Friday, November 23, 2007

What About The Kitchen?

Ok, so here's what we're doing in the kitchen so far...

We tossed the plastic cutting board, we have a glass one but I would like to buy a wooden one (Who ever thought of using glass for a cutting board? It makes a loud noise to cut on it.)

I went through all the baby cups, sippies, etc and according to the ZRecommends site, we have "safe" plastic now, but I'd still like to trade it out for non plastic options. I'm trying to find info on my Gerber bowls, spoons, and some other misc items. I purchased some Anchor Hocking glass juice cups that are just the right size for Lucy, but after 2 days of use she already broke the first one. Good thing they are cheap and I can get them locally at the Pfalzgraph outlet. I'm not sure how well they are going to work, we'll see how many more she breaks I guess. I'm looking for some child sized silverware to replace our plastic and melamine ones. Oneida makes some, I just have to go to some of the big department stores to see if they carry the child size.

I have an Avent pump and bottles that I've used a few times with Lucy. Thankfully I rarely have to pump, so I'm keeping the pump and one or two bottles to pump into, but I'm getting rid of the rest. If we need bottles I would buy glass ones and just pump and pour it into the bottles right away. I have some Gerber breastmilk freezer storage bags which are "safe" plastic, but I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable using them.

Dishes - we have a set made by Gibson (the company at fault in the Utah news story) that we are selling. I'm researching better options and we'll use the money towards a better set and then get rid of our Corelle dishes once we have a safer option.

Melamine kids dishes? Can't find good info on these. I've seen the finish on these get old and crack and peel, so they dont seem safe to me, plus they aren't micowavable, so what about when you put hot food on them? Seems like it might not be safe. I won't buy it, but we do have a cute set I'm keeping and wont use for hot foods.

I got rid of a Nalgene water bottle and a Princess cup, both #7. Plastic utensils and styrofoam cups had to go as well. I'm not sure what we'll do if we have a party? Say "Bring your own silverware?", maybe.

I'm hoping to replace my tupperware/ gladware/ etc with glass dishes. They do have plastic covers, but at least it doesnt touch the food much. I emailed Anchor Hocking about their lids. They are #7, but not polycarbonate.
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The code #7 on the plastic storageware lids refers to the recycling code. The plastic lids are made from a combination of LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) and a material called POE (Poly Olefin Ester). Both materials are Federal Drug Administration (FDA) acceptable. Since more than one resin is used, the only category we could assign, and stay within the labeling guidelines, was the code #7. Please refer to the following website for information regarding the recycling labeling code system:

http://www.americanplasticscouncil.org/s_apc/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=313&DID=931

You will note code #7 states; use of this code indicates the package in question is made with a resin other then the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin listed above, and used in a multi-layer combination.

Again because Low Density Polyethylene and Poly Olefin Ester are used and are two different resins the recycling code #7 must be used.

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I'll come back and edit this post later, this is still a huge work in progress. I'm still trying to figure out my pots and pans, tupperware measuring cups, etc.

3 comments:

  1. We use stainless steel dishes and cups for our son. The cups we found at IKEA, in the bathroom section(!). I think they're meant to be toothbrush cups, but they're a nice size and won't break.

    The dishes we found at a restaurant supply store, and they're sort of like those shallow metal bowls you find in Indian restaurants, which they serve individual curries and such in. They were dirt cheap ($0.89 - $1.25 apiece, we got bowls and plates.) I can email you a photo if you'd like to see what I'm talking about.

    For flatware I searched in our local thrift shop for small-ish pieces. I think they're airline flatware. I searched long enough that I was able to find a matching set of 4 spoons and 4 forks, but of course DS couldn't care less whether it's a set or not!

    Again, good luck on your journey. It is a challenge.

    Oh yeah, one more suggestion: cast iron cookware. Very safe, very cheap (as long as it's not enameled like Le Creuset which is sooo expensive!), and super durable.

    -Linda

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  2. Thanks for the suggestions! I hadn't thought of searching at the restaurant supply store.

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  3. I'd love to hear what you find out about the melamine dishes. My son has a Mickey plate and bowl that he just loves, but I'm not sure about it.
    As far as cups, you might consider some of those enamelware cups that so many people use for camping. They are super cute (either red or blue with white speckles) and unbreakable.

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