Including recommendations from Le Creuset, All-Clad, and Breville.
- We’ve gathered up our favorite non-toxic pots and pans, utensils, and other gear of 2025—including the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, an editor-favorite non-toxic air fryer countertop oven.
- For the best non-toxic cookware, we recommend this ceramic-coated set from Caraway, an All-Clad stainless steel skillet, or this affordable Lodge Dutch oven.
- Our other non-toxic picks include a handy stainless steel vegetable peeler, a budget-friendly wooden cutting board, and a durable set of glass food storage containers.
As 2026 is lacing up its shoes and getting ready to bound into our lives, we’re taking this last week of the year to look back on our favorite kitchen products of 2025. One of the biggest trends we noticed: non-toxic cooking gear. Even our editors were into it, making thoughtful swaps in an attempt to reduce our use of PTFE-coated (aka Teflon) pans, plastics, and single-use waste that could potentially harm our health and environment. If you’re feeling that pressure too, don’t worry. We’ve got tested-and-recommended recommendations on cast iron pans, diamond-reinforced ceramic skillets, and wooden cutting boards to help you get your kitchen ready for a fresh new year.
Non-Toxic Kitchen Gear for the New Year, at a Glance:
- Get Nearly $100 Off the Best Non-Toxic Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
- A Warp-Resistant Pair of Sheet Pans: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker’s Half Sheets, Set of 2
- A Handsome Wooden Cutting Board Under $100: Ironwood Gourmet End-Grain Acacia Wood Cutting Board
- Reduce Paper Towel Waste With Reusable Swedish Dishcloths: Superscandi 10-Pack Swedish Dishcloths
- A Ceramic Nonstick Skillet Reinforced With Diamonds: OXO Ceramic Nonstick 12-Inch Frying Pan
- The Best Budget-Friendly Dutch Oven: Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Join Our Saucier Fan Club: Made In Stainless Clad Saucier
- The Best Enameled Cast Iron Skillet: Le Creuset 10.25-Inch Signature Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
- A Durable Stainless Steel Skillet: All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Fry Pan
- An Elite Cast Iron Skillet That’s on Sale Now: Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet
- A Colorful Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set: Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set
- Ditch Your Plastic Food Storage Containers: Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass Food Storage Containers
- A Set of Award-Winning Reusable Bowl Covers: Stasher Stretch Lids
- A Fancy Stainless Steel Vegetable Peeler: Rösle Stainless Steel Wide Crosswise Swivel Peeler
- The Best Kitchen Tongs Are Under $20: OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs
The Best Non-Toxic Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
$400 Not only did the Breville Smart Oven ace our tests by making crackling chicken wings and crisp French fries in its uncoated, stainless steel air frying basket, but it’s also gained can’t-live-without status from several editors on our team. That’s because its functionality goes way beyond air frying; it can toast bread and bagels, bake pizzas, dehydrate, roast vegetables, and more, all with the turn of a few dials.
To Find the Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens, We Went Through 12 Pounds of French Fries
A Warp-Resistant Pair of Sheet Pans: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheets, Set of 2
$30 Whereas nonstick-coated sheet pans have a habit of getting scratched and scraped within the first couple of uses, these restaurant-quality aluminum trays will last you decades. You can use metal utensils on them and scrub them without fear, but don’t be upset if a patina develops—a darkened surface actually helps promote browning and makes the surface more naturally nonstick.
To Find the Best Baking Sheets (aka Half-Sheet Pans), I Roasted 18 Pounds of Potatoes
A Handsome Wooden Cutting Board Under $100: Ironwood Gourmet End-Grain Acacia Wood Cutting Board
Did you know wooden cutting boards, especially end-grain options, have antibacterial properties that make them less likely to foster and transfer microbes than plastic boards? It’s true! This board, made from gorgeous, dark acacia wood, has remained our budget favorite after several rounds of testing, and we’ve found it holds up well over time given the proper upkeep (which is mostly just giving it an occasional wipe-down with mineral oil to keep it hydrated). Check the coupon box on the product page to get it for even less.
I Tested 19 Wooden Cutting Boards—7 Emerged (Nearly) Unscathed
Reduce Paper Towel Waste With Reusable Swedish Dishcloths: Superscandi 10-Pack Swedish Dishcloths
$21 Paper towels are a convenience, but ripping off a new one every time you want to wipe down a countertop or clean a little spill gets wasteful (and expensive) fast. A pack of these Swedish dishcloths, on the other hand, costs about the same as a single bulk pack of the paper stuff, and the cloths can be washed and reused up to 50 times each—you can even toss ‘em in your dishwasher. Made from cotton and plant cellulose, the plastic-free dishcloths can also be composted if they get torn or stained after a few dozen uses.
I Tried 8 Swedish Dishcloths to Find the Best Ones You Can Use Over and Over Again
A Ceramic Nonstick Skillet Reinforced with Diamonds: OXO Ceramic Nonstick 12-Inch Frying Pan
Nope, we’re not trying to pull a fast one on you by sneaking a PTFE-coated nonstick pan in with our non-toxic faves. This OXO non-toxic, nonstick skillet is PFAS-free (that’s the category of substances that Teflon belongs to) and is made using a ceramic-like gel that’s sprayed and hardened onto its exterior to create a slippery, smooth surface. The coating is reinforced with diamonds and didn’t scratch in our tests, even when we scraped it with metal tools.
We Spent Weeks Testing 14 Nonstick Skillets and Still Don’t Think You Should Spend a Ton on One
The Best Budget-Friendly Dutch Oven: Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
$100 Dutch ovens are the ultimate team players. They’re always down to sear, stew, braise, and bake, and we couldn’t imagine our dinner routine without them. They can be pricey, though—but not this one. It's $80 with the coupon and comes in a rainbow of lovely colors.
We Tested 22 Dutch Ovens to Find the Best Ones for Stews, Braises, and Loads More
Join Our Saucier Fan Club: Made In Stainless Clad Saucier
A saucier is like a saucepan, but better. The main thing that sets it apart is its curved bottom edges, which make a surprisingly significant impact on how easy it is to stir in and clean. This model is well-balanced with a stay-cool handle and rolled edges for clean pouring. Welcome to Team Saucier; we’re so happy to have you.
We Found the 5 Best Sauciers After Whisking, Simmering, and Sautéing
The Best Enameled Cast Iron Skillet: Le Creuset 10.25-Inch Signature Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
Enameled skillets bring all the perks of cast iron—even heating, high temperature thresholds, and moderately nonstick surfaces—without the need to worry about seasoning. This iconic pan from Le Creuset is our favorite one because of its tough enamel coating, spacious cooking surface, and rounded, easy-to-hold handle.
To Find the Best Enameled Cast Iron Skillets, We Fried Eggs, Seared Steak, and Baked Cornbread
A Durable Stainless Steel Skillet: All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Fry Pan
If you’re looking for a stainless steel pan built to last a lifetime, you’ve found it. All-Clad makes some of the highest-performance stainless steel cookware we’ve tested, and we love the D3 line for its heat responsiveness and balanced, maneuverable weight.
We Tested 27 Stainless Steel Skillets—4 Were Sear-iously Good
An Elite Cast Iron Skillet That’s on Sale Now: Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet
$165 There is nothing wrong with affordable cast iron. (In fact, our longtime favorite from Lodge is only $25.) That said, if you have the budget to spend a little more, you can get this agile, lightweight cast iron pan that’s worth the upgrade. Its smoothly polished surface released eggs and cornbread neatly in our tests—an impressive feat. During Field Company’s year-end sale, you can get it for a few bucks off.
To Find the Best Cast Iron Skillets, I Seared Steaks, Baked Cornbread, and Fried Eggs
A Colorful Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set: Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set
$445 If your dinged-up cookware collection needs a bigger update than a new pan or two can accomplish, get a fresh start with this 12-piece set from Caraway. It includes a 3-quart saucepan, 4.5-quart sauté pan, 6.5-quart pot, and 10.5-inch skillet. We like the stay-cool handles and the bright color options you can choose from, like the sophisticated sage green or cheery marigold yellow hue.
To Find the Best Non-Toxic Cookware Sets, I Tested Them for a Month
Ditch Your Plastic Food Storage Containers: Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass Food Storage Containers
$80 At one point or another, we’ve all faced down a chaotic cabinet of stained plastic storage containers, half of which don’t even have lids anymore (where do they all go?), and sworn to find a better way. This set is the solution. Its capacities range from 1.3 to 8 cups, so you’ll always have the right size of container on hand. The modularity allows them to stack neatly, and the bases are made from glass, so you can heat leftovers directly inside without worrying about them staining (or retaining odors, yuck!).
We Tested 12 Food Storage Containers to Find the Best Ones for Leftovers and Lunches
A Set of Award-Winning Reusable Bowl Covers: Stasher Stretch Lids
$20 Trying to cover your bowls with single-use plastic wrap or aluminum foil that just won’t stay on is so last year. We loved these stretchy, silicone lids so much that we included them in our first-ever Gear Awards. The set starts with a 2.5-inch size that’s small enough to cover open cans and ranges up to a 9-inch lid that can seal big serving and mixing bowls.
Serious Eats Gear Awards
A Fancy Stainless Steel Vegetable Peeler: Rösle Stainless Steel Wide Crosswise Swivel Peeler
$31 Utensils often get forgotten in all the non-toxic cookware hype, but good smallware can have a big impact on your day-to-day routines. This stainless steel Y peeler from Rösle has a pleasant, hefty feel that we loved when we tested it, and it raced through our potato peeling tests with notable efficiency.
I Tested 14 Vegetable Peelers to Find the Best Ones for Potatoes, Apples, and More
The Best Kitchen Tongs Are Under $20: OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs
One kitchen rule we live by: Don’t settle for bad kitchen tongs. These stainless steel-tipped tongs have impressed us for years with their sturdy arms that pick up whole roast chickens without bending and thin edges that can tweeze out single spaghetti strands. Many of our editors own them and have used them daily for years.
We Tested 40-plus Pairs of Kitchen Tongs to Find the Best Ones for Gripping and Flipping
FAQs
What does “non-toxic” mean for cookware?
Unfortunately, non-toxic doesn’t have a standard (or legally enforceable) definition, but it’s generally considered to mean “not harmful” to our bodies and environment. You’ll often find it in reference to ceramic-coated and other Teflon-free pans. Because coating formulas are usually proprietary and there’s not enough human-based research around cookware in general, it’s hard to know for sure if any pot, pan, or tool is entirely free of potential harm. If modern, synthetically coated cookware gives you pause, consider time-tested materials like stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, and enamel.
Why We’re the Experts
- Ashlee Redger is a writer for Serious Eats. She’s been covering food and cooking equipment since 2022, including a comparison of ceramic and nonstick skillets, a mixing bowl review, and a taste test of nonalcoholic cocktails.
- The Serious Eats equipment team rigorously tests every piece of kitchen gear before we recommend it.