NON TOX COOKWARE
What’s Eating you?
THE INGREDIENT DEEP DIVE
Any nutritional regime worth its salt often stems from the same intention: nourish the body with real, whole foods and eliminate the dietary aggressors that are no longer serving you (or your health, your skin, your hormones and the like). Health coach Jolene Hart, and author of Collective favorite “Eat Pretty” touts the very real consequences (or benefits!) of what and how we eat, and its impact on our outward radiance. The Whole 30 diet, aligned in both eliminating inflammation and focusing on holistic, well-rounded foods, asks its participants to take a closer look at everything they’re ingesting while limiting refined sugars, grains and inflammatory stressors that can wreak havoc on both inner and outer glow.
Collective founder Sarah Garvin began her Whole 30 journey with the simple intention to more thoughtfully consider everything she was eating. While the plan is not intended to be a more than a thirty-day reset for the body, Sarah encountered an unexpected evolution into examining practically everything she was using in everyday life. First came beauty, then toiletries, cleaning supplies and an eventual gaze to cookware: what was actually cooking, steaming and sautéing the food she ate? It was impossible to unsee the reality of toxic, non-stick tools that can lead to a plethora of health hazards, ingested chemicals and a never-ending battle against microplastics and toxin load. The closer she paid attention; the goal became less about eliminating everything in one sweep but rather choosing more mindful alternatives that have consumer’s health at heart.
COOKING WITH CLARITY
After much research into the how’s and why’s of ceramic cookware, Caraway landed as a natural next step into Sarah’s progression that was non-toxic living. Their approach to thoughtful, healthier kitchen tools includes third-party testing for over 200 forever chemicals and more than twenty heavy metals. The collection boasts more than just pots and pans, and its streamlined offering is the perfect antidote to an overwhelmed nervous system facing too much choice.
DESIGN, COLLECTIVE COMPANY
While cookware is one vital part of a non-tox life, Collective maintains that placing wellness at the center of your kitchen doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty, or pleasure for that matter. The art of collecting invites functionality to blend with intention, like in the Our Place titanium and stainless-steel collections or the Wonder Oven, another Collective favorite. Aarke boasts beautiful, functional pieces, and if Old World craftsmanship inspires you, cooking ranges from La Cornue or Lacanche blend tradition with modern convenience as found in many of their induction cooktop options.
“I think there's something special about collecting culinary pieces over time, whether it's a beautiful pan, a handmade wooden utensil, or an extraordinary appliance… not necessarily matching everything, but curating pieces that bring something meaningful to the experience. There truly is a curation process to everything.“
THE WELL LIVED KITCHEN
It’s not by accident that the kitchen is often referred to as the ‘heart of the home’: It’s where the first sips of coffee are prepared and the last rituals of dinnertime are maintained. Slow mornings may commence by bone broth, electrolytes and reading the morning journal amongst soft, warm lighting. Non-toxic cookware is only the beginning of a healthy kitchen, as we look to how the space supports your nervous system as opposed to stimulating. Beautiful lighting, thoughtful organization, natural materials and less visual noise.
“The pleasure of cooking isn't always about the meal itself. Sometimes it's the weight of a beautiful pan, the texture and style of a wooden spoon, the way the light falls across the counter, or simply having the time to prepare something that nourishes your body. Of course when we venture beyond cookware, we have to consider ventilation, water quality, food storage, cleaning products, and the materials with which we come into contact every day.”
The kitchen at its core is an intimate space, where we nourish ourselves and the people we love. Should we not, then, give the things we cook with the same consideration as the wholesome, nutritious food itself?
It’s not a space in which to invoke fear or insist that everything needs overhauling all at once. The Collective kitchen, rooted in non-toxic living, encourages curiosity, awareness and more considered choices; never an absolute. The invitation may be to understand materials, reduce unnecessary exposures and make choices aligned with how you want to live.
“Culinary artistry, to me, is the intersection of material integrity, beautiful craftsmanship, and the rituals of everyday living, and ultimately, I want people to understand that wellness doesn't have to look clinical or feel restrictive. it can be beautiful, collected, sensory, and a little indulgent: that's part of the pleasure and my definition of living well.”
