our Place is arguably producing some of the best-looking options in every category that exude effortless chic with many surprising colorways.

Our Favorite Clean Eating & Drinking Essentials

Clean Water Solutions

Many think of clean water as the plight of developing nations, but a government study released earlier this year found that nearly half the tap water in the U.S. is actually contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’, underlying the fact that exposure to PFAS through drinking water is a global human-health concern. So, what can we do to keep these harmful toxins out of our homes?

We’re huge fans of Cloud RO’s Under Sink Reverse Osmosis System, featuring a state-of-the-art alkaline water filtration technology that removes 99% of toxins, even going a step further with an integrated remineralization stage to add trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. With significantly higher pH levels than plain tap water, alkaline water advocates believe it can neutralize acid in the bloodstream, help prevent disease, and boost hydration with increased hydrogen, especially after a tough workout.

For a slightly more cost-effective option, we recommend the Larq Pitcher Pur Vis, which integrates innovative PureVis and Nano Zero plant-based filter technology to protect you and your loved ones against a wide range of pollutants. With filtering that lasts up to 50% longer than other systems, you can filter 60 gallons of water before you need to replace it, which is the equivalent of 450+ single-use bottles!


Spices + Cooking Staples

Now that you know a bit more about the ‘forever chemicals’ sneaking into your cookware and drinking water, it’s equally important that the ingredients you use to cook with are also thoughtfully selected to ensure a non-toxic dining experience at every meal. Diet is one of the most essential elements for a healthy lifestyle. Conversely, the long-term effects of chemical toxins can cause serious consequences, such as chronic conditions and other severe illnesses.

Stocking your kitchen with healthy oils is one of the most affordable, immediate changes you can make to directly contribute to maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol while reducing your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. Beyond getting choosy about your oils, swapping butter for ghee (we love the 4th and Heart Ghee), incorporating nut butters into your diet, and considering alternatives to coffee like MUDWTR’s Morning Ritual Starter Kit are some of the additional kitchen cabinet upgrades that we consider to be excellent investments in overall mind-body wellness.

Clean Kitchen Essentials for your pantry:

Non-toxic Kitchen Cleaning Must-Haves!

Et tu, “green” cleaning products?! A study released just this year found that a plethora of our everyday products—including so-called “green” options—are releasing hundreds of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) with both short- and long-term adverse health effects, not to mention a major source of air pollution in the U.S. Many common household products have now been linked to chronic respiratory problems, allergic reactions, headaches, and other health conditions. So it goes without saying that we are always actively looking for sustainable solutions to this growing household concern.

Our editors, a passionate group of discerning, Earth-loving parents, have tested these four products at home to offer you a few resounding recommendations with a focus on your mind-body-spirit health, and ours, too! To simplify the list of clean kitchen essentials for you, we zeroed in on the top tools every home needs and uses almost daily. While a top-to-bottom clean kitchen may seem like a lofty goal, caring for our planet is also caring for our health. Put simply, these two actions are inextricably linked, just like we are one with everything that lives, and every environment we inhabit.

Essential Clean Kitchen Key Takeaways:

→ Equipping a clean and non-toxic kitchen isn’t just a wellness trending topic, it’s a vital step towards detoxifying your home from harmful chemicals and protecting the planet from toxic waste.

→ There are countless options for eco-friendly purchases that conscious consumers can trust, but learning more about sustainable brands is one important action we can take to ensure our sacred home space is safe, clean, and environmentally friendly for improved health and longevity.

→ Toxic cookware has a long history in the United States and elsewhere, but recent studies have demonstrated its dangers, which we can thankfully now avoid in favor of non-toxic alternatives like pure ceramic, glass, bamboo, enamel-covered, and wooden cookware.

→ Not all health and environmental hazards can be avoided in our modern lifestyles, but toxic cookware and other kitchen goods are a few things we can be mindful of within our control.


→ Ultimately, informed consumers have the power to change the marketplace for the better. Follow us @urbanwellnessmagand subscribe to our newsletters to receive honest recommendations for sustainable products, health-conscious recipes, great reads, and of-the-moment things to learn, listen to, and watch—all with your holistic well-being in mind.

Eco/FriendlyJanelle Riveraget better sleep, eco-friendly mattresses 2023, best mattresses 2024, sustainable bedding