non-sb question that has been burning me forever

[bobbi]

trust on the internet more often than not is misplaced, but on this forum i have seen it demonstrated time and time again concern for individuals saftey. so i pose to you this question that has been eating at my soul ever since i can remember.

lots of fast food to-go comes in styrofoam containers, KFC and Steak And Shake and Wendy's come to the forefront of my mind. the question is;

is it safe to warm up these foods in the microwave in the styrofoam containers they come in?

for some reason i imagine the microwave making nasty cancer causing chemicals to come out of the styrofoam and into my food. ... but i been doing it anyway.

[Kronopticon]

i've never known any of those to serve any food in styrofoam, corrugated cardboard maybe, or just card, but not styrofoam. it might just be my ignorance though, something they might use is hard polystyrene for lids of drinks cups or thsoe tubs of beans from KFC, but i've never heard of them using styrofoam, i'm probably wrong, but i think you have very little to worry about, seeing as the magnatrons in microwaves only affect water molecules, causing them to vibrate and heat up. but i can be very wrong, but then again, if it were dangerous, then surely health and safety would have recommended other materials for making containers out of, or otherwise, will have put a disclaimer on the container stating not to put it in the microwave

[tiemeupalso]

when reheating something in the microwave the best way i have found is to put it on a paper plate and a paper towel over it(at least for solid foods)
i have saved several plastic dishes/bowls from microwavable meals and reused them for heating other stuff in.
i have reheated coffee in a sryrofoam cup before.

[RADER]

Just out of caution, I never reheat food in a styrofoam container, I eather
use a paper plate or a plastic plate that is dish-washer safe.
Thoes will stand the heat generated by the micro-wave.
I think today, one must play it safe, safty first. In a food safty corse
I once took, the Health Dept (Illinois) said never use styro to reheat
food, They wanted eather paper or glass (pyrex) for santitary reasons.
This was for the resturant industry. Rader

[nitro]

A agree the non-plastic containers (glass and microwave safe ceramic) are better but I think the safety risk is minimal (unless you are eating a large percentage of your meals in plastic out of the microwave.) If the plastic melts into the food, or vice versa, then I would toss it.

I know there are plastic wraps that are not recommended for use in the microwave.

Even many of the aluminum drink bottles from sigg with the plastic lining have been recalled. That BPH chemical that effected all the baby bottles some time ago.
http://livinggreen.blogs.pressdemocrat. ... -recalled/

Even cell phones are in question with brain cancer after long term use.

I guess it's not worth too much time worrying about it. Too much of anything can be bad for you. Even water.

[onestrangeguy]

Yah, lots of food comes in Styrofoam container, especially when you go to a slightly fancier place than Micky D's such as Chillie's Friday's, etc.

I'm a bachelor, and if it fits, and it isn't metal it goes in the microwave. I'm not dead yet, so it can't be to dangerous. At work I even use Styrofoam plates to heat things on.

Having said that, I have thought about this too, and agree that it probably would be better to use paper plates, which sometimes come out of the microwave soggy, or even better a real china type plate, You might want to try this especially if you are trying to impress a date with your culinary abilities.

[Jericho]

The one thing that I've learned about plastic containers is that after a while they breakdown and the chemicals will leach out, and get absorbed by whatever food it stored in them. Microwaving these containers speeds up that breaking down process.
I use these containers quite a bit, and after learning about that I now never microwave leftovers in them, and get recycle ones that look like they're starting to go. They're cheap enough these days.
Styrofoam, I would never ever reheat with those, If I ever got one for take away, I'd but it in another container as soon as possible.

[bobbi]

what happens is i stand around in my kitchen, all the glass dishes are piled into the dishwasher dirty save for 1 spoon. i am hungry now, not in 30min when the dishwasher finishes... so... i nuke it in the container it came in lol.

In a food safty corse
I once took, the Health Dept (Illinois) said never use styro to reheat
food,

after a while they breakdown and the chemicals will leach out, and get absorbed by whatever food it stored in them. Microwaving these containers speeds up that breaking down process.

these are what give me pause as to maybe i should not use these styrofoam containers :Z

and actually i think the dishwasher takes a good deal longer than 30min.

[bound_jenny]

Most plastic containers are microwave safe. One that should never be used is the one that contains that cancer-causing estrogen-like chemical. It leaches out of the plastic when heated. if I remember correctly it's the one with the number 7 in the little recycling logo. Whatever the number is, they're being phased out and/or banned anyway.

I wouldn't use styrofoam to reheat anything anyway.

As for having available dishes to reheat, I always have some handy because I wash my dishes right away after the meal, with the best and quickest dishwasher around - me. It takes five minutes and I'm done. Five smegging minutes. Ten if there's a big load.

I don't like dishwashers because it's just a convenient way for everybody to hide dirty dishes and avoid washing them.

Jenny.

[Kronopticon]

but of course jenny, you dont need dishwashers, you jus get your slaves to lick them clean while they're arms are bound behind their backs

[RADER]

but of course jenny, you dont need dishwashers, you jus get your slaves to lick them clean while they're arms are bound behind their backs

Now this sounds like to much fun. bound_jenny most likley has them in
a tight corset also. Rader

[onestrangeguy]

if I remember correctly it's the one with the number 7 in the little recycling logo. Whatever the number is, they're being phased out and/or banned anyway.

As for having available dishes to reheat, I always have some handy because I wash my dishes right away after the meal, with the best and quickest dishwasher around - me. It takes five minutes and I'm done. Five smegging minutes. Ten if there's a big load.

I don't like dishwashers because it's just a convenient way for everybody to hide dirty dishes and avoid washing them.

Jenny.

You look at the bottoms of the containers Only person that I've ever known that MIGHT possibly do that was female.

Obviously you're not a single guy! None of us can possibly understand why you would stand around and wash a dish when you've just finished eating. That's almost like going out to look for a girl after you'rve finished having sex

As for dish washers hiding dirty dishes... DUH! that's what they were built for.

Somehow, I don't think tis is going to look good on my service record. Oh well!

[bound_jenny]

None of us can possibly understand why you would stand around and wash a dish when you've just finished eating.

Then I don't have to do it later. And I can have uninterrupted sex - in a tidy house.

As for dish washers hiding dirty dishes... DUH! that's what they were built for.

*sigh*

I can't imagine what the world would look like if we weren't around... Oh! Yes I can - in one word: dump!

Somehow, I don't think tis is going to look good on my service record.

You bet your sweet bippy, Big Guy.

Jenny.

[bobbi]

if the following conditions are true

* nobody around to do it for me
* nobody around to make me do it

it will not get done lol. "oh look, a dishwasher" insert dirty dish, shut door, kitchen looks clean enough! ok back to whatever i was doing that was more fun than that.

self discipline, i guess i has none. lol.

[RADER]

if the following conditions are true


it will not get done lol. "oh look, a dishwasher" insert dirty dish, shut door, kitchen looks clean enough! ok back to whatever i was doing that was more fun than that.

self discipline, i guess i has none. lol.

You must remember to put in the soap, and push the start button.
Rader