Question from Joyce Kerkhoff
Hi Debra,
I am glad I found this site.
I am trying to make my home and that of my family as toxic free as possible.
I have recently bought glasses made by Libby; and table ware made by oneida, and have bought knives made by Henckles. Also earthen ware made in China exclusively for Williams-Sonoma.
The plates have colores of orange, green, yellow and background of white. I try to find out about the glazes used and the level of possible iron and cadium. I do not find this information.
I recently rid myself of inherited glassware from my grandmothers used back in 1940’s. and 1950’s. Was also gievn pewter steins made in Germany back in 1992.
Would appreciate your help.
Debra’s Answer
I wish I could give you information about all these items, but I don’t have it either.
I have never had any experience with knives being a problem.
I assume clear glassware to not be toxic, based on the ingredients used to make glass.
As for the ceramicware, get some Lead Check Swabs. If it tests positive it’s for sure toxic, if it tests negative, there’s probably no lead but we don’t know about other metals. I use clear glass dinnerware and ceramic pieces that I have tested safe with LeadCheck swabs.
I need to get some dinnerware manufacturer to test their dinnerware so we know it’s safe…
Please help! I’m searching for the specifics on lead in Visions cookware (the new saucepans and stovetop pots that began manufacture again in 2009) and also about GraniteWare, including their new line of Better Browning products. I wrote to GraniteWare and the overly-cheerful gal I corresponded with said “no lead” but I’m almost certain she had no idea. She kept focusing on no PTFE/PFOA in the porcelain glaze, which I didn’t care about as much as lead because now it is super easy to find PTFE/PFOA free items.
I’ve returned all my All-Clad pots, not because I don’t trust stainless steel, but because I don’t have 17 hours every day to scrub them, and I can’t deal with something supposedly indestructible like steel being pitted by some basic table salt. I’m wondering if the RevereWare I owned for 20 years before retiring this year was made of something sketchy as I used metal utensils in it, salt, you name it… even used an electric mixer in it to whip potatoes, and it never scratched and pitted!
But I digress… Do you know about Visions cookware, the amber colored pots? Or the final word on GraniteWare? I just want to cook for my toddler in something SAFE that is also NON FRAGILE (Xtrema clay cookware breaks in five min, from what I read) and doesn’t cost an entire PAYCHECK.
PLEAAAAAAASE HELP DEBRA!
Thank you in advance,
Michelle
I have been cooking in Visions pots for thirty years and have no reason to believe they contain lead.
GraniteWare is fine. The only thing I don’t like about it is that the metal is extremely thin, so food burns easily. It’s so annoying, I don’t use the pot I purchased.
Xtrema does not break if you handle it carefully, and really is the best cookware all around.