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I've long ago stopped cooking or putting hot food in plastic containers.. not because of this but because of the possibility other harmful substances leeching f
by pmoriarty 3y ago
I've long ago stopped cooking or putting hot food in plastic containers.. not because of this but because of the possibility other harmful substances leeching from the plastic in to my food.
Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free", but that doesn't guarantee some other plastic that's used doesn't contain harmful substances or cause as yet unknown side effects that just haven't been found by researchers yet. This goes double for new plastics which haven't had much research done on them yet but that manufacturers can honestly claim don't contain BPA.
Those kinds of assurances just aren't good enough, as this study shows.
- gumby 3y ago> Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free" Indeed, it's common to substitute bisphenol-B for bisphenol-A in these situations.
- actionfromafar 3y agoCome buy our DDT-free, strontium laced laxative now!
- myshpa 3y agoMore than 50 different chemicals are now pumped into consumer products in place of BPA. These BPA-free alternatives can be as bad as — or worse than — the original. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/many-bpa-free-plastics-are-toxic-some-are-worse-than-bpa https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/many-bpa-free-plasti...
- danielbln 3y agoAs a daily Aeropress user, I wonder if I should maybe switch to something else. Thoughts?
- brainzap 3y agoI just accepted it that everytime I push down it will probably scrape some plastic into the drink
- yetihehe 3y agoAs aeropress user for many years, I don't think there's noticeable amount of microplastics coming from it, paper filter would also help with filtering out ANY debris. But, now microplastics are even in air you breathe, coming from anyone using artifical fibers near you.
- swsieber 3y ago> As aeropress user for many years, I don't think there's noticeable amount of microplastics coming from it How does one notice microplastics? Do you notice microplastics from anything?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- robinduckett 3y agoHe clearly meticulously inspects each brew with a scanning electron microscope. Listen, there is a certain level that coffeeheads get to…
- joecool1029 3y agoI think maybe microwaving the aeropress is a bad idea for microplastic concern, but using near boiling water from a kettle in them may not be as bad. Less local heating and no potential to have any parts climb over boiling point.
- yetihehe 3y agoIt's about how much microplastics is too much. After two years of use, I don't see a lot of plastic being eaten away comparing to a new one, so I don't think it's much of a deal.
- etrautmann 3y agoI think this discussion includes leeched chemicals like hormone disruptors, not only physical plastic particles.
- 3y ago
- dangson 3y agoAeropress will be releasing a premium version made out of glass later this year. https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/ https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/
- christophilus 3y agoSwank. This is what I've been waiting for. The plastic is my only beef with the Aeropress.
- nsbk 3y agoSame here! I only drink from stainless steel food safe bottles and store/heat food in glass containers. The Aeropress is the only food-related plastic thing I can't get rid of, until now. I'll take the risk.
- falsenapkin 3y agoTerrifying honestly, my aeropress experiences have always concerned me with if the mug can support the force. I know there isn't supposed to be a lot of force but I've used a few of these brewers and my experience is they're not super consistent! Hopefully glass is easier. I knew a barista who had a mug explode while using an aeropress, now imagine the brewer is itself glass as well during an event like that.
- elif 3y agoGlass may impart more force upon the mug but it is certainly not likely to break itself. You would have to imagine they will use thick pyrex which you could use to drive a nail.
- hinkley 3y agoPyrex won't save you from shattering a cylinder in your hand. And this is the 2020's. You won't imagine how dumb companies can be. Check. If this is the guy: https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/ https://coffeechronicler.com/aeropress-xl-premium/ Then the fact that the inner cylinder is stainless steel means that if the glass shatters, you still have something supporting your hand. The inner cylinder might save you from life-altering lacerations to your hand. Might. I'm not going to be the one to trust it. I've seen how much pressure people apply to aeropresses, and friends don't let friends push that hard on future shards of glass.
- kelipso 3y agoI stopped using Aeropress years ago because of this. Hot liquids and plastic do not go well together. Switched to pourover and using a ceramic pourover cone, less effort and takes about the same time.
- hinkley 3y agoI should look if that coffee dude on youtube ever did a video on making fast cold brew. Like can you use one of those protein shake balls and just agitate the grounds to get a regular dose of caffeine in five minutes instead of twelve hours? Doesn't work for camping of course. Half the point of hot beverages and soup when camping is so you don't have an Oregon Trail-style misadventure. I think it was just a couple years ago that I learned soup still often counts as hydration (obviously not so much if it's super salty). Another way to get sterilized water into your body, before public sanitation.
- beznet 3y agoreads this comment as I drink coffee from an Aeropress
- joecool1029 3y agoOnly the first 2 versions of aeropress had BPA in them (the clear/light blue). Lab testing showed they didn't leech? The smoke colored ones don't have BPA, and the newer more expensive clear ones are made of something else without the issue (not sure all of them are glass). Some people used polyester filters with the aeropress that probably leech tons of microplastics. I use a glass chemex with paper filters pretty frequently for larger quantity, and a Cona vacuum pot which is 100% glass for special occasions. Oh and a crofton (from aldi) carafe with a stainless insert for making cold brew.
- bdcravens 3y agoThis issue is what led me to the Espro instead.
- rcme 3y agoSwitch to a Chemex.
- JeremyNT 3y agoI use the Aeropress all the time and I've had this thought before as well. You can perhaps mitigate the risk by making sure to brew at the "right" temperature (like 185F, not boiling). It is also possible to do cold brew in the Aeropress (even a much faster version of cold brew, where you use room temperature water and stir vigorously for a few minutes).
- hinkley 3y agoI have a Hario single cup funnel that I bought for the express purpose of filtering the fines out of cold brew. The ring on the top fits perfectly into a Luminarc pitcher, like they were made to go together. It's the ceramic model, so not very portable I'm afraid.
- falsenapkin 3y agoDepends on how you brew and what features you like in the brewer. If you're using it at home, can sacrifice a little more space, and are doing more of an immersion brew then maybe go for a Hario Switch or french press. The Switch looks a lot like a cone brewer but has a ball valve at the bottom. There is still a wee bit of plastic involved but less than aeropress. You can grind for and/or use filters designed for faster draw down, personally I use a cloth filter which is a bit of faff as you need to rinse it out and store it in the fridge in a cup of water. Paper filters on the switch, in my experience, lead to over extraction unless you grind coarse etc etc. If again you're at home and are really more into the high extraction pseudo-espresso kinda cups and you have more counter space, mental space, and wallet space to give to coffee then maybe go for a Flair lever espresso. If you're not at home I don't think you're finding something without plastic.
- elif 3y agoAgree I replaced all coffee makers, vaporizers, etc that have plastic anywhere near heat. I also make sure that tea bags are paper only not those mesh plastic ones which ironically cost more. I even took the plastic utensil rack out of my dishwasher after reading that most dishwashers are heavily contaminated with microplastics that just get coated on your dishes. It is pretty frustrating trying to go plastic-less even with just food products. The glass storage containers for instance all seem to have plastic lids and seals...
- markdeloura 3y agoStarbucks cups are lined with plastic on the inside too aren't they? Mmmm tasty microplastics.
- ledgerdev 3y agoPretty much all paper cups, and all metal cans too are lined with plastic too.
- o_m 3y agoI recommend getting a Hario V60 made of glass. It requires a bit more effort, but is easy to get right after you've done it a couple of times.
- marban 3y ago+1. And trash the silicone wrapper right away.
- ledgerdev 3y agoI quit aeropress for precisely this a couple years ago. Having tried many different methods, I've settled on using a stainless filter and brew into a measuring cup and let it settle out for a minute or 2. It's easy, and not worried about putting so much pressure on the rim of a mug with boiling liquid. Also have moved to smaller insulated glass cups rather than larger mugs, which would never work with aeropress, helps cut down on caffeine intake.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- kyriakos 3y agoIn addition to not storing warm things in plastic, I also avoid storing liquids (e.g. food in sauce, stews etc) because I think its easier for plastic to contaminate the food. I am no expert so I may be over-reacting or completely wrong that dry food does any better in plastic.
- valval 3y agoI don’t think you’re overreacting if you think any invention newer than 100 years has a high probability of being detrimental to our nature in some way.
- MacsHeadroom 3y agoThis is why I use leaded pewter kitchenware exclusively. /s
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoThe old inventions are just as likely (if not more) to be dangerous, we've just had more time to learn which ones are dangerous, which makes it easier to stay away from the dangerous ones.
- Reubachi 3y agoregardless of food context/state of matter, any chemical reaction occurring between food stuffs and it's voluminous container is leaching the plastic as the volume tries to reach chemical equilibrium. The air between the "dry" food and the container is just a bridge to the food-plastic at that point. Of course you won't see that happen in real time in a way that's like "Ah, now it's unsafe." But rest assured knowing it's ALL unsafe, depending on how you feel about life.
- CodeWriter23 3y ago> Sure, there are some plastics labeled "for safe" and "BPA-free" BPA has been identified as a hormone disruptor. My question is, how many other plastics have been investigated to rule out hormone disruptors? Safe means more than zero evidence of harm.