Bobby Approved Costco Kitchen Finds: Non-Toxic Cookware, Glass Storage and the Pans I Use

Walk the Costco kitchen aisle this fall and you will see the word “ceramic” everywhere. Bobby Parrish noticed it too. In his September new items video he spent a third of the time in the cookware section, and his verdict was that Costco is listening: fewer Teflon pans, more ceramic, cast iron and glass.

Here is what he picked there, plus two things from his late August deals video. It is also the one Bobby post where I have something of my own to add, because I cook the same way. I am not connected to Bobby. His words come from the September video and the August deals video. Where I link an Amazon version, I say whether I have bought it.

Why the aisle changed

Bobby’s objection to Teflon is forever chemicals, and he wants them out of the kitchen. His rule for food storage is the same: no plastic, because, in his words, plastics leach into food.

My pans are cast iron, stainless steel and ceramic nonstick. What I avoid is Teflon, also sold as PTFE. My reason is simple: I do not want plastics and toxins from a worn coating ending up in my food.

That is a reason, not a proven harm, so here is what the evidence says. A 2022 study imaged scratched Teflon pans and found that in a simulated cooking process one surface scratch released about 9,100 PTFE particles, and a broken coating up to about 2.3 million.¹ What those particles do inside a person is not established, and PTFE itself is generally considered inert. The better documented risk is heat. PTFE starts to break down at about 260 °C, or 500 °F, and an empty pan on high can get there.

Plastic storage has a similar story. A 2023 study heated food simulants in polypropylene containers in a microwave. Some containers released millions of microplastic and billions of nanoplastic particles from each square centimetre in three minutes, more than any other kind of use they tested. Months of storage in the fridge or at room temperature released particles too.² That was measured in lab liquids and cell cultures, not in people. Still, if you are going to heat leftovers, glass or ceramic gives you one less thing to wonder about.

The Costco picks

Ninja Crispi, dual zone. Bobby calls it a non-toxic, Bobby approved air fryer. The baskets are glass, the crisper plate is ceramic, the interior is all metal, and there is no Teflon. Dual zone means two separate compartments you can run independently. His point is that most air fryers have a nonstick coating in the basket.

A 14-inch ceramic family skillet. Electric, ceramic, “no Teflon” printed on the box, with a dial for low and slow cooking. $40. Bobby did not name the brand on camera, so check the box says ceramic before you buy.

A ceramic griddle. It packs into a case that looks like a briefcase, has an adjustable temperature dial on each side, and is ceramic coated. $40. Pancakes, bacon and eggs for a crowd.

A 15-inch pre-seasoned cast iron pan for $20. Bobby calls it the biggest cast iron pan in the history of mankind. No coating to wear off, it holds heat and it sears well. It is also very heavy.

A fifteen inch pan is a lot of iron. If you mostly cook for one or two, a 10 or 12 inch pan is easier to live with.

Storage: ceramic or glass

10-piece ceramic storage set, $28. Bobby’s pick for leftovers because you can store and reheat in the same dish.

Ello 10-piece glass meal prep containers. Glass bases with plastic lids. Bobby’s answer to the lid objection is that the food should not touch the lid, and he washes the plastic lids by hand rather than putting them in the dishwasher, where he thinks the heat is too much. The glass can go in the dishwasher.

There is more on containers in my glass food storage post, and on utensils and cutting boards in the plastic-free kitchen tools post.

Two more from the deals video

Ninja Blend Boss, $90 on sale. A compact personal blender with two cups and silicone straws. Bobby says he has a pink one at home and makes Rose’s smoothie in it every morning, and that he had never seen it that cheap. His “Bobby approved Frosty” is 6 ounces of milk, a lot of ice and a scoop of chocolate protein.

My own blender is a different Ninja, the Foodi SS401, a full size blender and processor. I use it constantly and would buy it again. It is also far bigger and pricier than a Blend Boss. If counter space is your problem, Bobby’s pick makes more sense.

Zevo insect traps. $32 for two units that plug into the wall and six cartridges. A blue light draws in gnats and no-see-ums, and a sticky pad holds them. Bobby likes that there are no sprays. He lives in South Florida and says he even stopped the monthly exterminator.

Quick questions

Is ceramic nonstick safe?
What I can tell you is that it is not PTFE, which is the coating I avoid. I am not going to claim more than that.

Is scratched Teflon dangerous?
Scratched pans shed particles, and overheated pans give off fumes. What the particles do to you is not known. My reason for skipping it is the one above: I do not want a worn coating ending up in my food.

Can glass containers with plastic lids go in the microwave?
Take the lid off, or cover the dish with a plate. The lid is the plastic part.

Is everything here at my Costco?
Maybe not. Bobby shops the Southeast, and Costco stock changes by region.

The bottom line

Costco’s kitchen aisle has moved toward ceramic, cast iron and glass, and Bobby’s picks show it: a glass basket air fryer, a ceramic skillet and griddle, a $20 cast iron pan and ceramic or glass storage. I cook in cast iron, stainless and ceramic for my own reasons. The evidence says scratched Teflon sheds particles and microwaved plastic sheds more. It does not yet say what that does to you. Choosing the other materials costs little, so it is an easy call.

References

1. Luo Y, Gibson CT, Chuah C, Tang Y, Naidu R, Fang C. Raman imaging for the identification of Teflon microplastics and nanoplastics released from non-stick cookware. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Dec 10;851(Pt 2):158293. PubMed
2. Hussain KA, Romanova S, Okur I, et al. Assessing the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic containers and reusable food pouches: implications for human health. Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Jul 4;57(26):9782-9792. PubMed