Indian culture is often considered to be primitive and old-fashioned by the Western World. Many Indian practices right from ancient times are termed outdated. But if we look closely at it, Indian culture has always been way ahead of its time. There has always been a lot hidden in everything that the Indians did in the olden days. Maybe it’s the way they dressed, or ate, or meditated.
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical science, in the field of medicine that deals with human health, using everything that nature has to offer. From natural herbs to usage of various metals as utensils, AYURVEDA had observed the properties of them all and recommended their usage accordingly, much before modern science brought them into the limelight.
Food is the major component that affects our health status. For humans to stay healthy, utensils used for cooking are as important as the type of food we eat. Right from the olden days, Indians have been using various utensils made of clay, metals such as gold, silver, copper, and bronze, and/or rocks and stones to prepare foods which are the best metals to cook according to health experts and these have been prescribed by Ayurveda. Many find these practices quite outdated as opposed to the usage of utensils made up of modern compounds such as plastic and all. But a deeper study into the properties of this matter shows that there’s a lot more than what just meets the naked eye. Usage of earthen/metallic utensils suggested by Ayurveda is not just about its outer look. Their properties enable them to provide various health benefits to anyone who eats food prepared in these Ayurveda utensils. The ingenuity of these ancient ways is what we need in today’s world, where diseases are rising at an alarming rate, whereas the longevity and quality of life are going down quite drastically.
In this present era, we are living in a Digital World where most of us are fully dependent on technologies, and it is good too, but somehow it partially affected our food practices. We are all aware of that the plastics how it has become a major part of our life and causes dangerous diseases like cancer, direct toxicity, birth defects, problems in children’s development, and more as we know in the ancient era, normal people used cookware like copper, bronze, brass, wooden, etc. kitchenware to prepare and serve food whereas rich people in ancient times used to prepare and have in gold or silver utensils which provided lots of health benefits, positive vibes according to Ayurveda which we can’t get from plastics. We know “Prevention is better than cure,” so it is the only time to move forward with better healthy options, which include Bronze, Brass, Copper, Silver, Gold, Bamboo, Wooden, etc. To use this cookware in the kitchen for health and safety purposes, According to Ayurveda, traditional cookware is the best option for the human body because it directly impacts human health with all the good and positive vibes.
Below described some of the best traditional Kitchen cookware according to health experts and Ayurveda.
Best Utensils for Cooking According to Ayurveda and Health Experts:
Gold:
Having food on gold plates or cooking in gold vessels is a good vibe. There are many benefits of using gold vessels which includes,
- Using gold vessels helps to take care of your health in many ways
- This helps to improve visual perception.
- You can simply call Gold the Skin Savior because it helps to protect you from all the skin problems like skin rash, skin burns, fungal infection, and more.
- Having food with gold utensils helps to improve your memory power, and also, according to Ayurveda, it helps to adjust our three dosha’s.
- Gold is non-toxic and helps in the physiological process as well helps to maintain the joints
- Starting from skin issues to regulate the body temperature, reduce soreness, mood enhancement, and so forth can be profited by gold.
Cast Iron Utensils:
From Kadhai to Tawa, cast iron cookware has been extensively used in Indian households for well over centuries. In recent times, with the advent of more lightweight and easy-to-use nonstick cookware, the cast iron utensils have been put aside. But despite being lighter than others, the nonstick utensils can cause some serious health-related hazards. That being said, the present generation needs to switch over towards cast iron cookware rapidly. To stay away from the harmful effects of the nonstick and also the multiple health benefits provided by the cast iron kitchen utensils.
Some of them have been enumerated below:
- Cast iron utensils are chemical-free which sadly isn’t the case with the nonstick cookware.
- Using cast iron pans to cook helps in adding iron to the food.
- While cooking by using a cast-iron skillet, the heat gets evenly distributed throughout the pan, and hence the food cooked in it is never undercooked.
- Due to its property of holding heat for a fairly considerable amount of time, cast iron cookware helps in keeping the food warm for longer durations.
- For the food that needs to be cooked using both stove and oven simultaneously, there’s no better alternative than the cast iron pans.
- Cast iron cookware is quite tough and durable. Apart from that, using the cast iron pan for longer periods helps in seasoning it.
Silverware:
The art and crafts of serving food in silver vessels are an impression of elegance. In ancient times silver is considered as the indication of royalty. There are so many health benefits of using silver vessels, which includes,
- Having food in silver vessels for babies is so important cause it helps in the digestion process and helps to increase brain power.
- It fights against several seasonal diseases, is non-toxic, and easy to maintain, and completely safe to use.
- Not for babies only. It helps generally build a strong digestion process, increase immunity power, with help to prevent several diseases.
- Drinking water or anything in silverware is safe; having food in silverware helps to control your anger, keep you cool, controls acidity, increases hemoglobin, and using silverware also looking rich and impacts the best impression on others.
- The silver foil which is used in sweets is good for human health and also enhances the visual appearance of sweets.
Copper Utensils:
- According to Ayurveda using copper utensils are the best choice to prepare food or serving food.
- As we know copper is the first component known to humans. Before, in the ascent of Ayurveda and preparing native medicines process all were prepared by using copper vessels, copper cups, etc…in the household also copper utensils were used.
- This the most important information that we must know about what happened by keeping water in copper bottles or any copper vessels, it includes helps to fight against cancer, helps to lose weight, prevents stroke, helps in the digestion process.
- Helps in the cardiovascular system, adding with iron it helps to form red blood cells, maintains your bones, blood vessels, It controls the destructive effects of free specialists on the skin, immune system and more benefits you can get by using copper utensils in your daily basis.
- Using copper utensils in the cooking process helps to keep your food warm for a long period, like gold according to Ayurveda copper also helps to adjusting our three doshas, and keeping water in copper utensils also helps in the purification process.
Brass Utensils:
- When it comes to using Brass utensils in kitchenware, we can say brass vessels are an extraordinary material.
- Keeping water in Brass vessels expands the immunity power and strength.
- Preparing food in brass vessels is the best material because it retains 90% of its nutritional substances. Brass vessels are best to preserve the foods which are being cooked.
- Besides that brass helps in increase of hemoglobin level in the body, takes care of your skin problems, and the most important it will not change the quality of the substances which are put in the container.
Bronze Cookware:
- In different places, bronze is named differently, like in Odisha and West Bengal people called it “Kansa” in Assam people called it “Kanh.”
- For having and preparing food, bronze utensils are widely used; it is the best metal to be used.
- Having food and preparing food in bronze vessels helps to improve skin problems, improves vision, increases resistance power, increases hemoglobin level, and more.
- It is made up of two elements one is copper (in the large ratio) and tin (in the small ratio) and made an Alloy. It is also corrosion-resistant, and it opposes metal exhaustion better.
Clay or Earthen pots –
- Clay pots are affordable and easy to maintain, and very safe to use.
- On the creation of clay materials (pots, vessels, all kitchen wares), there are no chemicals or any harmful materials are used; it is eco-friendly, you can utilize clay kitchen wares in every type of food preparation.
- One of the best is Clay materials for cooking food, one of its advantages is due to its permeable nature it helps to absorb moisture and one of the important thing that when we prepare food in clay utensils, it adds more nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur, etc. to the food which is very helpful to all human body.
- After the food is prepared, the aroma of the food is awesome. It is non-toxic. It provides you lots of moisture and implies that you are able to cook in very little oil and fat. With nutrients, it contains all types of vitamins too. When we cook food by using clay materials, the food becomes much more delicious.
- Food kept in clay vessels remains hot because it holds the temperature for a long period and there is no need to reheat the food after reheating the food leads to loss of nutrients so for better health, and tasty food clay cookware is the best with an affordable price.
Soapstone Utensils –
Vitamins and minerals are essential for every human being to lead a healthy life. But in today’s world full of junk food, most of us do not get the number of nutrients required by our bodies.
Ranging from muscle cramps, fatigue, and high blood pressure, to osteoporosis, diabetes, and kidney stones, there are many numbers of ailments that can be caused due to magnesium deficiency in our bodies. Alarming, isn’t it? To avoid all such ailments and lead a healthy life, cookware made out of soapstone should be used for cooking purposes.
Soapstone, or steatite, is a soft metamorphic rock. It has been used for cooking purposes around the globe for centuries. Utensils made of soapstone are quite delicate, and one must go through the proper procedures, season them well before using them for cooking. Following are the health benefits of soapstone cookware:
- Being rich in magnesium, soapstone helps in avoiding magnesium deficiency. This, in turn, helps in keeping people fit and disease-free.
- Due to its density, soapstone absorbs heat at a relatively slower rate, but once heated, the cookware stays warm for a long period of time. This helps in keeping the food warm for longer periods.
- Soapstone’s ability to retain nutrients is much higher than modern-day cookware. Almost 98% of the nutrients are retained in the food cooked using soapstone utensils.
• Although it is a tough task to get the soapstone utensils to usable condition yet, they are quite durable in nature.
Bamboo Utensils –
Bamboo utensils are being widely used these days. And that is because of their eco-friendly nature. As it is grass, bamboo grows faster than any kind of wood; the plant doesn’t die and keeps on growing after the bamboo is harvested and can be grown without the use of pesticides. This makes bamboo easily renewable. Following are the benefits of Bamboo cookware:
- Chemical-free alternative of modern utensils. Rich in nutrients.
- The lightweight bamboo cookware are easy to handle and are easily portable.
- Bamboo is lighter than wood and also stronger than wood. This makes it highly durable and comfortable to use.
- Metals may scratch the pans and other utensils, whereas, with bamboo, such risks are almost nonexistent.
• Utensils made out of bamboo are easily affordable.