Ceramic cookware, along with enameled cookware, are excellent to cook with and are considered safe as long as there are no painted surfaces inside the cooking vessel.
Some paint pigments may contain traces of lead or cadmium, which can also leach into food. Heavy metal toxicity is a more significant concern with pottery and cookware purchased in other countries, because in the United States and Canada regulations exist to restrict the amount of lead and cadmium that may be used in the manufacture of ceramic cookware. These regulations do not necessarily exist in other countries, so be careful when importing cooking materials.
Titanium products entered the market several years ago and are exorbitantly priced. These products vary from pure titanium cookware to titanium-reinforced cookware. In either case, titanium is a safe, inert metal. The nonstick surface of these products may be derived from silicone, a nonporous ceramic coating, titanium, or a combination thereof. As long as the coating isn’t made with Teflon, nickel, or some other reactive metal, the products are considered safe. Glass containers are excellent to use when baking, as long as one uses a heat-tolerant glass such as Pyrex. CorningWare is also an excellent choice for baking foods in the oven. Neither Pyrex nor CorningWare can be placed on a range.