Is anyone else avoiding using plastics for food?

RainaProske

I have gotten rid of most plastics in my kitchen, whether or not they claim they are safe, BPA-free, etc. But I have foods I need to freeze. What do you do in such a case? Do you use aluminum (which has its own problems last I knew)?

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

Wax paper is good. Glass or stainless steel... I've been looking for bamboo stuff, but haven't found anything...

kommodevaran

I buy foods wrapped in plastic, and I freeze and store food in plastic. I don't eat off plastic, but that's more from an aesthetic concern than a health concern. Personally, I think worrying poses a bigger health risk than the use of plastic.

marm1962

nope, I figure at my age any damage is already done

fr33sia12

We use and breath in chemicals, exhaust fumes, dust, bacteria every day, if I start worrying about all that I'd have to live in a bubble

AigreDoux

I try to generally avoid microwaving in plastic, but do use some for storage or cold items. If I take a salad for lunch it is so huge that a glass bowl would just be cumbersome. I have a lot of pyrex.

I freeze things usually in foodsaver bags, which are plastic, but I don't reheat in the bags. I thaw in the fridge then transfer them to a different container for reheating. If you are really concerned you could wrap stuff in parchment paper before storing in bags so that the food wouldn't touch the bag. I think some form of plastic is necessary to avoid freezer burn though.

extra_medium

It can't hurt to play it safe, but at the same time people have been using plastics for food storage and re-heating for decades. People have only started getting antsy about it relatively recently it seems.

_Waffle_

Worrying about plastic touching food is an unnecessary boogeyman. Warming things up in plastic might be a valid concern but I wouldn't fret about it outside of this issue. Popping aluminum foil into the microwave is a bigger concern.

RainaProske

I appreciate all the advice and ideas. Thank you!

LivingtheLeanDream

I read the title and thought...eating plastic ??

I do wonder about re-using plastic water bottles and how safe it is though.

RainaProske

I got rid of my plastic water bottles years ago, before they started selling Mason jars for this purpose. I started off using quart Mason jars, and we drilled straw holes in their plastic lids. More recently, I use the quart jars for storing food and use skinny pint jars, with plastic lids we drilled straw holes in, for my drinks. I use both glass and stainless steel straws, not plastic. The plastic lids don't bother me.

Some years ago, I thought about how acidic jarred spices and salts can be and replaced all those with glass jars. The better spices already come in glass jars.

At first, I tried to freeze things in glass, but too many containers broke in the freezer, even though they were loosely packed, so I stopped that.

fitmom4lifemfp

Nope. Don't worry about plastics at all, really.

LiftandSkate

Agree with others...no problem storing and freezing in plastic, but I never reheat in plastic. Both my oncologist and my surgeon have advised against it due to the chemicals that leach out into the food. That's good enough for me. Same with drinking from plastic...fine as long is its not heated. Although I tend to avoid that, too, just because I don't like it.