How to Tell if Your New England-Bought Plastic Cooking Utensils are Made w/ Chemicals

Here we go again with a warning about those black, plastic cooking utensils because they're a major concern. We love to make those comfy home-cooked New England dinners in the winter using our favorite big spook or spatula.

I have various colors that add that splash of whimsy to my kitchen. But mainly, it's because I now refuse to buy black plastic kitchen utensils to cook with unless I decide to drop lots of bucks at reputable, high-end stores like Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table.

But not all of us want to spend a lot when we have so many inexpensive choices. In this case, avoid black plastic at all costs.

WHY ALMOST HALF BLACK PLASTIC COOKING UTENSILS ARE DANGEROUS

According to The Cut, we started hearing about the dangers of black plastic filled with chemicals coming into contact with our food some 10 years ago, and the problem is still very much around.

Because recycling machines can't recognize the color black, black plastic used to make items like electronics often ends up in our landfills. It's those discarded electronics that are treated with various chemicals and used to make that black spatula to flip your fried egg or your favorite black plastic spoon to dish veggies.

According to The Cut, lead, mercury, and flame retardants were found in 40 percent of black plastic products. Since the 2018 discovery, most flame retardants and other chemicals found in black plastics have been banned across the country.

READ ON: FDA Lead Warning: Throw Out These Cookware Brands Now

However, the latest report basically says you get what you pay for.

Thanks to an unregulated global plastic recycling economy, that plastic supply chain means those cheap black plastic utensils may still contain banned chemicals. I guess that $7 spatula isn't such a good deal after all.

According to the Slate website, while these various poisonous compounds are found in some black plastic cooking products and occasionally at high levels, most are less than 0.001 percent retardant.

Yeah, that doesn't personally make me feel better. If I had any cheap kitchen utensils made from black plastic, I'd throw them away. It's not like we don't have loads of choices out there.