The Green Kitchen

[marimara]

So there are many threads about similar topics but nothing recent. I'm moving soon and want to "green up" my kitchen/dining. I'm slowly doing the whole house but on a budget. Now it's the kitchen's turn.

What are your favorite eco or green kitchen items?

Ideas for recycled glass dishes?

So far what I've got is

Cast iron dutch oven and 2 skillets
Stainless steel pots and 1 non stick skillet
stoneware baking stone and casserole dishes
glass casserole
glass pie pan
Glasses for drinking, a few BPA free plastic childs cups
BPA free Sterilite airtight storage containers
1 glass storage container w/airtight lid
nesting glass storage containers w/non air tight lids
Cloth napkins and towels (paper free kitchen)
stainless steel mixing bowls
stainless steel water bottles for on the go (Klean Kanteen)
bamboo chopping boards (one large one for most stuff, small one for garlic and onions)

What I need to replace/buy:

Berkey water filter
dishes-I have old walmart special stuff that probably has lead in it
more pyrex containers for microwaving (glass is the only safe thing IMO to microwave things in)
a new blender
a food processor

I've been having a heck of a time locating truly safe lead and other heavy metal free dishware that doesn't cost a ton of money. I looked at Fiestaware, but it's so expensive and heavy. $10 for a plate? Can't do that. Plus I read something about alumina or something like that in the glaze that doesn't make it truly safe. I thought about Corelle but the shattering thing I don't like. I've dropped a lid to something like that on my tile floors and the pieces went everywhere! I was cleaning up for hours and STILL occasionally find a shard. Plus they don't feel substantial to me, I know they are but I don't like the lightweightedness of it.
So I've settled on glass. I see it everywhere for relatively cheap, it's very safe and easily replaceable. So I'm looking for glass plates and bowls in cute colors or recycled would be neat. Target had some (a tad pricy but really cute). Any other ideas?

I think this post started rambling now..the main idea was to talk about greening our kitchen for those currently interested.

[Jaxinator]

I would think that glass would shatter the same way on tile floors. In fact, anything will shatter on tile it seems like. One of the things I *hate* about tile.
Anyway, for cheap Pyrex, do you have a Corning/Corelle outlet near you? I bought a set of 7 containers of varying sizes with lids for $13 at an outlet. It was an amazing price, better than they sell for on military bases.
What about flea markets/thrift stores for glass dinnerware? Sometimes a stack of all mismatched is as cute as a set of matching.

[marimara]

Oh yeah of course, anything will break if dropped on the tile, but that lid which was a tempered glass, shattered into thousands of pieces-like 15 ft away!. Ordinary stoneware or glass doesn't shatter like that, it's breaks into lots of pieces, but bigger pieces. I think that Corelle does the same thing or so I've read. We live in the South and tile is big down here because it's so hot, most houses have tile at least in the kitchen. So not much I can do about that, yk?

I do like the idea of mismatched thrifted pieces and I've found some so far, thanks!!

[amber913]

I've seen fiesta ware on craigslist, so you may want to check there for your other needs as well.

Do you happen to know--since you've obviously done your homework!--if there's a problem with wood or bamboo? Wooden/bamboo bowls and plates are common at thrift shops and yard sales, but what are they coated in? If they're considered safe, they shouldn't break when dropped.

[marimara]

Originally Posted by amber913

I've seen fiesta ware on craigslist, so you may want to check there for your other needs as well.

Do you happen to know--since you've obviously done your homework!--if there's a problem with wood or bamboo? Wooden/bamboo bowls and plates are common at thrift shops and yard sales, but what are they coated in? If they're considered safe, they shouldn't break when dropped.

The only problem I know of with wood or bamboo, bamboo in particular, is that sometimes the glue isn't food grade. And also the any finishes, stains, or oils that might be on the wood.
I do have some wood and bamboo products as well. I have some bamboo bowls that dh got in Vietnam and we've used them for food before but I'm suspicious since I don't how it was made. The cutting boards and other bamboo products I have say "food grade glues". They also don't hold water for very long, my bamboo bowls starting leaking water after about one year.

With woods, you have to find out if it was sustainably harvested, etc. I have bought lots of wood and bamboo bowls at the thrift stores for my dd's play kitchen or to hold fruit on the counter.

I really like bamboo better because it grows faster, usually organic, and is sustainably harvested usually. Plus it's lighter weight. I like bamboo for cutting boards, chopsticks, bowls for dry foods but not necessarily to eat in.

Thanks for your input, I am going to be checking out the thrift stores more closely!

[_ktg_]

Marimama - Question for you - not to hijack your thread, but what did you use to condition your wood cutting boards? I have a couple right now and I'm floundering.

I second the thrift store scouring for pyrex. I am trying to collect some older 1950's primary colored pieces and found them all via thrift stores.

[marimara]

Originally Posted by _ktg_

Marimama - Question for you - not to hijack your thread, but what did you use to condition your wood cutting boards? I have a couple right now and I'm floundering.

I second the thrift store scouring for pyrex. I am trying to collect some older 1950's primary colored pieces and found them all via thrift stores.

The instructions said to use mineral oil or vegetable oil, so I just used Canola Oil and really soaked them good. Then when they start looking dry again I use some canola oil or olive oil. So far so good, and at least I know it's food grade . I used to have a tub of a mixture of beeswax and oils ( it was actually Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter that I no longer need) and if I ever find where it went missing, that's what I'll be using. But for now I just keep adding more oil on it.

[marimara]

Oh and I was just at the evil empire called Walmart , and they have a lot of pyrex and Anchor brand glass bowls and dishes and cookware for very inexpensive. They also had a set of really cute cobalt blue glass dishes (plates, bowls, and salad plates 4 of each) for $15.

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by marimara

The instructions said to use mineral oil or vegetable oil, so I just used Canola Oil and really soaked them good. Then when they start looking dry again I use some canola oil or olive oil. So far so good, and at least I know it's food grade . I used to have a tub of a mixture of beeswax and oils ( it was actually Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter that I no longer need) and if I ever find where it went missing, that's what I'll be using. But for now I just keep adding more oil on it.

Very cool! Vegetable oil and yet an other use I have found for Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter (i like to use it on my leather shoes a bit!)

[Magelet]

Originally Posted by marimara

Oh yeah of course, anything will break if dropped on the tile, but that lid which was a tempered glass, shattered into thousands of pieces-like 15 ft away!. Ordinary stoneware or glass doesn't shatter like that, it's breaks into lots of pieces, but bigger pieces.

the "standard" is 15 feet for glass on tile. that is, any type will throw shards up to 15 feet away, as well as the bigger peices.


I'm not really working on greening our kitchen too much at the moment, since I've been focused on it from the start. I try to make all new things in the kitchen green. Lots of used stuff, we do have bpa free plastic tupperware things, but all the new food containers are mason jars or pyrex/anchor hocking.

I'd try to get rid of your non-stick pan.

that's the main thing remaining in my kitchen that bugs me from a health/non-green standpoint. Our baking sheet is non-stick. I really need 2-3 uncoated baking sheets but they're expensive. In the meantime I use parchement so it's only the fumes and not direct contact with food.

[marimara]

Yeah, I'm not so much concerned with shattering as I am with non-toxicness. I don't drop things that often. Plus our new place has linoleum floor instead of tile like we have here. I just don't want Corelle because I really don't like it, plus it does shatter into a gazillion pieces whenever it does break (which apparently isn't that often).

I actually went out and purposefully bought my one non-stick pan. It's from Cuisinart and supposedly is "safe". It's my understanding is that the most danger is when the nonstick stuff starts flaking off. If and when it scratches though I will be replacing it. I've found that I really do need ONE non stick pan, I can't seem to do eggs or pancakes in my cast iron (like that other thread around here somewhere was talking about).

I have a non-stick baking sheet but I never put food directly on it, I always use aluminum foil. In fact, I don't know why I still have that thing, I have plenty of other safe options to bake in. I do cookies on the stoneware baking sheet, meat can go in one of many casserole dishes (stoneware or glass). I have a roasting pan (which is actually non-stick too but it has a rack in it so the food doesn't rest on the bottom). I really don't need that either except for turkeys. Hmm, guess I'll be getting rid of the first one I mentioned at our upcoming yard sale