How to fix my shrivelled baby cube tray.
January 30, 2011 1:15 AM Subscribe
How can I repair the damage I did to this Baby Food Cube Tray. I put it in a steriliser before using it and this caused a number of the cubes of the tray to shrivel inwards seemingly permanently. I not sure if it made from rubber or silicone or a combination. Either way is there any way of repairing it?
Also it's probably not a great idea to feed baby anything that has been in contact with melted plastic.
Did the tray come with any brochure/pamphlet about what temperatures it can withstand?
Does your steriliser say what temperature it produces?
If the tray says you can sterilise it, but in fact it melts in the steriliser, maybe you can get your money back or a replacement from the shop?
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:47 AM on January 30, 2011
Did the tray come with any brochure/pamphlet about what temperatures it can withstand?
Does your steriliser say what temperature it produces?
If the tray says you can sterilise it, but in fact it melts in the steriliser, maybe you can get your money back or a replacement from the shop?
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:47 AM on January 30, 2011
Response by poster: The packaging got thrown away, so I am not sure what the suggested cleaning method was. Also I take your point about not giving baby anything that has been near melted plastic. I will go back to the shop for a replacement and see if they are willing to forgive my over-zealous cleaning and give the the replacement gratis!
posted by therubettes at 1:55 AM on January 30, 2011
posted by therubettes at 1:55 AM on January 30, 2011
Plastic that has been softened and distorted slightly by a steam steriliser should still be safe to use; it's not the same as something that's been melted by direct heat. All that's happened is that the plastic has softened and deformed a bit. It won't have undergone any significant chemical changes.
Repair probably isn't practical, but I'd have no qualms about continuing to use it.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:06 AM on January 30, 2011
Repair probably isn't practical, but I'd have no qualms about continuing to use it.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:06 AM on January 30, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks lmdbe. Distorted is a better word than melted in this context. It was steam heat. Only 4 of the 15 cubes are affected to any great degree so I guess it is nothing to get bent out of shape about.
posted by therubettes at 2:38 AM on January 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by therubettes at 2:38 AM on January 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
fyi, get two ice cube trays. Probably cheaper and does the same exact thing. The depth won't be the same, but just use two slots.
Hot water and soap will sterilize enough for baby next time.
posted by allthewhile at 7:25 AM on January 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Hot water and soap will sterilize enough for baby next time.
posted by allthewhile at 7:25 AM on January 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
I agree that it is likely safe to use, should you want to. It probably isn't made of anything that is dangerous, and melting is different from burning. Melting doesn't change the chemical makeup, burning does. The only thing that is potentially no good is that the plastic might have (had) a food safe layer over a structural layer. It could flake off, and/or have been rendered unable to be sterilized.
allthewhile is right; hot soap and water and air drying should be good enough. If you are particularly concerned, you can do it like commercial places do sanitation. Wash it, then let it soak in sanitizing solution. (Either commercial sanitizer, or just a bleach solution.) You'd have to look up the ratios, but it is along the lines of a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. The weaker the ratio, the longer the stuff has to soak. (Seconds versus minutes.) Then air-dry.
If you use just straight, unscented bleach, it is perfectly safe. When the bleach is put into the water, it separates out into salt and dissolved chlorine. The chlorine kills any residual bacteria, and evaporates during the air-dry process. If there is any residue at all, it is just salt.
posted by gjc at 8:00 AM on January 30, 2011
allthewhile is right; hot soap and water and air drying should be good enough. If you are particularly concerned, you can do it like commercial places do sanitation. Wash it, then let it soak in sanitizing solution. (Either commercial sanitizer, or just a bleach solution.) You'd have to look up the ratios, but it is along the lines of a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. The weaker the ratio, the longer the stuff has to soak. (Seconds versus minutes.) Then air-dry.
If you use just straight, unscented bleach, it is perfectly safe. When the bleach is put into the water, it separates out into salt and dissolved chlorine. The chlorine kills any residual bacteria, and evaporates during the air-dry process. If there is any residue at all, it is just salt.
posted by gjc at 8:00 AM on January 30, 2011
After freezing the food in ice cube trays, as allthewhile suggests, pop the cubes out and place them into zip-top freezer bags, then reuse the ice cube trays for another food. It's nice to have a wide variety of foods in the freezer, all at the same time, instead of storing the food in the tray as the product copy instructs.
My baby's favorites were fluorescent-green mashed previously frozen peas, and chuck roast or lamb cooked slowly until falling-apart soft before puréeing.
posted by Ery at 8:04 AM on January 30, 2011
My baby's favorites were fluorescent-green mashed previously frozen peas, and chuck roast or lamb cooked slowly until falling-apart soft before puréeing.
posted by Ery at 8:04 AM on January 30, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the additional pointers everyone. I appreciate them.
posted by therubettes at 2:18 PM on January 30, 2011
posted by therubettes at 2:18 PM on January 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by saradarlin at 1:43 AM on January 30, 2011