Black Plastic Cooking Utensils
Summary: The discussion on 'Black Plastic Cooking Utensils' involves multiple participants, including imastawka, countessalmirena, and others. Despite numerous exchanges, the content of their messages is not visible. The interaction appears to extend over several weeks, indicating a continued interest or unresolved issue related to the subject. It includes periodic responses and likely involves a range of opinions or questions concerning the use, safety, or effectiveness of black plastic cooking utensils.
Anyone using them?
Heads up - they're very bad news for your health.
I've binned all of mine (they're not recyclable) and have replaced them with wooden or bamboo utensils.
Black plastics are more likely to contain unregulated amounts of toxic chemicals including heavy metals and flame retardants which can leach into food and pose a hazard to human health. In addition, black plastics are not recyclable due to their color.
The black color is created by adding a substance called carbon black to the plastic. Carbon black which contains numerous compounds, some of which like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have carcinogenic properties that have lead the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to classify carbon black as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”
It is not yet known if carbon black leaches out of black plastic containers into food during microwaving but we would not recommend microwaving food in any color of plastic container (see our fact sheet on microwaving plastics for more details.)
Why Black Plastic Is Bad News — Beyond Plastics - Working To End Single-Use Plastic Pollution
ambercat16
·1 year agoJust found this in Woollies ......
......not wooden, but not black either.🧐 And they are on special at the moment.
There's a potato masher too and I think a serving spoon but none available when I was there.
imastawka
OP1 year agoNothing by that brand in Melbourne Woolies .
Or at least not in my online shopping - maybe in-store?
But I am interested in a potato masher. Doing it with a fork in a bowl, just like mum did. 😄
They look silicone which is ok.....until they say it isn't!
twyngwyn
·1 year agoNo steel mashers?
ambercat16
·1 year agoI'll be in there tomorrow, I'll see if they have a masher.....which colour do you prefer, the blue, green or pink (more beige I think)?
domino-710
·1 year agoStainless.
imastawka
OP1 year agoThanks for the offer, Amber, but I think I prefer to see the design. I've had stainless and plastic ones (not black) before and haven't been happy with any of them.
I even bought a stainless ricer but found it too hard to use (weak girly arms, lol)
I'm sure they'll turn up here sometime soon.
ambercat16
·1 year ago......... careful Stawka😎
domino-710
·1 year agoLOL - I have not read the whole thread so got a bit lost.
Thanks guys.
Reminds me of that ' tribe ' . 🤣
countessalmirena
·1 year agofar _an_l
The issue would be a homonym.
ambercat16
·1 year agoNot a river of excrement.....just a man made waterway that is 'far' away
domino-710
·1 year agoOK - still dumb here.
Can you explain without getting .................'d 🤣
imastawka
OP1 year agoJeepers Dom - let's hope this gets through...
Far........and then you add....... 'canal'
Say the two words quickly.
Didn't we go through all this on the Blokes thread many years ago?
sandypebbles
·1 year agoAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Well let the light from your outhouse shine on me 😆
countessalmirena
·1 year agoIt was far away. There would be barges on it.
countessalmirena
·1 year ago🙂🧑🍳🥣🥄
🙟⚜🙟⚜🙟⚜🙟⚜🙟⚜🙟
countessalmirena
·1 year agoDo they have olive fork handles and does this help in the dark…?
countessalmirena
·1 year agoI received my maple wood soup ladle just before Christmas, from the US. It’s beautifully made and a pleasure to look at; mind you, I still think Australian red hardwood outdoes the maple in beauty and distinction.
I won’t buy wooden utensils if they’re made in China. Who knows what sort of wood is really used, and whether or not it’s been treated with toxic chemicals? That’s why I looked firstly at Australian-made, then at hand-made in the US or UK, etc. The ones on Amazon are almost exclusively made in China… and there are stores here in Australia all selling the same ones that are from Temu - in at least one instance not disclosing country of manufacture.
East Fork - will ship directly from US.
New Hampshire Bowl and Board - only ship within US so you’d use a parcel forwarder.
Lancaster Cast Iron - will ship directly from US (but they’re currently awaiting new stock for their gorgeous ladle and skimmer).
From the UK… I’m still searching.
It’s appalling how many online stores are selling the Temu bundle as their own brand with high markup and nonsensical claims about their being sustainable and hand-carved and premium. Ha. Mass-produced from Chinese factories from the cheapest material possible - using the wooden equivalent of PU: that’s the real truth.
But the genuine articles are beautiful quality - a pleasure to look at and use, and it satisfies me to know that they’re natural and well-crafted. How did the world ever get to this plastic-saturated nightmare when such superb naturally-sourced items could be crafted??? (I know… <sigh> … the need for cheap mass-production with the Industrial Revolution… quick profits before anything else…)
imastawka
OP1 year agoI'm surprised you didn't go for Redwood utensils, Countess
Redwood Spoons - Etsy Australia
(Tongue in cheek - I'll show myself out)
Although........some are very beautiful, but maybe just to look at?
countessalmirena
·1 year agoI’d have gone for a redwood ladle if they had them! Those weirdly shaped things on Etsy… what are they? Who uses them? What? I .. er… what!!!!!!
sandypebbles
·1 year agoThat olive folk is being a tad rude..................
ambercat16
·1 year agoDo you mean spurtles? They are originally Scottish I think - designed for stirring porridge. I have one - not redwood though. I bought it in Scotland many, many years ago.
I notice the bots didn't like my reference to distant man made waterways🤔
twyngwyn
·1 year agoI did question my sanity - gone without a trace!
domino-710
·1 year agoMissed this one - what on earth did you say. LOL
sandypebbles
·1 year agoDid it involve a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel without any means of propulsion?
I have noticed a few odd vanishing acts for no apparent reason today
I assumed it may have been more related to the recent glitch we had with scrambled posts/not in order posts and other follies ?
twyngwyn
·1 year agolol...... far +Panama (to name one)
domino-710
·1 year agoAll the black has been binned.
The Chef loves his new Australian made utensils.
Will get him more.
Thanks for the site Countess.
countessalmirena
·1 year agoMy soup ladle (on order):
Maple wood - made in the USA.
❝This classic, wooden soup ladle exudes warmth and character. With its graceful curvature, comfortable handle, and generous capacity, it allows us to artfully serve soups, stews, and sauces. Handmade with durable hard maple by Earlywood's craftspeople in Montana.❞
Gorgeous and sustainable. Why don’t we have an Australian company producing something like this?
imastawka
OP1 year agoI realise that this site, given in my link below, is an American one, but there are some good recommendations for replacement utensils and cost - mostly from Amazon but may be available on ebay Australia.
I noticed some very thin wooden egg flips Springy was concerned about replacing.
Also their views on whether black silicone should be included as potentially toxic.
A very good read anyway - the website is yahoo!life (the link doesn't say whose website it is for those who worry about clicking on strange links)
Best nontoxic kitchen utensils to replace your black plastic spatulas and spoons
twyngwyn
·1 year agoNot as bad as originally thought??
https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/12/huge-math-error-corrected-in-black-plastic-study-authors-say-it-doesnt-matter/
imastawka
OP1 year agoWhile being off by an order of magnitude seems like a significant error, the authors don't seem to think it changes anything. "This calculation error does not affect the overall conclusion of the paper," the correction reads. The corrected study still ends by saying that the flame retardants "significantly contaminate" the plastic products, which have "high exposure potential."
Still a risk I'm not willing to take.
Not sorry I threw everything out.
countessalmirena
·1 year agoThe Comprehensive Kitchen Utensil Set includes:
A set of Long tongs
A set of Short Tongs
Red Hardwood Kitchen Spoon
An Egg-flip
A Wok Stirrer
A Shovall
A Shaped Stirrer
A Spurtle
A Rice Spoon
A Patè Spreader
And I also added this:
Red hardwood pizza slice (which obviously works equally well as a cake or pie server).
I have other triangular pizza/pie/cake servers but (after the great nylon/plastic throw-out) not one suitable for nonstick cookware - hence the addition.
domino-710
·1 year agoOrdered the Gift Bundle - with Gift Wrapping - woohoo - Made in Australia.
Actually - when going through the drawer - only found 1 black thingy - which will go out in tonight's bin.
countessalmirena
·1 year agoSpringy, silicone is a different matter. It doesn’t present the risks of black nylon/plastic utensils - to the best of my knowledge at this moment.
But getting all wooden utensils and implements is not a bad idea. Google Australian Woodwork for the domain (AU). As I suspected, the comprehensive kitchen bundle is now sold out again - no, there’s 1 bundle left! And it includes various spatula-type implements - and there are still the “red hardwood long tongs” and the “red hardwood kitchen tongs” (shorter ones) in stock (also incl in the bundle).
domino-710
·1 year agoAre these the ones Countess ??
springyzone
·1 year agoAnd wouldn't the food grade black silicon have the same problem?
springyzone
·1 year agoI hadn't heard of this but what are you people using for spatulas? I have wooden spoons but I don't want a metal spatula and have never seen them in wood.
And I need tongs with a soft end. Any suggestions?
countessalmirena
·1 year agoSometimes I’m all elegance 👑 and sometimes I’m rustic as a hayseed. 👨🌾
😁
countessalmirena
·1 year agoI’ve just managed to order a set of Australian red hardwood utensils. They were still out of stock two days ago (after a surge of orders, I suppose), but I’ve been checking every couple of days to see if they’d restocked.
It’s hard to find this sort of item made in Australia. Plenty looked promising but then further delving showed that country of manufacture was China. I am deeply sceptical of safety assurances from Chinese manufacturers.
I could not find an Australian-made soup ladle in wood. It wasn’t as urgent a situation as stirrers and tongs and egg flippers etc, as I have a ladle of stainless steel (made in UK), one of red silicone (regrettably manufactured in China although under contract to Cuisipro), and even a Georgian silver ladle dated to roughly 1780 but I’ll be roasted with parsnips before I use it for everyday! At any rate, I wanted a wooden one to give a consistent look and to make up for the plastic ones I’ve thrown out. Found some - manufactured by hand in the US. Very nice… ordered.
imastawka
OP1 year agoI have a wooden ladle and a stainless steel one. Had them both prior to binning the black plastic one.
When I was a kid my mum used an old teacup for a soup ladle - I was unaware there was a special utensil. Still good - if you don't mind being a tad inelegant. 😋
imastawka
OP1 year agoAAARRRGGGHHH!!!
I'm still finding more in my highly disorganised kitchen.
Found a soup ladle, an egg flip and some long-handled tongs.
Into the bin they went.
domino-710
·1 year agoChucked them - ordered wooden.
countessalmirena
·1 year agoI’ve already dumped all of mum’s old set two or three days ago; I have never used them and prefer food-grade silicone and also wood. But I have some nylon ones from Swiss Diamond for heavier things to flip in the wok etc. I’m going to have to replace those.
Good head’s-up, imastawka. It’s appalling and should have been known years ago.