Throw out your black spatula
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Ugh, we have several black plastic cooking utensils that are in heavy use. We’ll have to figure out what to do…
Re plastic, it’s so hard to avoid. Milk, yogurt… what else?
We do use Pyrex or other non-plastic bowls for microwave reheating.
But what about the reusable microwave lid, that’s plastic?
And in our new house, we have the big fancy gas stove/oven. We’ve been trying to remember to have the exhaust fan on whenever we use it, but is that enough?
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At 69, I'm not going to start worrying about this now. No one gets out alive. Having several black plastic utensils I use a lot, they are very seldom exposed to significant heat (for obvious reasons) and do not contact the food for long.
What are the alternatives? Wood? Harbors germs, not dishwasher safe. Silicone? Is it really any better than plastic? I use some All-Clad nonstick saute pans, but that's all the nonstick I have.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
― Douglas Adams -
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At 69, I'm not going to start worrying about this now. No one gets out alive. Having several black plastic utensils I use a lot, they are very seldom exposed to significant heat (for obvious reasons) and do not contact the food for long.
What are the alternatives? Wood? Harbors germs, not dishwasher safe. Silicone? Is it really any better than plastic? I use some All-Clad nonstick saute pans, but that's all the nonstick I have.
@Mik said in Throw out your black spatula:
At 69, I'm not going to start worrying about this now. No one gets out alive.
No, but all of us are experiencing increased longevity.
Personally, I’m not 60 yet. I could easily live for another 25 years or more.
That makes me wonder how much effort I want put into these kinds of things (cancer-reducing activities), and how much “return on investment “ I might see on that effort….
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One can be compulsively careful about these things and get hit by a bus or a genetic predisposition you've had all your life. I'd personally be more interested in comprehensive genetic testing than I would worrying about kitchen utensils. (Disclaimer: I'm working deeply with that kind of genetic testing this year)
Bear in mind also that our increasing lifespan has occurred as we have massively increased the chemicals in our environment, so we must be doing something right. Worry accomplishes little and steals joy.
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One can be compulsively careful about these things and get hit by a bus or a genetic predisposition you've had all your life. I'd personally be more interested in comprehensive genetic testing than I would worrying about kitchen utensils. (Disclaimer: I'm working deeply with that kind of genetic testing this year)
Bear in mind also that our increasing lifespan has occurred as we have massively increased the chemicals in our environment, so we must be doing something right. Worry accomplishes little and steals joy.
@Mik said in Throw out your black spatula:
I'd personally be more interested in comprehensive genetic testing than I would worrying about kitchen utensils.
That makes sense. Although I thought a lot the things that are tested for don't yet have clear treatment plans? Maybe that's outdated?
Bear in mind also that our increasing lifespan has occurred as we have massively increased the chemicals in our environment, so we must be doing something right.
Indeed! I never thought of it that way! Although OTOH, life spans are increasing, but what about all those articles I see which mention rising rates of various cancers? As always, it's complicated!
Worry accomplishes little and steals joy.
Of course. But if there are little changes one can make, perhaps over time, to nudge the needle, why not?
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You can get a set of 15 silicone kitchen utensils for some $20 on Amazon.
Couldn’t hurt.
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So I made a pile of plastics, a worn cutting board, old scratched trifle bowl we use for mixing, salad tongs, almost new black nylon spatula, two measuring cups.
Not much, we have and mostly use wood or glass alterntives.
Told MrsA. Asked if she'd like a cuppa?
And sighed
https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/nutmeg-home-classic-kettle-black/113488049Does it count?
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But not all parchment paper, apparently.
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My daughter has a bunch of those old soft plastic drinking glasses in weird colors with embedded glitter in them. The exteriors are sticky, and you can feel roughness on the insides, so you know some of that plastic ends up in your drink. Yet she insists on glass food containers.
I think it’s time for an intervention.
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Kettles, good grief, what a can of worms.
Britain, tea drinkers of something like 40billion cups annually do not manufacture a single electric kettle!Nearest non plastic electric kettle that's also not made in China appears to be (no not french or german...)
Italian.I'm tempted to get a traditional small hob kettle.
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Kettles, good grief, what a can of worms.
Britain, tea drinkers of something like 40billion cups annually do not manufacture a single electric kettle!Nearest non plastic electric kettle that's also not made in China appears to be (no not french or german...)
Italian.I'm tempted to get a traditional small hob kettle.
@AndyD I know. I finally settled for a Chinese made (mostly) glass electric kettle a couple of years ago when I retired my Simplex. The Chefman does have a black plastic lid that water condenses on and drips back down into the kettle, probably not a good thing.
I came close to incinerating the Simplex when I put water on to boil and then popped out to the back yard to take care of some gardening task or another. I'd be out there a little longer than expected and suddenly realize that the kettle was boiling dry. After the third near-miss I decided a kettle with auto-shutoff was probably a good idea. I still have the Simplex in the basement. Maybe I'll put it back to work, at least for the winter months when I'm mostly inside...
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I suppose hob kettles ideally need to whistle.
My replacement choices for our black plastic cylinder:
https://ottonifabbrica.com/en/3-kettles
(in cherry red)Who knew where a spatula thread could lead!
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Parchment papers don’t list their ingredients, so I can’t tell if the Kroger paper I’m using is going to kill me. But I don’t use it often.
I do have a couple of Silpat silicone baking sheets; I could start using them more. They never feel quite clean, though, even after soapy Dawn dishwashing.
