10-25-2009, 01:13 PM
I'm getting rid of my nylon cooking implements.
They are labeled for use in cooking at up to 400 degrees.
I've always been a little suspicious of the claim that they are safe for cooking, but now I've come up with a test that demonstrates that there are chemicals from them getting into my food.
I stirred a batch of iced tea with a nylon spoon and neglected to remove it when I put the jug of tea in the fridge. Five hours later, I noticed the spoon in the tea and removed it and then poured some tea. The tea had a plastic resin flavor.
I repeated this experiment with each of my nylon spoons and spatulas, finding that they all leached something with a nasty flavor into the cold tea if they were permitted to sit all night in the fridge.
Some of these implements were several years old and had been used and washed dozens of times. Others were only a couple of years old.
Chemical reactions are slower at cold temperatures than at hot temps. A batch of fried vegetables or a creamy soup is probably more acidic than iced tea... WTF have these implements been putting into my hot foods?
I'm replacing the spoons with wooden spoons and the spatulas with silicone spatulas.
They are labeled for use in cooking at up to 400 degrees.
I've always been a little suspicious of the claim that they are safe for cooking, but now I've come up with a test that demonstrates that there are chemicals from them getting into my food.
I stirred a batch of iced tea with a nylon spoon and neglected to remove it when I put the jug of tea in the fridge. Five hours later, I noticed the spoon in the tea and removed it and then poured some tea. The tea had a plastic resin flavor.
I repeated this experiment with each of my nylon spoons and spatulas, finding that they all leached something with a nasty flavor into the cold tea if they were permitted to sit all night in the fridge.
Some of these implements were several years old and had been used and washed dozens of times. Others were only a couple of years old.
Chemical reactions are slower at cold temperatures than at hot temps. A batch of fried vegetables or a creamy soup is probably more acidic than iced tea... WTF have these implements been putting into my hot foods?
I'm replacing the spoons with wooden spoons and the spatulas with silicone spatulas.