possible Teflon item in stores

[LordTriggs]

So lately I've noticed over here supermarkets have begun selling cook in the dish meals such as this

Being one of those young adults you hear of I practically live off these (mostly due to the lack of cooking knowledge and the ease of just throwing away the dish instead of having to clean up) last night I cooked one which was ribs, didn't think much at first but when I emptied the dish which contained sauce and "meat juices" that nothing stuck to it, in fact if I rinsed it out it would be totally clean! I ran my hand over it and it feels like that distinct feeling you get rubbing a Teflon pan! I'm unsure if these are popular in the US or elsewhere but an idea to spread the word to not use the pan these come in and cook them in a dish you already own

 

[Kiwibird]

It is possible things have changed since the early/mid 90's or they do it differently in the UK, but I grew up eating plenty of TV dinners as a kid due to my mom hating cooking (that or we ate out). I always got the "Kid Cuisine" ones with the penguin and I think my parents got the "hungry man" brand (do they have those in the UK?). Never had one hurt the birds and they were always close by the kitchen. I'd imagine if they're coating it in anything, it would be some kind of heat resistant plastic or possibly silicone. Better safe than sorry though! Even if it's not teflon, that doesn't mean it won't leech something nasty into the food when heated or couldn't overheat and release some kind of fumes.

Now that you've brought them up, I can't even think of the last time I ate a TV dinner. Not in my adult life at least. Funny how that goes. I think I'm right around your age and I cook EVERYTHING from scratch. I started cooking for myself age 10. By the time I lgot an apartment, I was so used to cooking/prepping all my meals, I never thought twice about NOT doing it from scratch. SO much cheaper (and healthier, though 18 year old me was not a health nut, yet)!

 

[LordTriggs]

yeah I know what you mean, the ol' TV dinner never really took off over here. I'm sure they did try years ago but it was just one of those things that didn't transition over to us. I do hope they are a silicone based thing but you know what they say about being safe!

Huh I don't know why but I always saw you as older than myself just because of how long mistress kiwi has been in your home! The thought of having any bird within my mum's home is alien to me due to her fear of them she's clearly unnerved by budgies, let alone a big green chomping machine!

 

[Kiwibird]

Hmmm... my dad moved to the US from England as a young adult in the late 60's and I may be wrong, but I do recall him mentioning eating TV dinners growing up (and he did live over there for a lot of his childhood). I'm a bit surprised they fell out of fashion at any point. I'm not sure they ever did in the US.

Maybe I'm really off on your age (?) but I just turned 29 in January. I got Kiwi when I was 19. And the thought of a house *without* parrots is foreign to me! Lined up on my crib checking me out as a day old newborn. Never knew a life without them! The rest of my family overwhelmingly doesn't like birds though, just my parents (and me).

 

[LordTriggs]

oh you're not much older than myself then, I'm 25 in june. I wish I had parents who liked parrots even at all. It's actually one of the few things me and my step-dad have in common, though he lacks education on them and refuses to ever learn anything. Both biological parents dislike parrots, though my mum sees the appeal having met Rio and a few other parrots now, my dad just couldn't care less about them (where I got the itch from I have no idea)

 

[Sunnyclover]

On another note: TV dinners or the one pictured above are not THAT terrible for you because at least they have the food portioned out in the proper serving size which is pretty helpful for maintaining a healthy weight. As long as you don't add a huge serving of soda and a giant piece of cake it's actually one of the better choices you can make these days if you aren't a good home cook and can't afford to go out and buy a fast casual healthy meal from Salads-Vegans-R-Us every day.

 

[SailBoat]

Not sure where the price point is with this product. The combination of a thin metal pan with thin Teflon coating would be more costly than a high density paper pan with a high gloss surface, which are fairly common.

Check if the pan is a paper based product.

 

[Kiwibird]

Not sure where the price point is with this product. The combination of a thin metal pan with thin Teflon coating would be more costly than a high density paper pan with a high gloss surface, which are fairly common.

Check if the pan is a paper based product.

What is the "high gloss surface" made of then? Surely not polished paper

 

[Scott]

I was curious and Googled, could not find a satisfactory answer. I don't have any of these items in my freezer, or would contact the manufacturer for details. Rather doubt it is actually Teflon or generic on single-use surfaces.

 

[SailBoat]

Not sure where the price point is with this product. The combination of a thin metal pan with thin Teflon coating would be more costly than a high density paper pan with a high gloss surface, which are fairly common.

Check if the pan is a paper based product.

What is the "high gloss surface" made of then? Surely not polished paper

I have not used the products, but have seen them and the equipment that compresses the paper to form the pan. The high gloss surfaces is a water based sealing product, much the same as used for the printed surfaces used for food products (think cereal boxes and the like). The difference is that it is clear.


* "Surely not polished paper " Love your humor Lady!!!

 

[cnyguy]

At 62, I'm not exactly a "young adult," but I often eat heat-and-serve dinners-- when one is the only human in the house, sometimes preparing a meal from scratch seems like more trouble than it's worth. I've never run across the type of container you've posted about. Most of the dinners I buy are in plain plastic trays that can be heated in either a conventional oven or a microwave oven. No Teflon in those, fortunately. And I'm old enough to remember those old TV dinners that came in aluminum trays. The variety and quality of the food has improved a lot since those days.