Black Plastic Cooking Utensils

[imastawka]

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

[domino-710]

Are these the ones Countess ??

[countessalmirena]

 

The 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]

Ordered 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]

My 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]

I 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]

Not as bad as originally thought??

https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/12/huge-math-error-corrected-in-black-plastic-study-authors-say-...

[imastawka]

While 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]

I 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]

I'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]

I’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!!!!!!