Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid • Hacker News Board

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#461

Post by ebiester » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:36 PM UTC

bpodgursky wrote: post #438

spacemark wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Metal spatulas aren't an option for most, either, as they scratch pans. So what's the suggested realistic alternative? Wood? Edit: wasn't trying to be snarky or anything. Honestly concerned for my family's health and trying to figure out the best path. Wood spatulas it is. Replacing all our PTFE pans with much more expensive cast iron pans isn't an option for our budget right now. Plus I haven't seen convincing scien…

They only scratch nonstick pans. Just use stainless steel, it's not that hard to clean.

It's not about cleaning. It's about the increased amount of oil needed to prevent delicate foods like eggs and fish from sticking. That adds cost and calories.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#462

Post by n8cpdx » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:36 PM UTC

simonsarris wrote: post #430

armada651 wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that even when there are easy, safe alternatives trying to avoid every little risk in your life will drive you crazy. This is a clear case where a regulator should step in and just ban these black plastic utensils in favor of their safe alternatives. That way you're not just protected from exposure in your own kitchen, but also when joining your friends for dinner.

I don't really understand that POV. It is easier to never have to worry about it if you simply decline to use plastic cooking utensils. You never have to revisit the topic, never had to read any Atlantic articles at all coming out with "new risks" because you just decided to use wood long ago.

Wood utensils are often coated to improve their stability (just like the inside of cans is coated in plastic, so joke’s on you if you choose cans for that reason).

Have you considered the safety profile of the ink used for any markings, the stain on the wood, and any oil or wax coatings?

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#463

Post by chongli » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:37 PM UTC

spacemark wrote: post #436

SoftTalker wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just don't use plastic for cooking.

Metal spatulas aren't an option for most, either, as they scratch pans. So what's the suggested realistic alternative? Wood? Edit: wasn't trying to be snarky or anything. Honestly concerned for my family's health and trying to figure out the best path. Wood spatulas it is. Replacing all our PTFE pans with much more expensive cast iron pans isn't an option for our budget right now. Plus I haven't seen convincing scien…

Nonstick pans are covered with plastic; that’s what PTFE is.

The answer is wood and metal tools with stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, glass, stoneware, and enameled cast iron cookware and bakeware. Aluminum bakeware is also great once you put a layer of seasoning on it to protect the aluminum from corrosion.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#464

Post by paulgerhardt » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:37 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #408

I really wish OXO would put out a statement here. A lot of people use it's black plastic tools like this one [1] -- like a lot of brands, OXO calls its black plastic tools "nylon" to differentiate from "silicone" -- and it would be really, really good to know if OXO has always rigorously made sure never to use recycled plastics, or if testing shows that its own products contain flame retardants. In other words, when…

Oxo claims they use Eastman Tritan Renew recycled plastics [1] which are FDA and EFSA certified for food use[2].

That said, I’ve personally been to multiple cookware factories in China and Taiwan and saw bags of Dow thermoplastic resins next to various cheaper-by-half China brands. The reason name brands go with Dow is the consistency in Pantone color matching colored parts. For black, it would be trivial for the contract manufacturer to cost-down to (toxic) China brands without the client (Oxo) ever knowing. It would also be trivial to spot check these products on a mass spectrometer for heavy metal contamination but I never saw that done.

If this kind of thing is important to you, I wouldn’t stop at just using Oxo but Oxo made in Asia. And if that’s your threshold you may as well use silicone.

I have worse stories about non-stick pan factories.

[1] https://www.oxo.com/corporate-responsibility/better-products

[2] https://www.eastman.com/en/products/brands/tritan/about/safe...

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#465

Post by Melatonic » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:37 PM UTC

spacemark wrote: post #436

SoftTalker wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just don't use plastic for cooking.

Metal spatulas aren't an option for most, either, as they scratch pans. So what's the suggested realistic alternative? Wood? Edit: wasn't trying to be snarky or anything. Honestly concerned for my family's health and trying to figure out the best path. Wood spatulas it is. Replacing all our PTFE pans with much more expensive cast iron pans isn't an option for our budget right now. Plus I haven't seen convincing scien…

Why not silicone ?

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#466

Post by potato3732842 » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:39 PM UTC

frmersdog wrote: post #402

potato3732842 wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference between electricity cost per btu and gas cost per btu is the sticking point for the bulk of consumers.

No one ever figures in the cost of medical care from breathing low-grade gas fumes for years. Or the occasional spontaneous house explosion.

Just barely or just barely not making ends meet doesn't have great long term health outcomes either.

When you add up all the things we're "supposed" to be doing for one reason or another it's a pretty large cumulative burden.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#467

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:40 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #408

I really wish OXO would put out a statement here. A lot of people use it's black plastic tools like this one [1] -- like a lot of brands, OXO calls its black plastic tools "nylon" to differentiate from "silicone" -- and it would be really, really good to know if OXO has always rigorously made sure never to use recycled plastics, or if testing shows that its own products contain flame retardants. In other words, when…

[deleted]

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#468

Post by Wowfunhappy » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:40 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #420

crazygringo wrote: post #408

I really wish OXO would put out a statement here. A lot of people use it's black plastic tools like this one [1] -- like a lot of brands, OXO calls its black plastic tools "nylon" to differentiate from "silicone" -- and it would be really, really good to know if OXO has always rigorously made sure never to use recycled plastics, or if testing shows that its own products contain flame retardants. In other words, when…

Just don't use plastic for cooking.

How do you find a non-Teflon waffle iron?

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#469

Post by groggo » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:40 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #420

crazygringo wrote: post #408

I really wish OXO would put out a statement here. A lot of people use it's black plastic tools like this one [1] -- like a lot of brands, OXO calls its black plastic tools "nylon" to differentiate from "silicone" -- and it would be really, really good to know if OXO has always rigorously made sure never to use recycled plastics, or if testing shows that its own products contain flame retardants. In other words, when…

Just don't use plastic for cooking.

is silicone ok?

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#470

Post by DoughnutHole » Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 2:41 PM UTC

the__alchemist wrote: post #460

spacemark wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Metal spatulas aren't an option for most, either, as they scratch pans. So what's the suggested realistic alternative? Wood? Edit: wasn't trying to be snarky or anything. Honestly concerned for my family's health and trying to figure out the best path. Wood spatulas it is. Replacing all our PTFE pans with much more expensive cast iron pans isn't an option for our budget right now. Plus I haven't seen convincing scien…

Metal. I haven't noticed scratches, and have been using exclusively my whole adult life. I suspect my pans are covered in superficial scratches, but I don't notice.

Presumably you’re not using Teflon pans then, because there’s no way you wouldn’t notice the non-stick surface getting destroyed by metal utensils.

There’s also a potential health argument against cooking with Teflon pans to begin with, but people do and those people shouldn’t be using metal if they want their pans to stay non-stick for any reasonable length of time.