Question from LH
Debra,
I recently purchased a bamboo steamer at a high-end cooking store, thinking it would be better than stainless steel for me on an energetic level. The brand name is Helen Chen (not Joyce Chen) and it is well made does the job beautifully steaming multi levels if needed. It is also a good alternative to the microwave for reheating food.
My concern is this. The directions say to line the steamer with parchment paper or put food on a plate. They say it is to keep the steamer clean. I don’t care about stains on the steamer but I am concerned that the bamboo itself could be treated or toxic. It is made in China and I usually avoid cookware from China. I am starting to wonder if I might be safer with stainless though I do love this piece of kitchen equipment both practically and asthetically, not to mention the waste of investment.
I would like your opinion or information about the safety of bamboo for cooking, especially bamboo imported from China.
thank you
steaming in Montague
Debra’s Answer
I have seen nothing regarding any hazardous exposures from Chinese bamboo steamers. I have one myself and use it often.
I imagine that these are not made industrially. They are probably handmade in some little village out in the countryside, far away from industrial chemicals.
If anyone has an evidence to the contrary, please let me know.
I love my bamboo steamer for all the reasons you love yours.
I have a bamboo spoon that I use to stir a tortilla soup I make. It doesn’t scratch the pan. However, I wonder, could the bamboo spoon have heavy metals in it and could heavy metals leach out of it into the liquid of the soup. Thanks.
Natural wood or bamboo can have trace amounts of lead or other heavy metals that are absorbed from the soil. I am not aware of any research that looks specifically at leaching from bamboo or wood but I would not expect it to be a significant source of metals.
Hi Debra and steaming in Montague,
I recently bought a bamboo steamer at a chinese market and when I got it home, I noticed the prop 65 “known to cause cancer to the state of California” warning label. While a quick internet search has not proven useful– most sites boast about the health benefits of steaming food as opposed other cooking methods– one site did mention the use of sub-standard glues to hold the steamer together, which may include bisphenol A (BPA).
Given the production climate in modern China, I highly doubt these steamers are made in some idyllic country enclave, but likely in a factory that subjects its workers to these BPA-containing glues and push them out to unsuspecting consumers.
Not to deter anyone from this superior cooking method, but a word of caution.
Thanks for researching this and sharing. It’s so unfortunate in today’s world that something as natural and traditional as a bamboo steamer should be made with toxic glues. Again this points out how little is known about products and their manufacture, and the need for more information about specific products.
Prompted by your comment, I did a little search on this myself. I couldn’t find the website you mentioned, but did find a number of websites talking about BPA in plastic steamers. There seems to be a lot of confusion and lack of information about what chemicals might be in what materials.
Probably the least toxic steamer would be a glass steamer. The least expensive one I could find was a simple glass insert that you put in your own pot at http://www.mycookmate.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=70_115 $49-$69 depending on size. Others are available for $100+ that come in sets with pot and steamer. Just search on “glass steamer” and you’ll find them.