Kitchen gadgets don't belong in any kitchen

[jenniferlee]

For your information,
as far as I am concerned, Microwaves, non-stick cookware, plastic spatulas & cutting boards do not belong in a healthy kitchen. In fact, they don't belong in any kitchen, especially if you say that your kitchen is healthy kitchen -part of healthy living. These products were produced to make your life convenient. They are unhealthy, which to me.

Regards,
Jennifer Lee

 

[appleyard14]

I disagree. Every kitchen needs to be functional for whoever is cooking, and if the cook in the house also has two jobs to look after then all those kitchen gadgets make there life easier. No matter what gadget you are using or how much plastic its much healthier to cook in your own gadget friendly kitchen then grab some takeout. Besides everytime I get a new gadget I have a new toy to play with! Non stick cookware is not dangerous either unless teflon burns or you are using metal. And plastic burn proof spatulas are my best friend! As for plastic cutting boards, its actually a proven fact that an oak (for example) cutting board or any sort of wood for that matter holds more bacteria and they are banned in restaurant kitchens across canada thanks to the health board. So you can have plastic and be perfectly healthy!

 

[Lizannd]

I only use a plastic cutting board for meat. Then I just

put it in the dishwasher on the extra hot or sanitize cycle. Nice and clean. And my new favorite gadget is the silicone basting brush. Very very easy to clean, no problem with cleaning where the bristles are attached either, can even put it in the dishwasher. While I don't use my microwave for cooking it comes in real handy when I am making a pudding or custard. I put a small amount of milk in the pan on the stove with the sugar and other ingredients, then I put the majority of the milk in the microwave to heat. Makes the whole custard making faster and less likely to lump or scorch.

 

[MJK]

Something or other is bound to get us all. Too much coffee, too much sex, too much chocolate, too many cigars, too much booze. So we cut it all out and get hit by a bus as we cross the street. The plastics industry (except maybe in that large Asian country) works diligently to make safe products for us to use. Life is too short to worry about a millimicrogram of some multi poly di benzo molecule. Personally I want to go like grandpa, quietly in his sleeep and not yelling and screaming like the other three people in the car he was driving. It's a beautiful day today get outside and plant something.

 

[GotGarlic]

For your information,
as far as I am concerned, Microwaves, non-stick cookware, plastic spatulas & cutting boards do not belong in a healthy kitchen. In fact, they don't belong in any kitchen, especially if you say that your kitchen is healthy kitchen -part of healthy living. These products were produced to make your life convenient. They are unhealthy, which to me.

Regards,
Jennifer Lee

Do you have any evidence to back up these beliefs? Microwaving fish and veggies has actually been proven to be more healthful because the steaming maintains vitamin and mineral content better than other cooking methods. Non-stick cookware is find as long as it's used properly and I don't see any problem with plastic spatulas.

I do agree that wood cutting boards are safer than plastic - the gouges that a knife makes in the plastic make it difficult to clean properly, and studies have shown that wood actually essentially self-disinfects. The dry interior of the wood absorbs moisture from the surface that kills any nasties, since they need moisture to survive.

 

[bethzaring]

I have certainly done my research on these issues and am completely comfortable with using high quality, heat resistant, plastic products in my kitchen. And following standard guidelines when using a microwave oven in good condition causes me no concern. I do appreciate and share your concerns regarding healthful eating.

I feel what is of more importance is what foods we are putting in our bodies. There is a direct link between our health and the foods we choose to eat.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

For your information,
as far as I am concerned, Microwaves, non-stick cookware, plastic spatulas & cutting boards do not belong in a healthy kitchen. In fact, they don't belong in any kitchen, especially if you say that your kitchen is healthy kitchen -part of healthy living. These products were produced to make your life convenient. They are unhealthy, which to me.

Regards,
Jennifer Lee

I can't see what is wrong with plastic cutting boards - they are
easy to clean and disinfect and don't dull the knives badly.

I use a microwave to cook a lot of green vegetables like
green beans, spinach and even pre-cook carrots and potatoes and
turnips in it to reduce overall cooking time.

 

[GotGarlic]

I can't see what is wrong with plastic cutting boards - they are easy to clean and disinfect and don't dull the knives badly.

I use a microwave to cook a lot of green vegetables like
green beans, spinach and even pre-cook carrots and potatoes and
turnips in it to reduce overall cooking time.

Plastic cutting boards harbor bacteria in the cuts that develop with use, where it's very difficult to completely get rid of the bacteria: UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research

Wooden cutting boards actually kill the bacteria by essentially drying them out - the dry interior of the wood absorbs any moisture on the surface and the bacteria can't survive without moisture.

The scientific conclusion:

We know of no similar research that has been done anywhere, so we regard it as the best epidemiological evidence available to date that wooden cutting boards are not a hazard to human health, but plastic cutting boards may be.

 

[justplainbill]

I have my doubts about using plastic boards when cutting hot foods.

 

[GB]

Plastic cutting boards harbor bacteria in the cuts that develop with use, where it's very difficult to completely get rid of the bacteria: UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research

Wooden cutting boards actually kill the bacteria by essentially drying them out - the dry interior of the wood absorbs any moisture on the surface and the bacteria can't survive without moisture.

The scientific conclusion:

For as many studies that say that wood is better than plastic when it comes to cutting boards there are just as many that say the opposite.

The consensus from most people is that both are great materials to use and each has their sets of positives and negatives. Neither is a perfect option, but both are excellent choices is used and maintained properly.

 

[justplainbill]

Wood seems to have worked well for a long time at butcher shops.

 

[GB]

Wood seems to have worked well for a long time at butcher shops.

Yet you will never find wood in any restaurant.

 

[justplainbill]

I've been in a few New York State restaurant kitchens (admittedly some 20 years ago) that were so equipped.

 

[GB]

I believe (but could be mistaken) that these days it is against health code for restaurants to use wood boards because they can not go in the dishwasher.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

Plastic cutting boards harbor bacteria in the cuts that develop with use, where it's very difficult to completely get rid of the bacteria: UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research

Wooden cutting boards actually kill the bacteria by essentially drying them out - the dry interior of the wood absorbs any moisture on the surface and the bacteria can't survive without moisture.

The scientific conclusion:

I am now more confused - see the below link which says the
exact opposit - plastic boards are non porus and will not
harbor bacteria. I use plastic and hard rubber boards exclusively.

Cutting Boards - wood or plastic?

 

[GB]

I am now more confused - see the below link which says the
exact opposit -

That is exactly why I said that for every study that says wood is better than plastic there is another that says plastic is better than wood.

 

[Alix]

Mike, just use and maintain whatever you have in the proper fashion and all will be well.

 

[GotGarlic]

I am now more confused - see the below link which says the
exact opposit - plastic boards are non porus and will not
harbor bacteria. I use plastic and hard rubber boards exclusively.

Cutting Boards - wood or plastic?

I don't know if you read the link I sent, but here is a significant paragraph:

Our research was first intended to develop means of disinfecting wooden cutting surfaces at home, so that they would be almost as safe as plastics. Our safety concern was that bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, which might contaminate a work surface when raw meat was being prepared, ought not remain on the surface to contaminate other foods that might be eaten without further cooking. We soon found that disease bacteria such as these were not recoverable from wooden surfaces in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were used. New plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to persist, but were easily cleaned and disinfected. However, wooden boards that had been used and had many knife cuts acted almost the same as new wood, whereas plastic surfaces that were knife-scarred were impossible to clean and disinfect manually, especially when food residues such as chicken fat were present. Scanning electron micrographs revealed highly significant damage to plastic surfaces from knife cuts.

The problem is that once a plastic cutting board becomes scarred from use, bacteria get into the scars, away from the surface, and so cannot be disinfected.

From your link:

Plastic cutting boards are dishwasher safe. Having said that, most home dishwashers only reach temperatures of between 120-140F. Water must be much hotter than that—about 190F for several seconds to make sure items are properly sanitized.

So putting a plastic cutting board in the dishwasher *does not* sanitize it. In fact, 40*-140* F is the "danger zone," where bacteria multiply rapidly. I have a few plastic boards that have ended up in my kitchen over the years, but I only use them for cheese, bread, fruits and veggies.

 

[Lizannd]

I guess one other thing I don't understand, wouldn't a

plastic cutting board dry and then not provide a friendly environment for bacteria. Where I live the wood in my house swells and contracts depending on the humidity. I would expect the humidity in the air to have the same effect of a wooden cutting board. Just try to open a window in an old house when it is hot and raining and you will see what I am talking about.

 

[Snoop Puss]

Neither is a perfect option, but both are excellent choices is used and maintained properly.

Thanks GB, ever the diplomat, just as I was wondering whether jenniferlee was just winding us up.

As for microwaves being unhealthy, as far as I understand, lots of families now use them to sterilise baby's bottles. If used properly, I can't see why they should be unhealthy.