I would really like to see some research around PEX piping. How does it handle hot water? Does it release microplastics as well?
Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
181–190 of 320 posts
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#182Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe I'm in the minority but we (and everyone else we seem to interact with) use pyrex.
Dishes marketed under the Pyrex name are no longer borosilicates. The brand name was sold off (and in fact the company that bought it was recently discussed in HN as they also bought Instant Pot, and have gone bankrupt).
I believe the new material isn’t less food safe, it just trades some thermal shock resistance for impact resistance.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe I'm in the minority but we (and everyone else we seem to interact with) use pyrex.
Dishes marketed under the Pyrex name are no longer borosilicates. The brand name was sold off (and in fact the company that bought it was recently discussed in HN as they also bought Instant Pot, and have gone bankrupt).
Soda lime glass isn't ideal for cooking, but I've never had a problem with soda lime glass bowls in the microwave. Any manner of bowl, from covered glass bowls in the pyrex style to small glass bowls meant for serving soup/etc, none has ever shattered in the microwave.
I wouldn't want to trust my casserole in the oven to soda lime glass though. Best to have real pyrex aka borosilicate glass for that.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
True, which is why any buyer must search for glassware that is said to be "borosilicate" and not search for "Pyrex", which has become a meaningless trademark. When you hold it in the hand, real borosilicate glassware is very easy to distinguish from other glassware, because it is noticeably less heavy.
It's unclear what the advantages of borosilicate are from this discussion. Is it merely the lightness? Either-or would seem to solve the problem of microplastic release on microwaving.
As mentioned, it handles large temperature swings better than the more common soda lime glass. This can be useful if you have say a casserole in a glass dish that you prepped and stored in the fridge or freezer. When you go to bake it, if you have a borosilicate dish, you can take it out and put it straight in the oven. Soda lime glass has a much higher chance of shattering if you do this.
The downside of borosilicate that no one seems to mention is that it is a good bit more fragile when it comes to mechanical shocks. So, if you accidentally hit it with something while it's in the sink, there is a much higher chance that it shatters there.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
Look, i know it's a very popular thing to do, but A. it's a layer of burned, polymerized cooking oil. It is in fact a plastic. It is not particularly better for you. It's only non-stick in a weird sense that anything else that hasn't been cleaned is non-stick. B. it does not really prevent rust - if it did, we would use this instead of rust protectants :) C. Cast iron, unlike steel, generates mostly dust when it abra…
Hmmm. I'd like to reconsider my cast iron pans if that's necessary. But first, I don't abrade them. Second, they don't seem to be rusting. And third, if you're going to season your carbon steel, then it seems like it should be fine to season your cast iron, too. Do I don't really understand what you're getting at.
You don't want to breathe a bunch of iron/rust dust, but that doesn't happen with iron cookware since it's never a dry-abrading situation.
I once rented an old house with some old iron pipes... While it was a problem for doing laundry without turning clothes orange, when I investigated the health risks it wasn't a problem unless you consumed huge enough amounts to get iron poisoning. Iron is an essential nutrient after all...
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#186I've long ago stopped cooking or putting hot food in plastic containers.. not because of this but because of the possibility other harmful substances leeching from the plastic in to my food. Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free", but that doesn't guarantee some other plastic that's used doesn't contain harmful substances or cause as yet unknown side effects that just haven't been found by re…
As a daily Aeropress user, I wonder if I should maybe switch to something else. Thoughts?
Agree I replaced all coffee makers, vaporizers, etc that have plastic anywhere near heat. I also make sure that tea bags are paper only not those mesh plastic ones which ironically cost more. I even took the plastic utensil rack out of my dishwasher after reading that most dishwashers are heavily contaminated with microplastics that just get coated on your dishes.
It is pretty frustrating trying to go plastic-less even with just food products. The glass storage containers for instance all seem to have plastic lids and seals...
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
Glass gets very hot in the microwave. Hot enough to burn skin.
Glass gets very hot in the microwave. Hot enough to burn skin. So does plastic. Also, it's a microwave oven . Who thinks that you can stick your hands on something in a device called an "oven" and not get burned?
Not in my experience, it doesn't.
I put my bare hands inside a microwave and pick up the paper or plastic from inside all the time!
The entire point of using a microwave is convenience. If I'm going to have to break out the oven mitts, I may as well just use the oven or an air fryer.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
Aeropress will be releasing a premium version made out of glass later this year. https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/
Terrifying honestly, my aeropress experiences have always concerned me with if the mug can support the force. I know there isn't supposed to be a lot of force but I've used a few of these brewers and my experience is they're not super consistent! Hopefully glass is easier. I knew a barista who had a mug explode while using an aeropress, now imagine the brewer is itself glass as well during an event like that.
Glass may impart more force upon the mug but it is certainly not likely to break itself. You would have to imagine they will use thick pyrex which you could use to drive a nail.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#189Is there any real evidence that consuming these is a problem though? Last I checked the evidence was shaky that this is even problematic for humans and read like a who's who of sketchy medical claims, up there with seed oils killing your testosterone.
The really annoying thing is that when you bring up the generational decline of testosterone in men no one really cares. Then RFK Jr brings it up - quite validly - and now you have the entire Democrat-pharma industrial complex lumping it under "far-right conspiracy theory, probably funded by Russia and MAGA white supremacists who hate women and Muslims". The irony is that it's a problem that is clearly already having…
If you're going to assert statements that wild you should provide valid sources for them, otherwise it should be fairly easy to dismiss them as paranoid and baseless conspiracy theories. Your own ideology should not inform how you interpret objective facts, although I know this is often difficult to achieve for people on the far-right end of the political spectrum.
Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dishes marketed under the Pyrex name are no longer borosilicates. The brand name was sold off (and in fact the company that bought it was recently discussed in HN as they also bought Instant Pot, and have gone bankrupt).
Dishes marketed under the Pyrex name are no longer borosilicates. They're still glass (tempered soda–lime glass), which is what the OP was talking about, so you're just being needlessly pedantic without adding anything to the discussion. Also, Pyrex is still borosilicate in Europe, since soda-lime is hard to get there.
Soda lime glass isn't hard to get, it's the "default" glass used around the world for everything from drinking glasses to window panes. If you buy a can of sauce or bottle of wine, that's almost certainly soda lime glass.
In Europe, Pyrex still uses borosilicate glass because it's better and because Europeans are more discerning consumers than Americans. That's my theory anyway. American pyrex cheaped out by switching to soda lime glass.