An essential item in any home, cookware should be durable, practical, and most of all—safe.

When people talk about toxins in cookware, they're usually referring to PFOA, which belongs to a group of industrial chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)1.

For a long while, these chemicals were used to give nonstick materials like Teflon their slick coating.

However, we do know that nonstick cookware made with PFOA can leach these potentially harmful chemicals into our kitchens and onto our plates. When heated at high temperatures, the coatings can begin to disintegrate and send particles into the air, and when scratched and agitated, parts of them may chip off into food.

It's best to play it safe and avoid the chemical altogether—if not for your own health, for the health of the planet. Since they're created to resist water, oil, and grease, PFAS are super persistent, and they continue to accumulate quickly in our environment4 after being scrubbed clean and washed down the drain.

The good news is, PFOA has been largely phased out of American cookware manufacturing.

As of 2015, eight major chemical manufacturers have agreed to cut ties with it through an agreement with the EPA5.

However, the forever chemical still may be present in older cookware and cookware made overseas (as well as in textiles, packaging materials, makeup, and tap water.)

As such, building biologist and environmental consultant Ryan Blaser of Test My Home recommends getting rid of any older pans that may contain PFOA—especially if they're chipped.

While the term "nontoxic" is thrown around a lot in the cookware space, it doesn't have a legally binding definition.

Anyone can pop it on a product, clearing the way for mislabeling and greenwashing.

This means that consumers will have to decide for themselves what they consider to be nontoxic.

We like this definition from Blaser, and it's the one we use to vet products too: "If I wouldn't eat it, rub it on my skin, or give it to my kids, I wouldn't consider it nontoxic," he tells mbg.

When looking for a nontoxic pan that doesn't lead to any adverse health effects, these materials should top your list.

When it comes to label scouting, Blazovsky says the cookware with the fewest gimmicks is typically the safest to use. "If the label has all these technologies, you can pretty much assume there's some kind of chemical compound in there," she says.

These nontoxic pots, pans, and Dutch ovens have all your cookware needs covered.

They use safe materials, are responsibly made with the environment in mind (we'll call out their individual eco-accolades in the description), and come highly rated by home cooks.

Seeing as they all have different uses in the kitchen, you'll want to choose a few based on the types of cooking you do most often.

The experts agree that, as far as toxicity is concerned, the way you care for your pans is even more important than the pans themselves.

Again, they don't use the same pan every time they cook, opting to alternate between them to minimize exposure to any one material. ("Moderation is key," says Blazovsky.)

They also keep a close eye out for chipping, and once a pan begins to degrade, they stop using it.