Is Granite Cookware Safe? 7 Brands For a Forever Chemical-Free Kitchen
If we’re cooking healthy for ourselves, we’d rather not have a frying pan full of chemicals, right?
Granite cookware is trending for its supposedly non-toxic, safe, easy cooking and cleaning—but there’s a lot of misinformation out there.
Did you know that granite stone cookware isn’t necessarily made of stone?
It’s usually just aluminum coated with non-stick coatings that aren’t any different from that of dreaded Teflon.
For that reason, granite frying pans are not always safe and, even when they are, are overall less sustainable than other eco-friendly cookware and non-toxic bakeware.
That said, if you really have your heart set on speckled pots and pans, there are at least some safe granite cookware options out there that keep chemicals out of your stir-fry.
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The Best Granite Stone Cookware Sets For Healthier Cooking
WaxonWare’s patented Stonetec coatings in their line of granite non-stick cookware are FDA-approved and free of harmful chemicals (or marketing gimmicks).
Become a renaissance artist in the kitchen with Michaelangelo’s range of durable and beautifully crafted PFOA and PTFE-free granite cookware.
Because this is such a tricky issue, let’s first fan the flames of marketing smoke (and mirrors) to reach the molten core of our query: is granite non-stick cookware safe and eco-friendly?
After we’ve simmered that issue, we’ll get a taste of our favorite brands on the market right now and how we chose them.
Granite Cookware Safety: Everything You Need To know
What is granite stone cookware?
More specifically, what is granite stone cookware made of?
Stoneware, granite kitchenware, and ceramic have become interchangeable terms in the industry, but they mean many different materials.
Graniteware is really a type of enamelware that includes:
- enamel coated cast iron
- glass-ceramic composite “stoneware”
- nonstick ceramic stoneware
- Aluminum with a PFOA/PTFE “granite” coating
- porcelain (kaolinite clay over aluminum)
- 100% stoneware (100% clay)
- glass ceramic (Pyrex)
It’s called “granite” because of its speckled appearance, which, combined with its high heat conductivity and relatively even cooking, has led to a resurgence in its popularity.
However, this enamel cooking material originated in Germany in the 1700s.
Fusing metal and glass together at 2000°F, German innovators found they could create an enamel coating for pots and pans.
So what is the difference between stoneware and graniteware?
Nothing really. Sometimes stone or glass is fused onto the pot or pan surface, making it “granite stoneware” or “granite”, but a granite pot can also have little to no stone in its composition whatsoever.
Calling all cookware “stoneware” or “granite” is a useful marketing gimmick (AKA greenwashing) to make it sound natural and durable, distract from possible toxic coatings, and to come across as old-fashioned and toxin-free.
Finding PFOA-free granite cookware is easy, but finding PTFE-free granite cookware is another story.
But WTF are these acronyms, and why are they important when considering, “How good is granite stone cookware” actually?
PFOA Granite Coating
Part of the PFAS-chemical family, PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, is a carcinogen linked to numerous health issues and never breaks down in the environment.
It’s the “poison found in everyone”, including unborn babies.
As such, this “forever chemical” is forbidden now in the US and is no longer used in kitchenware manufacturing.
PTFE Granite Coating
PFOA-free cookware may be the norm, but that doesn’t automatically make your frying pan fall into the category of non-toxic cookware.
This is because PFOA is usually supplanted by some other “GenX” PFAS-family chemical coating—especially in granite stone.
The most common is PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene, or Teflon® (today anyway, as they switched from PFOA to PTFE in 2013).
It is a man-made hydrocarbon based polymer (i.e. plastic). PTFE is generally considered safe at low temperatures, but fumes toxins beyond 400°F that are considered equally dangerous to PFOAs.
By 536°F, you’ve got trouble.
The resulting released colorless and odorless toxic particles and acidic gasses can cause flu-like symptoms in humans and are lethal to birds—bird owners should never use PTFE pots and pans.
Because it’s just a coating, using metal utensils can cause a granite cookware scratch, leaving more room for chemicals of the coating and what’s underneath (usually toxic aluminum) to leach into food.
What’s more, is that PTFE breaks down into PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are toxic to humans and the environment.
In other words, being PFOA-free is a given. You need to look for PFAS-free and PTFE-free cookware, so you know it has none of that chemical family.
But unless you know what manufacturers have replaced the PFAS with, we can’t say for sure a pan is toxin-free (and honestly, it’s probably not.)
So is granite cookware safe?
Or is granite stone cookware the same as Teflon?
In most cases, they’re the same but not all.
However, since there is so much faulty marketing out there, you need to research brand by brand and item by item to find those with healthier coatings.
Granite stoneware and non-stick are oftentimes interchangeable. Basically, there are two types of coatings: safe ceramic and PTFE non-stick coatings.
But are non-stick ceramic coatings healthy?
Unlike PTFE, nonstick ceramic coatings do really come from sand or clay, so they are an actual type of stoneware, and they have no potentially toxic fluorinated compounds like PTFE nonstick cookware.
The main set back for any cooking pan with a coating—small saucepan or large dutch oven—is that they require careful cooking and care and (even so) have a short lifespan of about three years, making them not-so-sustainable.
After learning all that, if you still think you’d like to give cooking on granite stone a try and are wondering, “What is the best granite cookware?”, these are the best granite cookware brands we could find.
The Full List Of Non-Toxic Granite Cookware
- Cooker King | Visit Store
- WaxonWare | Visit Store
- Michelangelo | Visit Store
- Carote | Visit Store
- Eslite | Visit Store
- Ozeri | Visit Store
- ShopStambul | Visit Store
1. Cooker King
About Cooker King’s safe Granite Stoneware
Price Range: $30–$150
If your kitchen is your kingdom then Cooker King’s extensive range of non-toxic, non-stick granite pans will fit right in.
Since the 1950s, Cooker King has been one of the top three Chinese cookware brands, with 300+ patents and cookware products sold in more than fifty countries.
FDA-approved and holding numerous manufacturing certifications like SGS, ISO9001, BSCI, SEDEX, and SA8000, you can be sure their products are safe, durable, and ethically made.
For easy cooking of multiple items in one frying pan, check out the 3-Section Divided Frying Pan. It has a hyper heat efficient aluminum alloy body and a coating that’s 100% PTFE, APEO, and PFOA free.
They also offer other materials such as carbon steel and ceramic free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium.
2. WaxonWare
About WaxonWare’s Non-Stick Granite Stone Cookware
Price Range: $30–$150
Is granite cookware better than non-stick?
It is with WaxonWare.
Their cookware is made of high-grade 3003 aluminum and coated with patented Stonetec non-toxic, non-stick coating.
All products are PFOA and PTFE free and inspected by both the FDA and a third-party testing agency to ensure they’re free of any harmful chemicals or lead.
Their Granite Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan comes especially highly reviewed for its even heat distribution, easy use, and easy cleaning.
3. Michelangelo
About Michelangelo Granite Cookware
Price Range: $25–$140
If you’re looking for granite stone blue cookware, paint your kitchen with the help of Michelangelo.
No, not the Renaissance artist, but considering Michelangelo’s granite pans boast sleek aesthetics and sturdy designs, they’re close enough.
Especially perfect for your next culinary masterpiece is their bold Blue Nonstick Frying Pan with Lid, which boasts an ultra non-stick and non-scratch stone ceramic coating and a modern and sleek design.
Their granite coating is PTFA, PFOA, lead and cadmium free for healthy and safe cooking.
Based and made in Germany, the company’s craftsmanship and inspection is as you would expect—top-notch and thorough.
4. Carote
About Carote’s Non-Toxic Granite Stoneware Sets
Price Range: $20–$150
You’ll want to sauté a lot more than just carrots with Carote’s line of gorgeous granite pots and pans that are suitable on any type of stove—including induction, thanks to the stainless steel magnetic bottom.
With a glass lids, an aluminum base and coated with five different materials using “DURIT Granitec,” this cookware has top-performance, durability, and non-stick for all your healthy cooking.
The coating is SGS & EUROFIN-approved and PFOS and PFOA-free.
Their granite range features single pots and pans in many sizes. Or you can outfit your whole kitchen at once with their 10-piece set.
Just be careful of their white stoneware lines, as these don’t specify being free of toxic chemicals.
5. Eslite Life
About Eslite’s PFOA-Free Granite Cookware
Price Range: $17–$140
Eslite Life will lighten up your meal duties in life with their ultra non-stick, smooth range of granite saucepans, pots, pans, grill pans, and woks.
Eslite’s 11 Inch Saute Pan comes highly rated and reviewed because of how easy cooking is made. Even with an induction stovetop, customers report eggs sliding off the pan effortlessly.
All of Eslite’s pots and pans are 100% free of PFOS and PFOA.
They’re also smokeless, healthy, simple to wipe clean, and come with a one-year warranty.
6. Ozeri
About Ozeri’s Non-Stick Granite Cookware
Price Range: $20–$55
Made with an aluminum core, natural stone coating, and silicone handle, Ozeri’s Stone Earth Frying Pan is plastic-free, along with being 100% free of PFOS, PFOA, APEO, GenX, PFBS, and the lesser known but equally icky chemicals NEP and NMP.
The only shortcoming of the Ozeri pan coating is that it’s NOT PTFE free. This means no cooking over 400°F, which is when it becomes a risk.
Their range of granite non-stick cookware falls under the brand’s “Healthy Living” line, which Ozeri ensures is eco-friendly—though we’ll be reaching out for more transparency and specifics.
They do hold multiple awards from consumer product testing firms, like the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute.
7. ShopStambul
About ShopStambul’s Granite Rock Cookware
Price Range: $440–$450
Looking for unique, antique granite and stone pots and pans?
Etsy’s top-rated ShopStambul has a number of high quality, vintage cookware options for cooking the OG granite way—with three layers of durable granite stop aluminum and no toxic coating.
The stylish 7-piece Granite Cast Set truly looks like granite rock cookware and features designs that increase heat efficiency and conserve energy in your home.
Each piece features removable silicone handle covers instead of plastic ones, meaning these stock pots and frying pans are oven-safe.
Keep in mind, being vintage means stock is extremely limited, so grab your granite while the getting is good!
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How We Chose The Best Granite Stone Cookware Sets
These brands still have a long way to go in reaching most of our sustainable and ethical fashion and home goods criteria.
Overall, we’d like to see a lot more in the way of supply chain transparency (like country of manufacturing), worker protections, carbon reduction commitments, and end-of-life considerations for their products.
We’ll be reaching out to all brands in hopes to gain more insight.
Unfortunately, eco-friendly granite cookware isn’t really a thing because, even if you’re using the safest granite coating around, being coated at all means the finished product is not recyclable.
So for this article, we mostly looked at material coating and asked one key thing: is their granite stone healthy cookware?
This meant being free of PFOA and ideally other PFAS chemicals, like PTFE, which all but one brand satisfied.
- Certifications: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, SGS, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), Social Accountability International (SA8000), Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA), Eurofins, International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001)
Final Thoughts On Eco-Friendly & Healthy Granite Cookware
So what is the healthiest cookware to use?
When it comes to safe and sustainable cookware, granite is not our first choice.
While it can be made healthy, there’s as many types of graniteware out there as there is hype about it—which makes finding the crystal in the granite difficult.
Granite stoneware, if free of PFAS, PFOA, and PTFE and made with ceramic non-stick, will be a healthy choice.
Just remember that most granite pans won’t stay non-toxic for more than a few years, so if you’re looking for something with longevity, you’ll want to shop for something else.
We hope we’ve gotten rid of the guesswork and provided you with everything you need to know about the healthiest granite non-stick cookware.
The next time your food-loving friends or family ask, “Is granite a good cookware?”, share this article.
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