At a recipe site I subscribe to there has been a lot of discussion lately about the various pasta cookers that have been advertised. I use a 5 cup Gladwear container. I fill it half way with water, add 4 oz pasta, put lid on then loosen the lid at one corner. Cook in microwave for four minutes.
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I would reconsider this. And not do it.
More and more evidence is mounting that the plastics we use (especially at high temperatures) leach chemicals (often the ones used to cause polyimerization) into our food.
See this link:
findarticles.com/
A steel pot on the stove is something that has been in use for centuries, may take a few more minutes, but is undeniably safe.
Gladware is made from type 5 plastic (polypropylene), which may not leach out BPA (google BPA or Bisphenal A and endocryn disruption), but wil certainly contain some type of chemical catalyst. Every time this plastic is heated it will become weaker and will be more prone to leaching.
Well, I am going to try it! With the price of natural gas, I need to find a different way to cook! And, yes, I do believe that plastic is bad, and yes, I do believe that it leaches into food and water. My father told me 30 years ago that plastic was poisonous (he worked in a plastics factory). But, everything is in plastic. The meat you buy is wrapped in plastic wrap, the milk you buy is in a plastic jug, the water you buy is in plastic; how are you going to escape all of this plastic?
If a product doesn't state that it is microwave-safe, then it should never be used in the microwave. Especially if it's plastic.
You get the same results using good old corningware ( or other microwave-safe) cookware. I have some corning that I have had for 39 years. Still works, still safe , still easy to care for and stack and use. Some things just last!
People have been using plastics in the microwave for nearly 40 years now. If we were getting all sorts of poisons from this, and plastics in general, surely the health statistics would reflect this by now. Or do we suspect that the plastics manufacturers are covering this info up and that there is a large conspiracy out there, with people organizing to take over the world after the rest of us have been poisoned by plastics and killed by the dioxins in our plastic water bottles?
I don't think that it matters much what type of container you cook your pasta in, in the microwave. Any casserole with a lid should do nicely. You should be careful with handmade pottery pieces, as some of these have impurities in them which will heat up faster than the rest of the pot.
If it is convenient for you to use the Gladware, go ahead.
One of the reasons that some plastic is not recommended for use in the microwave is because the heat of the food in the container can melt the plastic, especially if the food contains fat. Also, some types of plastic lids are warped by the steam from the food that you are heatiing up in the container. Ruins the lid, but not the food.
I bought one of those special pasta makers that you just add boiling water to. I think it's called Pasta Express; however I can't check because I got rid of it. I bought it at a discount store and luckily only paid $10 for it. It seemed like more trouble than it was worth. The lid was hard to get on and off for one thing and I almost burned myself with the boiling water, struggling with the lid. It is just as easy to cook pasta in the traditional way on the stove.
I am trying not to use any plastics in the microwave. I will try doing pasta in a corningware or pyrex container and see how that does. I have made rice in the microwave and had good success with that.
The Pasta Express thing would be good for someone with a limited kitchen, I suppose.
I had to go to the emergency room because of drinking water contaminated by chemicals from plastic, and their effect on my hormonal system. It was very scary. Yes, the drinking water had been in the plastic bottle dispenser for probably a month and it had been in the sun during the day, getting heated, which made problem worse, but I have never drunk water from plastic since and I stopped eating food from plastic. (I didn't know the water had been sitting there that long and in the heat; I was staying at a friend's place.) I did a lot of research as a result, and learned there are MANY cases of plastics interfering with hormonal systems. Usually the liver and kidneys can filter this out, but it takes it's toll on the body. Companies can claim all they want that the plastics are safe, but I have first hand knowledge that they aren't. They are only interested in the bottom line: plastic is cheaper, especially with shipping costs.
Hi, I have a Pasta Express - mentioned by Debbie - and I find it very good. Even wholewheat pasta cooks in 20 mins and I find this gadget easy - and safe to use. I was skeptical until I tried it - then I was convinced. It would be great in a caravan too!
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