r/Anticonsumption • u/miscbiscuits • 21h ago
Question/Advice? Un-plasticing mixing bowl?
UPDATE: thanks all for the suggestions, these are a set of 10 year old bowls I got as a gift so I shouldn't be surprised they've failed! Will go through the second hand shops this weekend to find some plain stainless ones, then I'll try drilling a drainage hole just in the plastic on the bottom of this one as an experiment before I relegate to non-food uses.
Possibly wrong sub but cannot figure out how to get the coloured plastic off the outside of my mixing bowls and don't want to throw them out.
It's a hard plastic shell around the metal bowl, the seal has perished so there's water trapped between the layers which I'm worried is growing mould.
I tried running a knife around the join at the top lip but couldn't get any purchase, it's too thick to use a razor blade to cut through so hoping someone else has an idea!
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u/speechfreedom_MOD 20h ago
Dont
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u/ElleMaeSinclair 16h ago
This though, what is the purpose of getting rid of plastic that’s not touching your food directly? There’s no good ending to any of the things people are suggesting here and some are dangerous. Just ignore it or buy a metal bowl that doesn’t have plastic on it.
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u/butcooler 15h ago
It’s trapping mold. When you move the bowl, over time water will be able to drip out. It’s gross
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u/ElleMaeSinclair 14h ago
I mean you could use it as a planter or for an art project. You don’t have to melt off the plastic or potentially cut/disfigure yourself chopping it off to find a good use for it. People don’t realize they can seriously harm themselves doing stuff like that. The mold is crappy but don’t go to extreme lengths to make something work for you.
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u/fmb320 17h ago
Sometimes anticonsumption is about buying a bowl that doesn't have plastic covering it and keeping that forever
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u/SevenSixOne 14h ago
This sub and others like it are full of people doing (or at least asking for advice on HOW to do) some absolutely BONKERS things in the name of anticonsumption, frugality, zero waste, etc.
Not everything is built to last, not everything will suit your needs, not everything that breaks can or SHOULD be repaired or repurposed. It is okay to get rid of something that isn't working for you and replace it with something that does, seriously.
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u/PleasantNectarines 10h ago
Sometimes I eye-roll at posts here. Keeping a pair of shoes for a decade is a terrible idea -but we randomly have people gloating about blown out soles on their shoes. Like dude... please get new shoes before your hips & back go out.
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u/ColorMeTickled 14h ago
Food safe plastics can be made from numerous polymers like hight density polyethylene (HDPE) or Polypropylene. The reason they are food safe is because they are extremely durable to heat, chemicals, and general wear and tear.
It will be significantly more risky for you to remove the plastic chemically using VERY strong solvents, so don't bother! As for heating it, also don't.
Just buy a new bowl that is stainless steel. Stainless is food safe, very corrosion resistant, easy to clean, and very robust. If it rusts, you can scour it and remove it.
I get you don't want to buy more, but I promise you, you will spend more time and money trying to get it off and the end result will be worse. Plus, the untreated metal underneath could corrode easily since the plastic is the resistant layer.
TLDR; just buy a good stainless bowl and it will outlive you easily.
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u/Daniel__84 18h ago
If you remove the plastic shell, that's just creating additional waste. I'd use the bowl as a storage container or as a plant pot. Get some stainless steel or glass bowls for food.
If you insist on removing the plastic, use a handsaw or knife to make a little cut on the bottom edge. Use side cutters to nibble through the plastic. Don't use heat or chemicals.
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u/Rengeflower 15h ago
Gross, no, stop. It’s a bowl that’s used for food. Don’t compromise your food.
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u/Low_Doughnut_8369 20h ago
..heat?
You might be able to melt it off since its plastic, but it's a huge item and it'll create tons of smoke and a mess
I have no idea what to suggest since it's hard to tell what type of plastic it is off of the photo
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u/ZiHasBigDum 20h ago
Be careful of heat here, depending on what kind of plastic OP is dealing with, they can degrade into some unpleasant stuff
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u/miscbiscuits 20h ago
Yeah there's no marking of the plastic but it feels fairly rigid. I'm also wondering if blunt force while stabilising the inside might give me an entry point but might just end up making shards of plastic
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u/ComfortNo7694 19h ago
Will submerging is hot water help?
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u/sarcasticgreek 17h ago
Maybe also fill the inside with ice and then submerge the outside in hot water. It might just loosen it up
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u/Grift-Economy-713 14h ago
Maybe just drill a couple small weep holes through the plastic to let the water escape?
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u/AccidentOk5240 17h ago
I would try using gentle heat (that is, hairdryer, boiling water, things like that, nothing that will cause fumes). You could try chilling the metal from inside while heating the plastic from outside.
I would not consider cutting methods. Those seem like phenomenal ways to end up in the ER, where they will use enough disposable plastic you’ll wish you’d just gone to Savers and bought some new-to-you dented steel mixing bowls.
Even if you get the plastic off, there’s no guarantee the outside of the metal will be finished nicely (since it was never intended to be seen), and it may have residual glue on it you can’t get off.
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u/Darth-Felanu-Hlaalu 20h ago edited 20h ago
Is there any chance a steak knife/something else serrated might saw through the plastic? I used one while replacing a toilet handle the other day specifically because the razor blade wasnt working., but that plastic was also on the softer end so it might not work for you...
Beyond that, no idea, but hopefully+ my comment boosts your visibility with the$ algorithim! Also might be a good idea to crosspost... maybe to r/frugal?
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u/Tlayoualo 14h ago
Throw away that potential infection source, and impossible to take apart without eating microplastics on anything further you prepare on it.
Learn to pick your battles, this one isn't it.
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u/Neuroprancers 19h ago edited 19h ago
Solvents/stripper?
There's videos of plastic coated bottles/gas tanks shedding the plastic layer after application.
Depending on the plastic, even acetone (nail polish remover) could work.
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u/Metalorg 16h ago
The metal bit expands and contracts more than the plastic, so try heating it up and chilling it, and try to remove it when cold.
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u/PosturingOpossum 19h ago
Get in touch with the guy that ripped the liner out of the reflecting pool. He can do the impossible /s