I know, it's a weird title. Of course no one boils eggs with plastic, right? Well, back in my first days at uni, the only way I could "cook" something was by using the common microwaves in the basement in plastic containers. Trying to boil an egg in the microwave is disastrous.
Being away from home for the first time on my own, I was free and under obligation to feed myself. Boy did I ever gain a LOT of weight and unhealthy fat! I guess I was just so thrilled to fend for myself that I did not pay attention to nutrition. Like most students, I just ate what I thought was the cheapest and most substantial.
Having only access to a microwave (and not wanting to spend the extra money on "microwavable" plastic containers), I had to eat out of cans (yes, like vegetarian Chef Boyardee stuff - absolutely gross!), dry pantry items (I didn't have a fridge either) and "fresh" food from the grocery store (good old Metro has now spread into Ontario too). So what things did I consume? $.50 cans of ravioli or that type of thing, processed cheese slices (you didn't need a fridge), peanut butter (I did not eat peanut butter for SO long after this daily one month experience) and jam, saltines, bottled water, bread... and probably some other unhealthful things. What equipment did I have? Plastic forks, knife, spoon, one plastic sandwich container and containers from the deli at the grocery store.
Moving forward several years to the present, I am doing what I can to educate Little R and Little S by example so that they will NOT do what I did in my first university experience. I was ignorant of what was harmful. What was wrong with my little uni life-style? Firstly, what I ate was garbage. The peanut butter would not have been so bad if it had been natural (just peanuts, but I'm sure it had icing sugar in it). The canned stuff was mostly sodium and trans fats (which had not been documented on TV at this time). Secondly, I used a microwave. What a great way to nuke anything good nutrition dead. And thirdly, I consumed too much plastic (from the bottled water, the peanut butter container, all the food that I cooked in plastic in the microwave [double whammy], the utensils that I used. I don't even think there was a recycling programme in place yet; so the plastic got sent to landfill.
Although I'm becoming more aware of the dangers and negative consequences of using plastic, it's is more than ever all around us. As I take a look around me in from of the computer (plastic casing, plastic mouse, plastic wires - okay, something you just can't avoid being plastic), more than half of the contents on this desk are plastic. I do make an effort to buys things that are not made of plastic, especially if I'm using it for food or if it's for the kids. You can go on this website : www.healthytoys.org to see how toxic some toys are.
So, how do I boil an egg? On my stove top, I turn my small burner to high, I put some water in a small sauce pan then I add in how many eggs I'd like boiled. I put enough water to cover half way up the middle of the eggs. Once I hear the water start to simmer (even peaking in to see the little bubbles) I turn off the burner, do not lift the lid, let the eggs steam in the pan for 5 minutes (if I want soft boiled) or 10 minutes for hard boiled. I've only developed and been using this method, after several years of green over-boiled eggs, for egg boiling for the last 2 or 3 years. I always try to cook with residual heat and the least amount of water possible to yield a happy result.
I used to collect plastic tubs from margarine, cream cheese, sour cream, parmano cheese, yogurt, etc., to contain my leftovers. What a great idea! I didn't have to spend more money on Tupperware. Now, with the exposure of dangers in using plastics, I have been trying to use glass containers. This is not so convenient. DH was going to work one day, so I packed him his lunch in a glass container. The poor guy had to travel on rush hour GO Trains for two hours making sure his lunch was not shattered.
It's approaching bedtime, so next time I'll touch upon how I'm phasing out some plastics in my kitchen and home.
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