" Similarly, it’s true that these brominated compounds can get into cooking oils. In one experiment, researchers boiled pieces of black spatula that had been identified to have “elevated” levels of contaminants in 320-degree oil for 15 minutes and then looked to see how many of these chemicals were present in the oil. In this very extreme model of “cooking”—most people don’t leave their spatulas in the fryer and walk away for a quarter of an hour—most, though not all, of the samples collected had “negligible” amounts of these chemicals in them."
I just picked up a small (about 2" square) silicone spatula for a couple of dollars. It has something I really want in a utensil–a hole in the handle so I can hang it. (A loop will do as well.)
Glass, I fear, may be next. My local government’s recycling office recently announced that glass containers no longer will be accepted for recycling. Until further notice, glass is garbage again.
The reason given was that the only regional glass company that was taking recycled glass had gone OOB.
Let us know how well it works, and how it holds up.
I may have had 10 different ricers over the years, and I’m still searching for a really good one. I’ve had as little luck with commercial food service ones as with light duty home models. IME, either the leverage is off, the handles flex too much, they’re hard to load/clean, or they break.
I have had a Goldspatz Spaetzle Press for many years both at Home and in the Restaurant.
Sturdy, no flexing in the Handles, Pivot Point or Piston Arm.
Works like ein Traum (they also make one with different Holes for non- Swabian style Spatzle)
There is a very positive feel when I squeeze the plunger.
Sunshine doesn’t like peels in her mashed potatoes, so I do peel & cut (into chunks) and boil them until ready. After draining – into the ricer, mix in a little butter, pinch of salt and touch of whole milk… stir together and serve.
Depending on what Mr. Scale has reported lately, I will make up some gravy.
What else can I do to avoid exposure to dangerous chemicals from plastic?
Some plastic exposure is inevitable. But there are things you can do to minimize your exposure.
Run a HEPA air filter. We all breathe in microplastics in the air. A HEPA filter can remove some of them.
Use a water filter. There are plastic particles in our water too. Filters that remove Class 1 particles will take out the most microplastics, but any filtration is better than none.
Don’t heat up anything in plastic containers. Black or otherwise, LaBeaud said. Glass and ceramic are much better options for the microwave.
Use a reusable metal or glass water bottle instead of single-use plastic bottles.
Get rid of nonstick pans. Those coatings are tantamount to “cooking our food on plastic,” LaBeaud said. Pack food in foil or reusable nonplastic containers instead of single-use plastic bags or reusable plastic.
Most has been said in this thread but nice consolidation and a few adds….like HEPA filter and water filter. Micro-plastic are everywhere…including brain tissue, human breast milk, human semen. All the other animals on earth most likely have some too.
An under-appreciated yet major source of micro plastics is drain water from clothes washers and dryer lint. To the extent you’re laundering synthetic fibers, you’re putting microplastics into the waste stream.
I knew about the dryer lint because of emptying the trap. But the clothes washer wasn’t even on my radar until I installed a filter–Holy Cow! I added it to keep the fines from clogging my septic system, and it’s shocking how much material builds up on the filter that passes the washer’s little tray.
Of course there’s still the issue of how to safely dispose of the filtrate afterward.
I never knew there were filters for septic systems, which of course make sense. Even if theres the issue of safe disposal, at least it’s trapped and a disposal solution could potentially be figured out. Conversely, if you’re in a municipal waste system, that stuff just goes into the ocean…and into fish and sea animals, some which we eat.
Are plastics in modern industrial society, the equivalent of lead lined aqueducts in old Rome?
I always cleaned them (and aired them out) after each load. Though they may exist in washing machines in North America, I’ve never seen one (I know that they exist “behind the scenes).
I like being able to clean the filters after each use and get ahead of the game in removing microplastics, etc. from the “system”.
I also installed a washing machine outflow filter a couple of months ago when I found out they were a thing. After four or five loads, there’s minimal lint in it, just a tablespoon, maybe because only a few of my clothes have synthetic fibers, or maybe they’re old and already shedded the lint. Far more lint comes out in the dryer filter.
(they also make one with different Holes for non- Swabian style Spatzle)
