Spaghetti

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HPNFlyGirl

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Why is it when you cook spaghetti and put it in a plastic container that the container always stains? Yet when you have ketchup that falls off a sandwich or for french fries it doesn't stain the container? :dunno:
 
By spaghetti I assume you really mean the spaghetti sauce. I think its because tomato based spaghetti sause is far more acidic than ketchup, which means it eats into the plastic more readily.

Also I'm assuming the spaghetti sause is in contact with the container for a much longer period than any spare ketchup...
 
And it's not just spaghetti either. About once every two months or so, I'll cook a pot of gumbo, and the containers I use to bring some to work for lunch have all become somewhat stained.
 
I don't like stained containers. Yeah when I make soup and stew frank it also causes my containers to look dirty.
 
No, but you can (gasp!) take out of the container and reheat it on a plate. I don't reheat anything in the storage container - microwave safe or not. Only on plates or in bowls.
 
i kinda like to stick metal in the microwave...
 
actually sticking old CD's is pretty cool as the spark goes from the inside to the outside of the disk
 
tonycondon said:
actually sticking old CD's is pretty cool as the spark goes from the inside to the outside of the disk
Click to expand...

Hmm...too bad I don't have any Babs Striesand cd's to get rid of.
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
Yeah when I make soup and stew frank it also causes my containers to look dirty.
Click to expand...
Well, then, the solution to THAT problem seems pretty obvious!

STOP stewing Frank!!! (I mean, he's got to be gettting tired of it by now, as well, right??)

Glad to be of help! :D
 
etsisk said:
Well, then, the solution to THAT problem seems pretty obvious!

STOP stewing Frank!!! (I mean, he's got to be gettting tired of it by now, as well, right??)

Glad to be of help! :D
Click to expand...

That was the best laugh I've had in at least a week! Thanks Tom! :rofl::rofl:
 
Greebo said:
By spaghetti I assume you really mean the spaghetti sauce. I think its because tomato based spaghetti sause is far more acidic than ketchup, which means it eats into the plastic more readily.

Also I'm assuming the spaghetti sause is in contact with the container for a much longer period than any spare ketchup...
Click to expand...

While I don't know "why" I know Tupperware makes a microwave set that you can pop a little valve on to of the lid and microwave stuff directly in the container with no muss. These containers are clear(er) and VERY resistant to spagetti staining, (the softer lids not so much, so get the black ones).

The clearer plastics are harder and denser which is what helps make them more stain resistant.
 
[MY EDITS] are in brackets. :fcross:

[I don't guarantee any of these methods though.....
So......Use at your own risk!]

[Plastics are made from oil.]
[http://www.priweb.org/ed/pgws/uses/plastic.html]
[http://www.ratlab.co.uk/plastic.htm]
[ It's the oil that is the issue here. Hydrocarbons, [oils] have this affinity for each other. They like to stick together!!! And they are somewhat difficult to separate. ]

[the following, excerpt, is from "The Messy Gourmet"]

How can you remove those pesky red tomato sauce stains on your tupperware (or any plastic dish)?

First, lets understand what causes the stain. The culprit is a chemical that gives tomatoes their beautiful red color: lycopene. For those who passed organic chemistry, it is a HUGE hydrocarbon [ read OIL] with gazillions of double bonds. [Read VERY STICKY STUFF]
For some reason it discolors plastic cookware.
To remove this stain soak the cookware in bleach which will kill the lycopene.


Reader Contributions:
The tomato stain debate:
Before the fact:

  • Before cooking tomatoes, spray the container with "Pam" first & it won't stain.(contributed by Dore Goldman)
  • Cheaper solution: If you soak the container in very cold water for a few minutes before adding the ingredient, there will be no stains when you take it out. (contributed by Helen O'Brien)
After the fact:
  • You can also leave the tomato stained item (Tupperware, white shirt...) out in the sun a few hours and the stain will vanish. Ta-da! (contributed by Йlisa-Line Montigny)
  • After cooking with tomato sauce, rinse the container out with cold water before washing it with the hot water and soap, to get tupperware clean - sans stain. (contributed by Julie Miller)
[GOOD LUCK!]
 
I always wondered what the ChemE students were gonna do once they graduated ... now I see one good application!
 
etsisk said:
Well, then, the solution to THAT problem seems pretty obvious!

STOP stewing Frank!!! (I mean, he's got to be gettting tired of it by now, as well, right??)

Glad to be of help! :D
Click to expand...

I thought Frank liked being in the soup. :rofl:
 
Gosh, it's been my understanding that actually heating food in the plastic storage containers is UNHEALTHY . . . that microwaving it causes it to form and release dioxins!
 
etsisk said:
Gosh, it's been my understanding that actually heating food in the plastic storage containers is UNHEALTHY . . . that microwaving it causes it to form and release dioxins!
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct. This is why we are now bigger, stronger, and live longer, healthier lives than ever before. :rolleyes:
 
it's likely the oils causing it to adhere. ketchup doesn't contain oil... spaghetti sauce has a little in it I believe.
 
The only plastic storage containers I own are leftover single serving yogurt cups and such like that. Pete eats a LOT of yogurt. I reuse them for Jello, or as seedling cups. Everything else is glass. Mostly the pyrex type. What was the old commercial?.... From the freezer, to the oven to the table....... They never stain, they're fairly tough, except when you drop them in a parking lot next to the car....
 
Dart said:
You are absolutely correct. This is why we are now bigger, stronger, and live longer, healthier lives than ever before. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Well, some of us, anyway . . . :rolleyes:
 
DeeG said:
The only plastic storage containers I own are leftover single serving yogurt cups and such like that. Pete eats a LOT of yogurt. I reuse them for Jello, or as seedling cups. Everything else is glass. Mostly the pyrex type. What was the old commercial?.... From the freezer, to the oven to the table....... They never stain, they're fairly tough, except when you drop them in a parking lot next to the car....
Click to expand...

LOL!! I know my reply is jogging way off topic but that reminds me when "unbreakable" plastics started hitting the grocery store shelves back in the 60s. Being of a scientific mind even in those days, I had to test the unbreakable jar of peanut butter after a trip to the Commissary at Andrews AFB. We stacked the jars and cans in the basement so instead of walking down with this item, I stood at the top of the steps and waited expectantly to see the miraculous plastic jar survive the drop to the concrete floor fourteen steps below...

Gads, my butt still hurts thinking about the final conclusions of my experiment.

As for tomato stains on plastic, try straight dishwasher (not dishwashing) liquid on them. A coating of cooking spray on new plastic helps--also to let sauce cool before storing it.

terry
 
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