Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid.
In 2018, Turner published one of the earliest papers positing that black plastic products were likely regularly being made from recycled electronic waste. The clue was the plastic’s concerning levels of flame retardants. In some cases, the mix of chemicals matched the profile of those commonly found in computer and television housing, many of which are treated with flame retardants to prevent them from catching fire.
I always wonder if these sorts of dire warnings are real or just a marketing ploy.
Big Wood And Metal Utensil Lobby is going hard, for sure
I only use wooden spoons, spatulas and cutting boards myself. And fire retardants are obviously damaging to health, so throwing out black plastic is a good idea. But I don’t think the article gives any good reason to avoid plastic in general. “Potentially harmful plastic compounds” sounds a lot like “compounds with zero evidence of being dangerous but they sound scary”. Happy to be proven wrong though.
Time for another trip to Spatula City.
SPATULA
CITY!
S P A T U L A
C I T Y !
Yay for being overly cautious after the BPA thing and deciding to avoid plastic as much as possible and strictly avoiding it when dealing with high heat.
Though I still wonder about the chemicals used to treat/seal wooden utensils.
It is kinda funny coming back full circle, because as a kid I thought the wooden spoons we had were relics of the past and preferred the smooth plastic ones.
Now I prefer the wooden ones, stains, cracks, and all. Just limit how long you soak them for when doing dishes.
On that note, I’ve found that most dishes only need to soak for a minute or less before they are easier to clean. And if you rinse them before anything dries, you probably won’t even need to soak at all.
You can apply food-grade mineral oil aka cutting board oil to your wooden implements and that will help keep them from drying out and cracking. Also works on cutting boards, of course.
That’s a thing? Definitely going to look into this
Yep! I use mineral oil on my kuksa too, works great and is inexpensive. Just make sure you use food grade.
Just be sure to sanitize all cutting boards with a solution of a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water for several minutes.
Meh. Wooden boards are self-sanitizing. I’ll just risk it most days.
I’ve used wooden cutting boards for about 30 years now. Never thought about that. But it makes sense with all the nooks and crannies in wood. I only wash mine in warm water and some detergent. Don’t know if it’s true, but I heard that wood has anti bacterial properties. With that being said, I never use raw meat on a wooden board.
In a related note, I saw that in a documentary about some monks in the US that made cheese. Traditionally they always had made it in large wooden tubs. Then they were forced to use stainless tubs because of health codes. After switching every attempt failed because every batch spoiled, probably because there was a good bacterial culture in the wood that helped the batch propagate the right culture, keeping the bad bacteria in check.
flame removedants
facepalm. Censorship absurdity.
lol, that’s lemmy.ml for you
Looks fine from sh.itjust.works
That is your instance doing a shitty job of filtering.
Whaaaaat the fuck?
I had no fucking idea of this. I’ve been seen “removed” used more and more on the last months and I just thought people speak weird online nowadays.
My lemmy.lm instance has been censoring content that I see without me knowing it?
Fuck this shit, I’m going to look for another instance right now. One that treats me like an adult who wants to see what other people type so I can decide MYSELF if someone is an asshole for using certain language
Yeah it’s stupid
I like Lemm.ee because Sunaurus is a G and treats the users like adults capable of making their own decisions.
This is the way that Lemmy as a whole has filtered words implemented, just not every instance filters the same words (or at all in some cases?)
No, it is not how Lemmy as a whole has filtered words or it would be filtered everywhere.
It is the method by which it is filtered, but not the list by which it’s filtered
ML lmao
That’s probably your instance. It shows up normally for me.
Like when I type ******* it just shows up as stars to you, but I see my password?
hunter2
hug3b00b5
Part of the reason why I reject “retard” as an “ablest slur” you’re just outright not allowed to say. When we don’t censor idiot, stupid, moron, etc. I’m going to live to se the term “intellectually alternative” become unspeakable.
One of my favorites of these was “salsmurfer.” On a multitool collector forum, the autocensor was set to replace bad words with “smurf.” So there was a lot of “What the smurf was Gerber thinking?” One of the banned words was “twat.” Something that multitool users are often concerned about is whether an expensive steel tool will survive service in maritime environments or indeed when used while diving in the ocean. An English teacher will tell you that “salt water” is two words, but what do they know?
“Will a skeletool rust if exposed to salsmurfer?”
Ah, the Scunthorpe problem.
You got that right think treatment lol
Elite Moderation, zero reading comprehension
Plastic and food shouldn’t mix.
We fucked up real bad. Gonna be a long road to fix this shit.
Sous vide has entered the chat… with keurig knocking on the door
The new thing is PFAS in the food chain. We’re fucking it up faster than we’re fixing it. Almost like profit motivation was a bad idea.
As they say - plastic is stored in the balls.
Food and two different metals at once (that also touch each other) shouldn’t either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyrj-CYC5I8Basically, electrochemistry happens and the metal breaks down, seeping into the food. This is problematic for aluminum.
I had this happen when I made a tomato-based dish in a cast iron pan, covered it with foil, and then stored it in the fridge. The aluminum was electroplated to the top of the food, and the pan had iron pits in the bottom.
Yes, I know I was bad for doing that to a cast iron pan. I was young and foolish.
I don’t blame you, very few people know this and it’s not intuitive. With plastic items, everyone learns early that they don’t take heat well. Arguably, it’s not much of a problem anymore since every metal container and silverware is stainless steel and basically only aluminum foil remains. At least now you know why coins make that smell in a sweaty hand.
Food should never touch anything artificial. If it hasn’t been levitating since the day it was hand harvested from old growth forest, it’s basically pure poison.
I yeet my food so high it stays in the air/orbit just long enough before I plan to eat it. Sometimes, it hits wild geese on the way up and they get cooked during reentry.
metal is best shit we got, mate.
stainless steel is OG all purpose.
cast iron is best for some use cases.
enabled cast iron is niche for the more elite chef.
anything is else is trash but willing to hear suggestions.
EDIT: other brought up other strong choices to support the above, glass, ceramics, and food utensils.
Between all of these normal products, you don’t need plastic.
My only issue is storage containers, plastic is so easy and you got so much of it. But got to cut that too.
No one has suggested carbon steel in this comment thread yet, but others have elsewhere - just wanted to say it’s amazing. I use either stainless or carbon and have moved on entirely from cast iron apart from for casserole type food.
I got carbon wok, solid product!
Another solid choice
Makes me wonder hownin sea of options we ended with teflon slop as dailt driver for so many people
Ceramics.
for baking?
Ceramic coated pans and ceramic bakeware are both solid non-toxic options for cooking.
I have ceramic coated, cast iron, steel, and something else I can’t remember the name of and use them all with the main consideration being how much oil will be used and heat retention.
Clay pots or bust, maybe the occasional meat on a stick
Science Luddism x Cottagecore I love it
How about wooden spatulas and glass jars?
chad, obvi
Glass or stoneware has its applications.
true true.
What is enabled cast iron?
Bet you aren’t activating your carbons either
Enameled
This is very specific since he even build up a little rice tower pressing up against the foil.
Well, you need wet food, metal and another metal all touching each other for this to happen. I’ve seen my sister make the mistake IRL so it certainly does.
How did she manage to do it? I usually only see people use this example for topping half eaten pots, which means the amount of food in them should be far away from the aluminium foil.
What kind of utter madman both (a) doesn’t have matching lids for his pots and also (b) refuses to take the leftovers out of a pot (which is a vessel for cooking, not storage) and put them into a more appropriate container?
Wait until you find out that I even eat out of the pot!
One dirty pot meals. Depressed people have to eat, too.
Shameless plug: Buy a wooden end-grain cutting board from a local craftsman. They make great gifts this holiday season.
Also, if you have a cast iron pan that is extremely rusted, get a brass bristle drill attachment and blast all the rust off with it.
After you have finished that and cleaned it, season it like the other poster mentioned and it will be as smooth as almost any Teflon you’ve ever used.
Geez, I hope people aren’t out there using rusted cast iron. That’s beyond ignorant.
I have found cast iron pans in the trash that were trashed because they were Rusty. Cleaning them, de-rusting them, and reseasoning them was enough to put them back into service and they are some of my favorite cast iron.
I’m ignorant. Tell me what’s the problem with rust? I thought iron oxide is a fairly stable compound.
excess iron can be dangerous but how can anyone cook without fat… unless they wash it heavy duty soap every time.
My brother in law (a chemist) just soaps up his cast irons. He uses them every day and cleans them fairly soon after use. They look like pans you see in a magazine ad. Perfect.
strong seasoning?
Weak soap.
The whole “don’t wash cast iron with soap” advice is old – so old, in fact, that it was from back when everybody used lye soap.
Normal everyday disk soap is is safe to use on cast iron, but modern products that are marked “degreaser”, “ultra”, “platinum” etc will often have chemicals that will break down Polymerized oils. Great for keeping stainless steel shiny, very hard on your cast iron’s seasoning though.
Do yourself a favour and start using proper cast iron or stainless steel frying pans as well. You gotta learn how to use them, but it’s a whole different level. I’m never going back to non-stick.
To get started with a new pan:
- Pour a bit of oil in it
- Dry it ALL up with a paper towel
- Heat up to high temperature, let cool.
- Repeat three times or so. This creates a coating of hardened oil.
Never, ever, wash with soap. If you do by accident, repeat the above process to coat the pan again.(just don’t scrub too violently with soap - I’m being outdated with my advice here)When cooking:
- Heat up pan
- Add oil
- Add things into pan only when hot
- Use water or wine to deglaze when things get a little stuck. That’s where you get deliciousness from - it’s a feature, not a bug.
I use an old cast iron that’s a bit rugged in the bottom for pancakes. It’s the most amazing thing ever. I found it in the trash one day. The cast iron allows me to use a steel spatula when it needs to be thin, otherwise I use wood.
You can wash these pans with soap, you just shouldn’t abrade them. Soap isn’t going to remove the molecular bonding unless you’re scrubbing the hell out of it.
Also, Teflon’s a no go but I was under the impression ceramic is ok. Is anything wrong with that coating for cooking?
Ceramic loses its’ non-stick properties quite fast, cause the coating gets micro-cracked.
I’m on year four of using a ceramic pan to cook scrambled eggs in butter at least 4 days a week and it is still pretty slick.
Is it other foods like acidic tomato sauces that mess with the coating?
Your coating might be ok for you still, while still having lost a lot of its’ non-stickiness.
Usually, you can fry eggs on non-stick pans without butter (even if butter is delicious): can you sill do that?
It’s usually not a chemical reaction like what’s happening with acidic foods on the coating of a cast iron/carbon steel pan. Ceramics is quite brittle, so mechanical shocks can create micro cracks, which are hard to see but make food stick.
Yeah our Fika ceramic pans aren’t that great anymore after 2 years.
Thanks - apparently modern soap is much milder on the seasoning, so it’s not really a problem any more. I’ve never thought to question the advice that was passed down the generations. :)
Nothing wrong with ceramic from a food safety perspective. I love it in my cast iron pot, not sure I would go for it in a frying pan.
I was under the impression ceramic is ok. Is anything wrong with that coating for cooking?
Only that you shouldn’t expect it to actually be non-stick, LOL. Personally, I don’t see the point of it and consider it inferior to cast iron, carbon steel, enameled cast iron, or stainless-clad aluminum.
A new cast iron pan should be washed with soap and water. They’re usually coated with something you don’t want to be eating to keep them from rusting from the factory to your home. You scrub that off and then season it.
Huh, good to know - I’ve only ever used old ones. They always clean off pretty easy with just water and a firm dish brush.
After Googling a bit, it turns out dish soaps were much more powerful in the past, which is why old people always say not to use dish soap in a pan. Newer soaps are generally milder and won’t damage the seasoning. It never occurred to me to question it. Thanks!
I’ll probably keep going without soap though, but it’s nice to know I can be a little less fanatic about it. :)
I wash my cast iron with dish soap after every use and I can still slide eggs around in the pan. Definitely agree, though. I only have 1 non-stick pan that I almost never use. Stainless steel and cast iron are really the only 2 types that you need
Enameled cast iron (which IMO is different enough from regular cast iron to be a separate category) is a nice choice for dutch ovens.
Ah, 3 types!!! I love my enameled dutch oven. It goes right from the stove top into the oven and cleans easy. I’ve even got a small enameled sauce pan, but don’t use that as much.
I thought this is only something done to cast iron. Should you do this with stainless steel pots too?!
The “to get started with a new pan” part only applies to (bare, not enameled) cast iron. The “when cooking” part applies to both.
Generally you don’t need to worry much about pots. If you have a problem of things sticking in them while cooking I guess it would work though. I have a coated cast iron pot for proper cooking, so I rarely use my stainless steel one for other things than boiling stuff. No need to season them for that.
It needs to be done to stainless steel frying pans. If you go for a stainless steel frying pan you probably want to get a five-ply one, which means that there are two layers of (usually) aluminium inside the pan helping with heat distribution. Once you have that it’s a great alternative to cast iron - I find it easier to deglaze because the surface is shiny. But in its own right heat distribution in stainless steel is not good enough to make for a good pan, and a good stainless steel frying pan comes with a bit of a learning curve.
I guess it’s the same thing with carbon steel as well, but I have no experience with that.
Greenpan FTW!
Do they make wooden thin spatulas?
No, but they do make them in metal.
Would silicone be a safe alternative?
Yes.
I’m not sure but silicone is just another plastic so I don’t make any assumptions about its safety, since that’s what industry seems to rely on.
Like when they reacted to BPA being found to have issues by replacing it with other compounds that just haven’t proven to also have those issues instead of specifically looking for ones that have evidence they don’t.
This destroys my ceramic coated pans sadly. I have wood utensils except for a couple plastic spatulas specifically for flipping eggs because the wood ones aren’t thin enough to not destroy them.
Useles in pans, unfortunately, because they scratch the teflon.
Teflon
More cancer lol
Teflon is still more convenient than just about anything else for cooking with cheese.
cheese
More cancer, plus CVD, cruelty, violence, and atrocity.
Cast iron
