Non-Toxic Guides
How to Clean an Oven Without Harsh Fumes (and the Cleaners Worth Buying)
Baking soda, a fume-free spray, a lye cleaner or the self-clean cycle: what the labels and oven makers say about each, step by step, plus the cleaners we would buy.
Is Aluminum Cookware Safe? Bare, Hard-Anodized, Clad and Nonstick Compared
Bare, hard-anodized, clad or nonstick: what touches your food, what acidic sauces do to bare aluminum, the FDA lead warning on imported pots, and the pans we would buy.
Can You Microwave Glass? Which Glass Is Microwave Safe, and Which Isn't
Yes, if it is heat-resistant kitchen glass made for the microwave. What Pyrex, Corelle and the USDA say, which glass to keep out, and why glass cracks in the microwave.
Wool Dryer Balls vs Dryer Sheets: Which Is Non-Toxic, and What Actually Works
Dryer sheets coat laundry with a quat softener and usually fragrance. What the research shows, whether wool dryer balls work, and the picks worth buying.
Can You Put Aluminum Foil in an Air Fryer? What 5 Air Fryer Makers Actually Say
Two air fryer makers allow foil and three say keep it out of the basket. The four rules, foil pans, acidic foods, what aluminum studies found, and what to use instead.
PFAS-Free Parchment Paper: What the Boxes Don't Say, and 3 We'd Buy
Which parchment papers name their coating, what the PFAS tests did and did not cover, how hot each brand can go, and the three unbleached papers we'd buy.
Best Wok for Home Stoves: 4 Picks, and What's Really on Each
The four woks we would buy for a home stove, which bottom fits gas, electric or induction, and how to tell a bare carbon steel wok from a coated one.
Can You Microwave Styrofoam? What Happens and What to Do Instead
Usually no. See what actually happens to foam in the microwave, what the agencies say about styrene, the one exception, and the 10-second way to move takeout into glass before you heat it.
Microwave-Safe Symbol: How to Tell if a Dish Is Microwave Safe
Wavy lines, a dish with waves, "reheat only" or a crossed-out microwave: see every microwave-safe mark in pictures, the look-alikes that don't count, and what to do when there is no symbol.
Best Carbon Steel Pan: 3 We'd Buy, and What's Really on Each One
The three carbon steel pans we would buy, what each one arrives coated with, and a straight answer on whether carbon steel is non-toxic.
Non-Toxic Pressure Cooker: 4 Picks and the Parts Nobody Checks
Most non-toxic lists stop at the pot. We checked the ring, the lid and the brands' own chemical filings, then picked four pressure cookers, one stovetop and one honestly coated, with every drawback named.
Titanium Pan Brands Reviewed: Only 1 of 6 Says What's Inside
Five of these brands look identical, sell an almost identical pan, and only one of them will tell you what it is made of. We read the terms of service, the returns policies and the Amazon listings for all six, and found half a millimetre of titanium where the marketing says solid. Here is what each company publishes, what we could not find, and how to check any titanium pan yourself in two minutes.