Cookware safety often relates to factors in your control: the quality of the pots you buy, their care, and choosing the right pan for the job. A cast iron skillet browns meat beautifully, for instance, but reacts with certain acidic foods, such as tomatoes, altering the taste of ingredients. Knowing your cookware is your best bet for cooking well -- and safely.
On average, each American uses a staggering 2,200 paper napkins a year, none of which are recycled. Why not reduce waste (and deforestation) by choosing cloth instead? You might even boost your mindful eating quotient: It's much easier to linger over dinner with the table set the old-fashioned way.
There are a few simple guidelines to follow to make microwave use safer, including avoiding certain plastics when reheating. Use the microwave infrequently, if at all. Cook and reheat foods on a conventional stove or in the oven.Microwave ovens do leak radiation, but at very low levels that the FDA and most scientists believe are harmless.
If you need to use plastic, learn a little food-storage know-how, so you can easily spot the best -- and the safest-plastic for the job.
As is, baking soda won't necessarily clear a pathway. It first needs to change its chemical composition. Don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. Boiling water converts baking soda to sodium carbonate, a more effective drain cleaner. Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 3 cups of boiling water, and let science take over. It's a much safer choice than commercial drain cleaners, which can harm skin, eyes, lungs, and the water supply.
Use aluminum foil sparingly -- and reuse it before you recycle it. Stop wrapping leftovers in foil; store them in glass containers instead. The manufacture of new foil is energy intensive -- another reason to ration. Buy recycled foil, which is produced using 95 percent less energy.
Take a recycled pillowcase bag to the store or farmers' market and cut down on plastic
Give the oven (and the planet) a breather by making delicious no-cook meals.
Visit other Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia sites:
© 2019 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Comments