Firing up the kitchen with eco-friendly cookware

MANILA, Philippines - Buying eco-friendly cookware helps you go green because it’s made from materials with high-heat conductivity so you can cook on a lower-heat setting and use less energy. Likewise, it doesn’t use harmful chemical finishes made with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), which pollute air and water, and harm human health.

SM Homeworld shows us the way with Beka, a German brand of stainless steel cookware. Founded in 1899 by Daniel Braun and Jakob Kemmler in Betzingen, Germany, the company was established in the same period as iconic German companies Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, and Bayer.

Today, Beka is the strongest stainless steel brand in Europe, and the fastest growing brand in opening new distribution channels around the world. By using stainless steel, Beka does not deplete the world’s non-renewable metal resources. Likewise, steel is recyclable and good for the environment.

The new Beka line at SM Homeworld includes the Eco-logic and Chef collections. The Eco-logic range looks at cookware from a green angle by using top-quality stainless steel and the environment-friendly Bekadur Ceramica Coating, which is water-based and non-stick. This range is also ergonomically designed and suitable for all heat sources, including induction.

Homemakers will love Beka’s Thermico cookware, which has a unique energy-saving concept. Thermico comes with a double-walled lid for faster heating and better heat retention and is fitted in a shiny black ceramic bowl that retains heat up to two hours. This stylish, smart, energy-saver has inner capacity marks in its casserole and a spoon rest in its lid knob.

Beka’s Chef line, on the other hand, is a perfect combination of quality and design. Made of stainless steel, it features ergonomic “stay cool” riveted cast steel handles and a heavy flat stainless steel lid with two air vent holes.

SM Homeworld also shares some tips on how you can decrease the amount of energy while cooking from Dani Hurst:

• Cut your food into smaller pieces before you cook it. This will shorten the cooking time on denser foods like meat and potatoes, which will in turn decrease the required energy.

• Cook more than one item at a time. For example, you can boil pasta and eggs simultaneously — even if they’re not in the same recipe — thereby cutting down on your energy use.

• Invest in pots, pans, and casserole dishes with tight-fitting lids, then keep the lids on while cooking to reach the desired temperature quickly. This allows you to cook your favorite foods in less time, and decreases your carbon footprint in the process.

Beka Cookware is available at the Homeworld section of selected SM Department Stores.