How We Vet Kitchen Products on Welpr
We’re already picky about the quality of food we eat, so it only makes sense to care just as much about what it’s prepped, cooked, and served with. From cookware to cutting boards, we vet every material so your kitchen can be as non-toxic as the food you make in it.
Here’s what we look for:
Safe, non-toxic materials
We prioritize durable, non-reactive materials that won’t leach chemicals into your food. Our favorites:
- Stainless steel – sturdy, non-reactive, and naturally rust-resistant
- Cast iron – nonstick when seasoned and lasts forever
- Glass – inert and one of the safest materials for food contact
- Ceramic + stoneware – great for dinnerware and nonstick coatings when tested free of lead and cadmium
- Hard anodized aluminum – safer than raw aluminum thanks to its sealed surface
- Copper – excellent heat conductivity, always lined with stainless steel
- Natural wood + bamboo – best when left untreated or finished with food-grade oil
No plastic touching food
We avoid plastic altogether whenever possible. If it’s used (like on handles or lids), we make sure it’s BPA-free and never in contact with your food.
No PFAS. Period.
If it’s nonstick, it must be truly PFAS-free—not just PTFE (aka Teflon)-free. We don’t allow any of the 15,000+ chemicals in the PFAS family.
Ceramic nonstick must be clean
We only list ceramic-coated cookware that’s been tested and confirmed free from heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
Prop 65 transparency
If a product comes with a Prop 65 warning, we call it out—whether it’s minor (like BPA in a power cord) or more serious. You deserve to know.
No certifications? No problem.
Most kitchen products don’t come with third party certifications. So we do the digging ourselves, verifying materials, reviewing third-party testing, and only listing what we’d use in our own kitchens.
Transparent brands
We favor brands that share exactly what’s in their products and how they’re made, especially those committed to sustainable sourcing and ethical practices across their full line.
When non-toxic options are limited
Some categories (like bread makers or waffle irons) are tough to make completely non-toxic. When that’s the case, we’ll still recommend the safest available pick and clearly share what it’s made from and what it’s free from.
And if a product does meet all our standards, you’ll see the Welpr Approved certification on the product card.