Kitchen
Non-stick pan swap to Cast iron or stainless steel pan
Your pan’s ‘forever chemical’ coating can give off fumes when an empty pan overheats. Cast iron and stainless steel have no coating at all.
Our pick
Mercer Culinary 10.25" skillet
Kitchen
Non-toxic kitchen swaps
For the pans, sponges and wraps you reach for every day. Start with one.
Kitchen swaps
- See the swap: Non-stick pan to Cast iron or stainless steel pan
Swap out swap toNon-stick panswap to Cast iron or stainless steel pan Kitchen
Plastic sponge swap to Cellulose sponge
Your dish sponge sheds plastic every time you scrub.
See the swap: Plastic sponge to Cellulose spongeSwap out swap to
Our pick
With scrubber: Full Circle loofah sponge, cotton-stitched, 2-pk
Plastic spongeswap to Cellulose spongeKitchen
Plastic cutting board swap to Wood board
Chopping on plastic could put millions of microplastic particles in your food each year, a 2023 study estimated.
See the swap: Plastic cutting board to Wood boardSwap out swap to
Our pick
Brosisincorp one-piece sapele board, 14×9.5"
Plastic cutting boardswap to Wood boardKitchen
Plastic food containers swap to Glass containers
Microwaving leftovers in plastic? In a 2023 lab study, that’s when it shed the most.
See the swap: Plastic food containers to Glass containersSwap out swap to
Our pick
Liuruiyu glass, glass lids, 10-pk (5×12.5 + 5×35.2 oz)
Plastic food containersswap to Glass containersKitchen
Black plastic spatula swap to Wooden or steel utensils
Some black spatulas are made from recycled electronics, flame retardants included.
See the swap: Black plastic spatula to Wooden or steel utensilsSwap out swap to
Our pick
ECOSALL beech spoons 6-pc, uncoated
Black plastic spatulaswap to Wooden or steel utensilsKitchen
Plastic wrap swap to Beeswax wraps
Cling film gets used once and binned. A beeswax wrap covers bowls, cheese and half an onion, again and again, for about a year.
See the swap: Plastic wrap to Beeswax wrapsSwap out swap to
Our pick
Akeeko 9-pk
Plastic wrapswap to Beeswax wrapsKitchen
Plastic water bottle swap to Steel bottle
A litre of bottled water can hold hundreds of thousands of plastic particles.
See the swap: Plastic water bottle to Steel bottleSwap out swap to
Our pick
Bambaw insulated 24 oz, bamboo/steel cap
Plastic water bottleswap to Steel bottleKitchen
Plastic sandwich bags swap to Beeswax sandwich wrap
Some sandwich bags tested positive for a PFAS marker in a consumer group’s lab tests. A beeswax wrap folds round a sandwich, buttons shut, and lasts up to a year with care.
See the swap: Plastic sandwich bags to Beeswax sandwich wrapSwap out swap to
Our pick
Bee's Wrap Beeswax Sandwich Wrap
Plastic sandwich bagsswap to Beeswax sandwich wrapKitchen
Plastic or paper straws swap to Stainless steel straws
Paper straws can carry ‘forever chemicals’: a 39-brand study found PFAS in every straw type tested except stainless steel.
See the swap: Plastic or paper straws to Stainless steel strawsSwap out swap to
Our pick
Hiware Stainless Steel Straws, 12-pack + 2 brushes
Plastic or paper strawsswap to Stainless steel strawsKitchen
Aluminum foil swap to Beeswax wraps
Acidic foods like tomato or lemon pull aluminum out of foil. For leftovers, a beeswax wrap covers the bowl again and again. For the oven, use a glass dish with its own lid.
See the swap: Aluminum foil to Beeswax wrapsSwap out swap to
Our pick
Akeeko 9-pk
Aluminum foilswap to Beeswax wrapsKitchen
Non-stick sheet pans swap to Stainless steel sheet pans
Scratched non-stick coatings may shed thousands to millions of plastic particles as you cook, a 2022 lab study estimated.
See the swap: Non-stick sheet pans to Stainless steel sheet pansSwap out swap to
Our pick
TeamFar Stainless Steel Half Sheet Pans, 17.6 × 13", 2-pack
Non-stick sheet pansswap to Stainless steel sheet pansKitchen
Paper towels for everyday wipes swap to Swedish dishcloths
Rinse, wring, reuse. One Swedish dishcloth handles weeks of counter wipes.
See the swap: Paper towels for everyday wipes to Swedish dishclothsSwap out swap to
Our pick
AIDEA Swedish Dishcloths, 7 × 6", 20-pack
Paper towels for everyday wipesswap to Swedish dishclothsKitchen
Non-stick bakeware swap to Glass bakeware
Non-stick cake, loaf and casserole pans are often coated with PTFE, a PFAS (‘forever chemical’). A glass baking dish has no coating to scratch.
See the swap: Non-stick bakeware to Glass bakewareSwap out swap to
Our pick
Pyrex Basics 3-qt glass baking dish, 8.9 × 13.2"
Non-stick bakewareswap to Glass bakewareKitchen
Conventional dish soap swap to Fragrance-free dish soap
Fragrance ranks second only to nickel as a skin allergen, so why scrub your dishes with it?
See the swap: Conventional dish soap to Fragrance-free dish soapSwap out swap to
Our pick
ATTITUDE Baby Bottle & Dish Soap, Unscented, 23.7 fl oz
Conventional dish soapswap to Fragrance-free dish soapKitchen
Dishwasher pods swap to Fragrance-free dishwasher powder
Your dishes don’t need perfume. A fragrance-free powder skips it, and you scoop just what the load needs.
See the swap: Dishwasher pods to Fragrance-free dishwasher powderSwap out swap to
Our pick
Pronounce Fragrance Free Dishwasher Detergent Powder, 80 loads
Dishwasher podsswap to Fragrance-free dishwasher powderKitchen
Plastic dish brush swap to Wood dish brush, plant bristles
When a plastic brush wears out, the whole thing goes in the trash. A bamboo brush with sisal bristles can go in a home compost bin instead.
See the swap: Plastic dish brush to Wood dish brush, plant bristlesSwap out swap to
Our pick
SUBEKYU bamboo dish scrub brush, sisal bristles, 3-pack with ceramic holder
Plastic dish brushswap to Wood dish brush, plant bristlesKitchen
Non-stick air fryer swap to Glass-bowl air fryer
Many air fryer baskets are non-stick, a use of PFAS (“forever chemicals”). A glass-bowl air fryer cooks in a glass bowl instead of a non-stick basket.
See the swap: Non-stick air fryer to Glass-bowl air fryerSwap out swap to
Our pick
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 glass air fryer, FN101ST
Non-stick air fryerswap to Glass-bowl air fryerKitchen
Slow cooker with a non-stick insert swap to Stoneware slow cooker
The simplest non-toxic slow cooker is a plain stoneware crock with a glass lid. There’s no non-stick coating to scratch, and our pick’s maker says its specifications allow no measurable lead in its crocks.
See the swap: Slow cooker with a non-stick insert to Stoneware slow cookerSwap out swap to
Our pick
Hamilton Beach 6 qt slow cooker, stoneware crock, glass lid (33665G)
Slow cooker with a non-stick insertswap to Stoneware slow cookerMyth: “Black plastic spatulas are as bad as a fork full of fire retardant.”
Fact: The viral study had a 10× math error. Corrected exposure is about 50× below the US safety limit. Still worth swapping, but not for that reason.
Read the fact check: Are black plastic spatulas safe? The viral number was wrongAlso checked: Microwaving plastic, Non-stick pans, Air fryers, Plastic cutting boards
No kitchen swaps match those filters yet.
Clear the filters to see all 18 kitchen swaps.
Clear filtersAbout kitchen swaps
The kitchen is where plastic and coatings meet heat and food, so it’s a good place to start. These swaps cover the pans you cook in, the boards you chop on, the containers you store and reheat in, and the wraps, bags, sponges and brushes you use every day. Most follow one idea: put glass, steel, cast iron or solid wood where food would otherwise touch plastic or a non-stick coating. Heat makes plastic shed more in the studies we cite, so a container you microwave in or a pan you cook on daily is a better first swap than a spoon that only stirs cold food. Each swap says what the concern is in plain words, links to the study or agency behind it, and names a pick that meets our written rules. Where a swap is mainly about waste rather than health, it says so.
We earn a commission if you buy.