Nonstick, Cast Iron and Other Cooking Gear

Oct 11, 2007 Eco Friendly Home, Environmentally Friendly, Going Green

I’ve been happily making the switch from the nonstick frying pans my husband and I got as wedding presents to cast iron frying pans. I have a small one and a large one now. The large one really makes me happy because while it’s lightweight for a cast iron pan, it used to belong to my grandmother.

I also got some of her cooking pots. I think they’re stainless steel over aluminum or some such. But still a great improvement over my nonstick ones.

I’ve just come to mistrust nonstick of late. They say it’s safe when used correctly, but you know it wears off, meaning the Teflon does get into food, just a little. I don’t like that, especially since it means that you have to replace them when it wears off.

I got a bit of teasing for being so interested in such practical things when we went through Grandma’s house, but it allowed me to replace things I had been waiting to replace. It’s the usual conumdrum you face when you don’t want to consume more, but don’t like what you have. This was a chance to get things I knew I wanted without shopping.

I must say, I love how cast iron cooks. It’s a bit of extra work to care for, and you don’t put it in the dishwasher, but it’s worth it to me. When you need to get new frying pans, I do recommend it.

For other cookware, there are a lot of options beyond nonstick if you look around. Silicone is all over the place, but I don’t know enough about it to want to use it for muffin pans or other baking supplies. On the other hand, those rare occasions where I make muffins or cupcakes I use the paper liners anyhow. Nonstick seems kind of redundant with that. I’m rather fond of Pyrex baking sets for other purposes, although I understand that they can impact baking time.

My suggestion when you need to get cookware is to look for pieces that are safe to use and will last just about forever. Cast iron is good, high quality stainless steel can be good. Try to avoid anything with a nonstick coating that will wear off over time or has questionable safety. It can be a real pleasure owning thing that will last a lifetime.

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Are Bumblebees Vanishing?

Oct 10, 2007 Environmental News, Gardening

There’s a somewhat disturbing report on Discovery on how bumblebees appear to be vanishing. People don’t pay nearly as much attention to them as they do to honeybees, which we already know have been in trouble.

Reading this article made me think. I haven’t seen bumblebees much lately in my area. They were never so common as honeybees, but they weren’t rare.

From the article:

But if bumblebees were to disappear, farmers and entomologists warn, the consequences would be huge, especially coming on top of the problems with honeybees, which are active at different times and on different crop species.

Bumblebees are responsible for pollinating an estimated 15 percent of all the crops grown in the U.S., worth $3 billion, particularly those raised in greenhouses. Those include tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.

As more of these problems show up it becomes all the more clear that we need to pay attention to what is happening in the natural world. Pollinators are one of the most vital links in the entire food chain no matter what it is you like to eat.

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Wordless Wednesday – Dog Sitting

Oct 10, 2007 Going Green

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BP Sponsoring the Solar Decathlon

Oct 9, 2007 Environmental News, Sponsored Posts

The solar decathlon is coming up in just a couple days. it’s an event where teams compete to create energy efficient solar powered houses.

The BP Solar Decathlon is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. At the site you can learn all about the event and the teams.

No matter how you feel about companies like BP, in a lot of ways it’s nice to see some competitions rewarding people for working on the challenge of creating quality solar power homes. With all the progress companies have been making with solar, I keep hoping it will be more affordable by the time I can afford a home. I do hope something practical comes of things like this.

The teams come from colleges such Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, MIT and many other universities. The solar village will be built on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The teams have already built their solar homes, which are being transported to the site for the decathlon. The opening ceremonies will be on October 12, with awards on October 19.

Harkening back to my physics geek days, I can’t help but envy the teams, even though this wasn’t an area I worked on. Hopefully it won’t be that much longer before the technology becomes something more commonly useable.

Charged Up and Ready for Christmas?

Oct 8, 2007 Budget Environmentalism, Eco Friendly Home, Environmentally Friendly, Going Green, Sustainable Energy

Christmas is coming all too soon, and with it often comes a ton of new toys and gadgets. It’s probably time to start thinking about your battery situation.

I find that even with kids I don’t go through too many batteries. I have this little habit of not letting them know about all of a toy’s capabilities if it doesn’t really need the batteries in order to be enjoyed. There are a number of toys like this in my experience, and I much prefer the noises that come from the kids using their imaginations.

But there are plenty of things that do need batteries, and I think now is a very good time to look at getting a good rechargeable battery set. This way you can be ready in time for Christmas.

You can get rechargeable batteries locally, although sometimes it can be hard to find a good selection. There are also sites such as Responsible Energy Corporation which have a large selection. They even have solar powered chargers.

Of course, batteries should be properly disposed of in any case. This isn’t always easy, even in states where you are not supposed to throw them in the trash. Call 2 Recycle has resources to help you find out how to dispose of rechargeable batteries correctly.

There’s no easy way to drop the use of batteries completely for most people. There are just too many little uses for them. But if you can start your switch over to rechargeable batteries now you can greatly reduce the impact of the batteries you do use.

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