Plastic Rapped

At last week's dinner the kitchen volunteer covered the vegetables with plastic wrap before she put it in the microwave oven.

"Are you sure that's okay? I always use waxed paper or parchment," I interrupted helpfully. She pointed to the "microwave safe" label that I hadn't seen on the box. Sheepishly, I nodded assent. Being perceived as a busybody is a necessary price when one is at least partially responsible for the welfare of others.

Which raises the question anyway---just how dangerous is heated plastic when preparing food? (I learned to avoid using plastic wrap and plastic containers before today's young adults were born. Perhaps that rule no longer applies.) Per Tuesday's WSJ:

Plastic is ubiquitous but there are two chemicals in it to watch out for when it comes to what your body ingests.

Phthalates, the chemicals that make a PVC container flexible, .....can leach into food, resulting in hormone imbalances and birth defects—although no one knows at what level those effects are triggered. [snip]

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a potentially worse offender. Once tested for possible use as an estrogen replacement, BPA was found to be of better use in the mass production of polycarbonate plastic. It's used in everything from the lining of metal soup cans to receipt paper. The FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles in July 2012, because of growing consumer concerns over its link to developmental delays.

One big no-no:

reheating foods heavy in cream and butter in plastic is always a bad idea. "Fatty foods absorb more of these harmful chemicals when heated," [Dr. Rolf Halden of Arizona State University] says.

Despite assurances that plastics are now safe to be used in cooking, we'll be taking a few extra seconds to pour the leftovers into a glass or ceramic bowl and cover the same with parchment paper before reheating. Just because the wisdom is old doesn't mean it's not true. © 2013 Stephen Yuen