Summer is here, and that means you’ll be spending a fair amount of time trying to stay cool.
One of the quickest ways to cool off is from the inside out: There’s nothing like an ice cold drink to bring down your temperature and help you feel refreshed on a hot day.
The best way to get that cold drink is with ice, of course. Cubed, shaved or crushed, ice has long been a not-so-secret weapon for beating the heat. If you haven’t shopped for a new ice cube tray lately, you might be surprised by all the options available. Freezing water is a fairly simple task, but there are all kinds of different ways to get the job done, from traditional plastic ice trays to new-fangled silicone and stainless steel cube makers.
Are Plastic Ice Cube Trays Safe?
The short answer: It depends on when you bought it. If your plastic trays are more than a few years old, there’s a good chance they have bisphenol A (BPA) in them. If they’re newer and made with BPA-free plastic, you should be good to go.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), BPA is currently found in many food packages, including plastic containers and the linings of some cans. This substance leaches into food and is then consumed, where it stays in the body. Though most people have at least some traces of BPA in their bodies, the FDA says that it’s safe at current levels and therefore nothing to worry about — for adults.
Modern plastic items have a number on the bottom that tells you what kind of plastic it is. Though we usually think about these in terms of whether it can be recycled or not, that number can also tell you about the amount of BPA likely to be found in a given item. Avoid ice cube molds and food storage containers with the number 3 or 7 whenever possible, as these are the most likely to contain BPA in fairly high amounts. Of course, if your trays are so old they don’t have a recycle symbol at all, they almost certainly have BPA in them.
Post time: Jul-27-2020