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Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

theatlantic.com

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Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#561
post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, wood is one. Why not wood?

Wood food working implements get stained, develop cracks and chips that may retain bacteria, can't go through the dishwasher, may have finishes we'll all be concerned about later, etc. They're my least favorite to clean and most likely to throw away because I can't get them cleaned.

One thing that's helped me is to every-so-often oil my wood utensils the same way I oil my wood cutting board. It's helps protect the wood and retain moisture so it doesn't crack. Also, at least some (if not all) woods have anti-microbial properties.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#562
post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, wood is one. Why not wood?

Wood food working implements get stained, develop cracks and chips that may retain bacteria, can't go through the dishwasher, may have finishes we'll all be concerned about later, etc. They're my least favorite to clean and most likely to throw away because I can't get them cleaned.

Wood is quite antimicrobial. You can look at studies on plastic/silicon cutting boards vs wood for a bit more peace of mind.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#563
post #484

From gidmkhealthnerd, a scientific fact-checker: Counterpoint: this seems to be the crusade of a single researcher - I don't find the data personally convincing and am still using my black spatula for cooking. https://www.threads.net/@gidmkhealthnerd/post/DBxbQERykRx?hl...

But why take the chance? Just buy a metal spatula next time and there’s nothing to worry about if it turns out to be true

metal spatulas scrape. there's non-stick dishes to worry about.

and I thought of the sunny episode when I read your comment.

"just in case is as good a reason as any to believe in something", whether it's monkey paws, throwing salt over your shoulder, knocking on wood, etc.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#564
post #484

From gidmkhealthnerd, a scientific fact-checker: Counterpoint: this seems to be the crusade of a single researcher - I don't find the data personally convincing and am still using my black spatula for cooking. https://www.threads.net/@gidmkhealthnerd/post/DBxbQERykRx?hl...

it's a weird hill to die on when you can get an almost-exact item made from silicone instead of that gross plastic

...until next week, when the prestigious scientific journal "The Atlantic" publishes a hot take on the dangers of silicone!

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#566
post #484

From gidmkhealthnerd, a scientific fact-checker: Counterpoint: this seems to be the crusade of a single researcher - I don't find the data personally convincing and am still using my black spatula for cooking. https://www.threads.net/@gidmkhealthnerd/post/DBxbQERykRx?hl...

But why take the chance? Just buy a metal spatula next time and there’s nothing to worry about if it turns out to be true

Seriously lol, the effort vs risk ratio is insanely in favor of getting rid getting rid of plastic spatulas. Though, it should be pretty obvious even before this study that plastic, heat, and ingesting the result do not go together.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#567

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…

Where I'm from wooden are norm for stirring while cooking. Plastic are used as well but after the food is already cooked.

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#568

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

> breathing low-grade gas fumes for years I have been doing most of my cooking on a gas hob for 5 years now. Could you share more detail on this point? I feel the need to be scared today (it is Halloween after all).

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-health-risks-...

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#569
post #484

From gidmkhealthnerd, a scientific fact-checker: Counterpoint: this seems to be the crusade of a single researcher - I don't find the data personally convincing and am still using my black spatula for cooking. https://www.threads.net/@gidmkhealthnerd/post/DBxbQERykRx?hl...

That's true of nearly everything in this space. You'll find lots and lots of comments below about PFAS and Teflon pans, for example, ranging from factual-but-misleading (e.g. "Teflon pans can emit harmful gases when overheated") to bald assertions (multiple variations on "Teflon pans are harmful to your health") with no context or specificity to the claim.

Setting aside the fact that the purported harms (if specified at all!) are nearly always based on confounded observational studies and/or animal models at doses that may not bear any relationship to the doses you're being exposed to in real life, the claims for any particular item are usually presented out of context. For example, is exposure at Xany exposure is "dangerous."

Skepticism and awareness of risk magnitude is essential when reading stuff like this. Academics who specialize in obscure areas love to get their name in the press, and the easiest way to do that is to go to a reporter and make vague and irresponsible claims about risks to human health, even if those risks are very, very small. [1]

For what it's worth, I have a Teflon pan, I've used black plastic spatulas in the past, and I'm not worried about it. Compared to the reasons I already know that I'm likely to die, these things are irrelevant.

[1] Case in point: I knew a tenured professor at a prestigious university who was absolutely convinced that if we all continued to eat beef, we'd be looking at an epidemic of vCJK (aka Mad Cow Disease). Saw a lecture from this person on the subject over a decade ago now, where the risks were presented as looming and absolute. We're still eating beef. Guess what hasn't happened since then?

Re: Cooking with black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid

#570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s kind of funny to watch the following conversations both recur regularly here on HN: - The replication crisis means most science is bad and we should be extremely skeptical of scientific consensus. - This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it.

To be fair to people, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to cope with the fact that a plurality or even most papers that come out may be found to be completely un-reproducible. For low stakes things like getting rid of a plastic spatula or cutting board, there is a sub-$20 cost to get rid of them and believe it is right (even if it ends up being wrong), while the cost of not believing and the paper being right is a massively…

> there is a sub-$20 cost

Plus the risk of the alternative you pick being much worse than the original option.

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