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Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

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Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#301

Post by rcme »

wheels wrote: post #62
andrewstuart wrote: post #21

Slightly off topic but I threw out all my pots and pans with non stick surfaces. Nothing will convince me it’s safe to cook food to high temperature on whatever that chemical coating is. And after a while you notice the surface is wearing away…. where is it going? Into you and your family. All my pots and pans are stainless steel.

Most folks that cook a lot don't use non-stick pans much anyway because they just don't last very long. I keep a couple around for eggs and pancakes, but that's it. The usual recommendation for skillets is carbon-steel and cast iron because the seasoning does provide some non-stick properties. I have the full gamut with carbon steel, cast iron, non-stick and stainless steel, and find myself mostly leaning on the carb…

It’s pretty easy to make a stainless steel pan non-stick. I cook eggs and pancakes all the time without any sticking. The trick is you have to let the pan come all the way up to your desired cooking temperature. When the pan is hot enough, water vaporizes instantly creating a gas buffer between your food at the pan, aka the Leidenfrost effect. You can tell if the pan is hot enough by splashing a little water on it. A pan hot enough to cook on without food sticking will have the water form round beads of water that slide around the pan rather than splashing or boiling. While there is definitely a minimum cooking temperature this works on, you don’t necessarily need to cook at a higher temperature. You just need to let the pan preheat at your desired cooking temperature for longer.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#302

Post by hospitalJail »

hnlmorg wrote: post #268
mcpackieh wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mold is the reason wood isn't dishwasher safe? Dishwashers get very hot, I thought they damage wood by steaming it. But shouldn't the steam kill the mold?

I have lots of wooden kitchenwear, all of which gets put in the dishwasher regularly and none of which has gone mouldy. I also tend to wash a lower heat if that makes any difference. Though I can’t see why it should.

Anecdotes aren't data.

You should google this stuff btw, you may have mold/bacteria growing inside your wooden stuff.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#303

Post by mcpackieh »

reaperducer wrote: post #261
mcpackieh wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 switchin…

In Europe, Pyrex still uses borosilicate glass because it's better and because Europeans are more discerning consumers than Americans Wikipedia disagrees with you: "Since the closure of the soda–lime plant in England in 2007, European Pyrex has been made solely from borosilicate." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex

That doesn't seem to contradict me; maybe they closed the soda-lime glass pyrex plant because those product models weren't selling as well?

Europe makes huge quantities of soda lime glass for a myriad of other applications, soda lime glass simply isn't hard to get in Europe. Wine bottles to windows, all that stuff is soda lime glass; borosilicate glass is a specialized glass that isn't used for most things besides cookware, labware, and sometimes lenses.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#304

Post by tohnjitor »

jaapz wrote: post #133
lscdlscd wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't necessarily say that. The cardboard/wax tears quite easily, and the wax tears with the cardboard. I don't think a plastic film would do that.

We're currently going through plastics being banned for snack foods where I live, and even vendors that were using "cardboard" boxes are hit because they are actually cardboard boxes lined with plastic (because cardboard + oil don't work together very well). Wax gets soft when heated, so I'd be really surprised if the cardboard you're talking about is actually using "wax".

Also many so-called paper or cardboard products are partially or entirely made from plastics and not wood pulp.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#305

Post by idlewords »

tptacek wrote: post #294
wheels wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of what your saying makes sense, but it sounds like you're carrying experience in metal working too far into cooking. > though it is non stick in the same sense that things are harder to stick to burned things :) The usual way I've heard this explained, which seems reasonable, is that steel and iron are porous, and what causes sticking is the contraction of those pores when heated. A smooth covering prevents tha…

OK, but the flip side of this is: why would you ever opt for cast iron over carbon steel? There are reasons --- cast iron retains heat better (though both retain heat better than all other cookware, and the reason cast iron retains more heat is that it's stupid heavy). But most things people use cast iron for in cooking, they should be using carbon steel for (or enamelware) instead. It's just way better. Pushing back…

Why do you people say "carbon steel", when all steel has carbon? Is this the new "nation state"?

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#306

Post by [deleted] »

idlewords wrote: post #305
tptacek wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, but the flip side of this is: why would you ever opt for cast iron over carbon steel? There are reasons --- cast iron retains heat better (though both retain heat better than all other cookware, and the reason cast iron retains more heat is that it's stupid heavy). But most things people use cast iron for in cooking, they should be using carbon steel for (or enamelware) instead. It's just way better. Pushing back…

Why do you people say "carbon steel", when all steel has carbon? Is this the new "nation state"?

[deleted]

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#307

Post by DropInIn »

jjoonathan wrote: post #161
least wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We use plastic containers largely for convenience. They're durable, malleable, and don't shatter like glass. They're also lighter and thinner, and cheaper. This makes them useful for things like takeout containers or any situation where you need to transport food. Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. It's generally less prone to shattering, and it's also more tolerant of rapid temperature changes. As far…

> Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. It's generally less prone to shattering, and it's also more tolerant of rapid temperature changes. You sure about that? I always heard that borosilicate was significantly less durable (30% is the figure I remember, not sure if that's 30% less or 70% less) and all the thermal shock resistance came from lowering the CTE. I don't know if that was a half truth from a sod…

Ask any glass worker

Boro got heavy use in scientific glassware for more than one reason (durability, neutrality, etc)

Soda-Lime glass is the standard glass your think of and it's weak af.

Pipe makers would show off their Boro pipes by throwing them at the ground and having them bounce and stay intact.... Theres a reason that was the way to show off the product compared to traditional glass pipes...

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#308

Post by DropInIn »

joecool1029 wrote: post #153
least wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We use plastic containers largely for convenience. They're durable, malleable, and don't shatter like glass. They're also lighter and thinner, and cheaper. This makes them useful for things like takeout containers or any situation where you need to transport food. Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. It's generally less prone to shattering, and it's also more tolerant of rapid temperature changes. As far…

> Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. In general. But less durable from physical shock (not temperature shock) than tempered soda lime glass which is what new pyrex is.

No.

New pyrex Is Not Boro.

Pipe makers used to show off their boro pipes by Throwing them at the ground.... Something you could never dream of doing with traditional glass (soda lime).

Why do you folks keep saying this?

At least google it first.

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#309

Post by vluft »

idlewords wrote: post #305
tptacek wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, but the flip side of this is: why would you ever opt for cast iron over carbon steel? There are reasons --- cast iron retains heat better (though both retain heat better than all other cookware, and the reason cast iron retains more heat is that it's stupid heavy). But most things people use cast iron for in cooking, they should be using carbon steel for (or enamelware) instead. It's just way better. Pushing back…

Why do you people say "carbon steel", when all steel has carbon? Is this the new "nation state"?

for cookware generally it's used to distinguish from stainless

Re: Microwaved plastic containers release microplastics into food

#310

Post by joecool1029 »

DropInIn wrote: post #308
joecool1029 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Borosilicate is more durable than regular glass. In general. But less durable from physical shock (not temperature shock) than tempered soda lime glass which is what new pyrex is.

No. New pyrex Is Not Boro. Pipe makers used to show off their boro pipes by Throwing them at the ground.... Something you could never dream of doing with traditional glass (soda lime). Why do you folks keep saying this? At least google it first.

> No.

Yes.

> New pyrex Is Not Boro.

I never made the claim that it was. I was very clear and said tempered soda lime glass is more resistant to physical shock than regular borosilicate glass. I am not comparing borosilicate glass to regular soda lime glass. I've cracked a Chemex before dropping it too hard on a counter. I had a tempered glass coffee table when I was a kid and that survived kids standing on it, plates dropped on it, you name it.

> Why do you folks keep saying this?

Personal experience and articles like this: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/tempered-vs-borosili...

> At least google it first.

At least learn to properly read what I wrote.

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