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Transcript

Using Black Utensils · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello, and welcome to Talking FACS, where we share information you can use
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  to strengthen your family, your community, and our state.
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  If you have nonstick or enamel pans in your kitchen, the manufacturers tell
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  you not to use metal utensils when preparing food in them to avoid scratching their surfaces.
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  But perhaps you have heard the claims on social media that black utensils are
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  made from recycled plastic and are emitting harmful toxins when you use them to prepare food.
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  My guest today, Annhall Norris, Extension Specialist for Food Preservation
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  and Food Safety, is our resident Mythbuster, and she is here to talk about these
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  black plastic utensils. Welcome, Annhall.
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  Thanks, Mindy. Annhall, what about these black plastic utensils?
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  Are they really harmful to us? Well, in a recent study done on toys and kitchen
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  utensils and kitchen equipment that were made from these recycled plastics.
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  They did find significant levels of what they're calling FRs.
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  And that stands for flame retardants.
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  So black utensils are made from recycled laptops or TVs or computer equipment.
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  Because of that black color, they can recycle that plastic. But when those items
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  were originally made, they contained chemicals to keep them from catching fire.
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  They were electronic devices, so they were added in there for safety reasons.
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  But you can't get rid of those FRs when you recycle that black plastic and turn it into something else.
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  So, the end result is that those toxic chemicals,
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  those FRs, are in that spatula that you use every day or that strainer that
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  you strain your pasta into and even some other common household items,
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  including some kids' toys.
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  The problem with the kitchen utensils, though, is that they're usually around heat.
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  They're usually being used on a hot surface and those FRs are released when
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  the product is heated. So, that's the concern with the strainers and the cooking utensils.
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  So, probably those FRs are keeping our utensils from cooking.
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  Spontaneously combusting. Yes, they could be, yes.
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  Even though we're not plugging them in or getting them near electricity,
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  they are still being heated, you know, to a high amount, or they have hot food on them.
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  We don't know what any of these amounts of FRs will do to the human body.
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  There hasn't been any research on that yet.
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  We just know that those type of chemicals should not be in anything that touches
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  food or that we are going to consume.
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  So just like when you package something in a container, you want to make sure
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  you're getting food-grade plastic and not just plastic that they would use anywhere
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  else for any other purpose. So that same reasoning is true with our cooking utensils.
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  So it's better to make an informed decision and not buy the black plastic if
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  you're going to use it in your kitchen.
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  So what should we look for when we are purchasing our utensils?
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  Well, wood. Wood is always safe. And it's good for a nonstick pan.
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  And then your stainless steel or metal utensils are perfect.
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  But they don't work on a nonstick pan. You know, they're going to leave a scratch.
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  They're going to remove some of that coating.
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  And most of us are using those nonstick pans. So you need to stick with wood
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  or silicone. There's a food grade silicone.
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  Or you can buy other plastic utensils as long as they're not black.
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  And will there be an indication on the packaging that says that it's safe for use, even if it is black?
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  But yes, that's where they're leading with this, that they want consumers to
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  look on the label. You should always be purchasing a cooking utensil or cooking
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  equipment that is BPA-free.
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  You want it to say food-grade, made from food-grade material.
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  And then I'm hoping in the future that we can continue to have black utensils because I love them.
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  They match my kitchen and they don't show stains. That's why I don't have,
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  you know, a light colored plastic spoon to do my tomato sauce.
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  I like the black one because it doesn't show a stain.
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  But we're hoping that they are not using that recycled black material to make
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  utensils and that there will hopefully be a statement on the label that said
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  not made from recycled, you know, plastic, electronic plastic.
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  But right now I'm using more of my wooden utensils and I am looking for a super
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  thin silicone spatula because I have a favorite spatula that I flip eggs with
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  and it's black and I'm just not ready to part with it yet.
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  And that is one of the challenges with our silicone spatulas. They are very thick.
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  So yes, yes, they are.
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  In the meantime, we are on the mission to find that special favorite spatula
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  that will do all the things that we've been able to do with our black utensils.
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  That's right. And I would encourage people to, I know it's tempting to buy the
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  utensils at the Dollar Tree and at discount stores,
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  but those are not always labeled with a statement like BPA-free or made from food grade material.
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  You would assume that since they're cooking utensils they are made from food
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  grade material but I would make sure that you have a label on it a tag on it
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  so that you can check what the ingredients are the next time you're purchasing
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  something to use with food.
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  If you are using wooden utensils, what are proper care recommendations for those products?
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  That's a great question. First, you want to rinse them off or get them in some
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  warm, soapy water immediately after use, especially if you're cooking something
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  red like a tomato sauce or a soup or something like that that might discolor it.
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  So as soon as possible, go ahead and get it in some warm, soapy water so that
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  that doesn't sink into the wood and stain.
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  And then it's also recommended to not use wooden utensils if you're cooking raw meat.
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  So for brown and ground beef or flipping chicken or steaks in your skillet, use a pair of tongs.
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  So you can use a metal tong if you're not scraping it across the nonstick surface
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  or even a plastic coated or silicone pair of tongs.
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  That's what's recommended for using raw product.
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  Okay, sounds like a great way to make sure that we are staying safe and also
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  keeping our utensils in the best working order.
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  Annhall, I'm sad that I can't use my black utensils, but I will find another alternative.
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  Yes, there has been a rise in the purchase of solid silicone,
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  and I might have to veer away from the black and just get a bright new color.
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  There's lots of colors available in the silicone utensils, so I might have to part with mine as well.
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  Yeah, we are of an age where black was the king, I suppose.
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  Well, thank you for your time today. Thanks for having me.
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  If you are just tuning in, you're listening to Talking FACS,
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  and we are available wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
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  Music.