December 17, 2024 – Ann is in OurLittleCorner today
I know I’m not the only one who read – with concern – the article in Science Direct, saying that we shouldn’t use black plastic or nylon utensils in the kitchen. I know I’m not the only one because I got a text – almost simultaneously – from our son, saying they needed to get rid of their black utensils and they would like non-black utensils for Christmas. Had he read it in The NYTimes? or heard about it on CNN? or seen it on The Food Network?
That sounded like an easy thing to get. I breathed a sigh of holiday-relief, figuring that this gift-idea was not only relatively affordable but easy to find and a fun hunt for someone who blogs about food.
Right.
About 5 hours of Googling later, I still hadn’t found the perfect non-black turner, much less the perfect pasta server.
It’s now days later, and I’m still searching. It’s the little details that keep tripping me up. I want a certain handle length and a certain spatula width – and god forbid that there be any black on it…even if it’s silicone and apparently safe. I don’t want friends and family fretting if they see a black unidentifiable utensil in use in our kids’ kitchen or in my kitchen!
I think it’s worth noting that not everyone agrees with the scary tone of this research. The NYTimes posted a response which indicates that the “findings aren’t clear cut.”
After reading lots on the topic, I’ve decided that I’m going to buy silicone utensils with high heat resistance (up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit) to use when I cook with my ceramic frying pan or Staub Dutch oven. If I’m using a stainless steel or cast iron pan, I’ll continue to use stainless steel utensils.
So what silicone cooking utensils did I finally pick for our kids’ Christmas gift? Clearly, I can’t give that away…yet :). But the Gorilla spatula pictured next to the ceramic pan in the photo below was not one of the chosen. I’ll let you know after Christmas the winner brands and shapes.
Why did I pick a pancake recipe for today’s pre-holiday blog? Well, first of all they’re “fancy” and they’re a breakfast you wouldn’t want to make every day. But the more obvious reason is that flipping these delicate pancakes will require just the right spatula. And if you’re reading these studies and wanting to be as safe health-wise as possible, that spatula will NOT be black plastic or nylon.
PS: If you want to gift more than just utensils for the holidays, here’s a recent article from Food and Wine with their top picks for non-toxic cookware.
Japanese Fluffy Pancakes
- 1/2 c cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of Diamond kosher salt
- 4 eggs , whites and yolks separated
- 3 T milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1 T oil for greasing the pan
- 2 T water (for steaming)
In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Then whisk the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to overmix.
Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form (when you lift your beater straight out of the mixture, the whites should remain stiff, not bend over).
Gently whisk about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the flour/egg yolk mixture and mix until incorporated. Then fold in the remaining egg white mixture, using a spatula.
Set a stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic 12″ pan (which has a lid) over low heat and brush entire bottom of pan with oil.
Use a 2 T cookie scoop and scoop 4 scoops of batter onto the pan. Then put another 2 T scoops of batter on top of each of those 4 pancakes. Put 1 T of water in the pan (between the pancakes), cover the pan and cook over very low heat for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and put another 2 T scoop on each pancakes, so that you now have the equivalent of 3 scoops or about 6 T for each pancake). Cover again and cook another 5-6 minutes. Then check to see if the bottoms of the pancakes are golden brown. If not, increase the heat a little and cook a minute or so more. Then gently flip the pancakes. Pour another 1 T of water into the pan, cover and cook for about 4 minutes more or until the bottoms are golden brown and the sides appear cooked. Serve immediately.
Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.