Is heating stainless steel toxic?

More and more people will choose stainless steel household utensils, because stainless steel home furnishings have a significant advantage, which is that they are not easy to rust. Compared with utensils made of metal, stainless steel utensils can be used for a relatively longer time. However, when many people use stainless steel utensils, they will consider whether toxins will be produced when using stainless steel to heat water and food due to the special nature of stainless steel.

Improper use of stainless steel tableware is harmful to human health. Nowadays, many consumers are very fond of stainless steel kitchenware and tableware. Due to its good metal properties, it is more resistant to rust than other metals, and the utensils made from it are beautiful and durable. Therefore, more and more stainless steel is used to make kitchen utensils. However, stainless steel is made of iron-chromium alloy mixed with some other trace elements. If used improperly, the trace metal elements will slowly accumulate in the human body. When it reaches a certain limit, it will endanger human health.

Here, experts remind consumers that they must pay attention to the following four points when using stainless steel kitchen utensils and tableware.

First, salt, soy sauce, hot soup, etc. should not be stored for a long time, because these foods contain many electrolytes. If they are stored for a long time, stainless steel will undergo an electrochemical reaction with these electrolytes like other metals, causing harmful metal elements to precipitate.

Second, never use strong alkaline or strong oxidizing chemicals such as baking soda, bleaching powder, sodium hypochlorite, etc. to wash stainless steel tableware. Because these substances are electrolytes, they will react chemically with stainless steel to produce substances that are harmful to the human body.

Third, stainless steel utensils cannot be used to decoct Chinese medicine. Because traditional Chinese medicine contains many alkaloids, organic acids and other ingredients, it is difficult to avoid chemical reactions with them, especially under heating conditions, which can render the medicine ineffective or even produce some more toxic compounds. Fourth, do not store strongly acidic foods (such as melons, fruits, vegetables, soybeans, and potatoes) for a long time to prevent the dissolution of chromium, nickel, and other metal elements.