My phobia of metal.

[southeast-isher]

Okay so i have a phobia of metal. A bit strange maybe; irrational possibly - but a phobia nonetheless. And yes you should face your fears but i've just got hold of some excellent cookware to avoid those metal pans in the kitchen.

I love it, i bought a 3.5 litre stockpot in the sale which is made by Visions. So it's a kind of Pyrex cooking pan. And now a skillet from Visions too. But there's also lovely stuff by Corningware for sale too. Try and keep me out the kitchen now!

(also going to try some silicone bread/cake tins too - anyone use these? any comments?

Is Pyrex-y type stuff or even silicone bits more environmentally friendly when compared to the metal cookware?

[Green Aura]

Ooh, that's a difficult one!

I would say glass is definitely eco-friendly, especially if the alternative is plastic, but I wouldn't know in relation to metal - both take a lot of energy (heat) to produce and both should be recyclable so I'm guessing the main difference would be in sourcing materials.

Silicone I really don't know. I've just started using a silicone cake pan which I love - no sticking and dead easy to clean. But I have to confess I have no idea how it's sourced, made or if it's recyclable

[southeast-isher]

Ah ok thanks Green Aura. The silicone is safe for baking though? I mean it doesn't leach into the food or anything?

[gregorach]

Pyrex (borosilicate) glass in not recyclable - at least, not via conventional channels.

[MKG]

Silicone cookware - I love the stuff. Compared with the amount of energy expended cleaning anything else, its upkeep is minimal. It stores in places where it would be impossible to even think of putting metal. It doesn't make the dog bark when it's dropped on the floor. It doesn't go rusty. It's easy to get stuff out of. It's ... oh, I could go on. Frankly, it's one of those things where I don't give a fig how environmentally friendly it is to produce - it HAS to be worth it.

Mike

[Green Aura]

Pyrex (borosilicate) glass in not recyclable

I didn't know that!

Mike, I didn't know you had a dog!!!!

[Sinmara]

I've saved a ton of paper baking sheets on silicone baking sheets, also silicone muffin forms are excellent.

I've given away my silicone cake forms though, they were useless.

[Millymollymandy]

Mike, I didn't know you had a dog!!!!

Ah, you too , I thought that avatar photo WAS Mike! Very handsome he is too, with his nice red collar.

[southeast-isher]

Pyrex (borosilicate) glass in not recyclable - at least, not via conventional channels.

I plan on keeping it for as long as damn possible... and if ever i get rid of it will recycle by giving/selling it away...

[Millymollymandy]

Pyrex lasts practically forever - I still have bowls that belonged to my mum and my grandma. One finally cracked a few weeks ago but it may have been weakened by the dishwasher over the years as it now has that cloudy look that glass gets from d/washers. But you should count on your Pyrex lasting decades, not years. It has a huge thumbs up from me.

[southeast-isher]

Thanks MMM. And silicone is safe stuff for food then i take it... no plastic flavoured muffins then.

edit: good thing about pyrex/visions saucepan is you can put it on the stove then straight in the fridge, then out again back to the stove. I wouldn't normally do that with a metal pan.

[gregorach]

Pyrex (borosilicate) glass in not recyclable - at least, not via conventional channels.

I plan on keeping it for as long as damn possible... and if ever i get rid of it will recycle by giving/selling it away...

Oh yeah. I just wanted to get that out there in case anybody was putting broken pyrex in the glass recycling.

[jampot]

the only probelm ive had with pyrex is if you should drop it ,it doesnt break it explodes every where but great otherwise . ive not tried silicone big cake "tins" but the muffin cases are good,v easy to clean and store.

[southeast-isher]

lol yes i've heard dropping Pyrex type stuff is a no-no. Will try and be careful! Will guard it with my life.

[fifi folle]

I'll recommend Corningware, my Mum passed on three dishes she bought in the early 70s. I love them. They even clean well (i.e. they're still white). Don't know if they still have the funky removable handle though.