Can I repurpose water used to sterilize baby bottles for cooking pasta?

September 27, 2011 3:58 PM

CanIEatItFilter: I just sterilized a bunch of breast pumps/bottles in boiling water. Can I use that boiling hot water to cook, specifically something like pasta? The bottles were all washed with soap and water, then thoroughly rinsed before sterilizing.

(It's a boy.)

posted by Deathalicious to Grab Bag (21 answers total)

Yes, you can. I mean, if you did a decent job of sterilizing the things that were in the water then the water itself must also be sterile, right? It might taste plasticky or something, but it's not going to hurt you.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 4:02 PM on September 27, 2011

I wouldn't unless they were glass bottles. But maybe you could use the boiling water as a double boiler and melt some chocolate?
posted by thewumpusisdead at 4:10 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I doubt that cooking pasta in it would do any harm. If you're worried, though, I suggest letting it cool and then watering plants with it.
posted by vorfeed at 4:11 PM on September 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Is it all glass? If so then there is no microbiological or chemical reason not to.

If there are plastic components, what kind of plastic? There may be an acronym somewhere on the component like PPE, PP, PE, PPA, PAI, ext and with that we'd be able to give you a better understanding of the potential chemical danger.
posted by Blasdelb at 4:17 PM on September 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Pour it into the sink add a bit of cold water and use it to wash dishes with.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 4:27 PM on September 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Congrats. Don't do it. Who knows what's in those parts. Water is renewable.
posted by k8t at 4:28 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The breast pump parts are definitely not glass, and I doubt the bottles are either- the bottles that come with breast pumps are plastic. The idea of using that water to cook food in sounds unappealing.

I understand the desire not to waste the water, but consider that dumping a big pot of boiling water down the drain is an excellent non-toxic way of keeping your pipes free of gunky clogs. Otherwise, I would let it cool and water plants with it.
posted by ambrosia at 4:38 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm with Serene Empress Dork. Either the above posters don't have kids or they've forgotten how much work is involved with a baby.

I did it. I'd boil a big pot, sterilize everything then make pasta or tea or cocoa. Didn't taste funny and nobody here has cancer.

I only had one big pot, so saving that extra 20 minutes or so was a lifesaver. For those of you without kids 20 minutes is the same as two long showers, a nap, part of a sitcom, or maybe 3 emails.
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:50 PM on September 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

Mod note: A few comments removed, please just answer the question and skip the argument about water waste.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:00 PM on September 27, 2011

Let water cool and use it for plants.

Why risk it?
posted by jbenben at 5:02 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd be more worried about dish soap getting into my pasta water, but that's just me and I'm pretty anal about rinsing really, really well. Ingesting soap can cause upset tummies. Then again, I don't have kids, so for all I know you parents use some high-tech, fancy soap you could live off of for months in an emergency.

Seriously, though, it's not as if you're going to be doing this every day for years. Cancer risk from one BPA pasta bath has got to be as close to nil as you can get.

Go for it! And congrats!
posted by pecanpies at 5:04 PM on September 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

You can almost certainly drink the water. The chances of it making you sick are very low. The chances of it causing some strange disease later in life are probably pretty low, too. But you can certainly drink it.

Should you drink it? No, you shouldn't. It will probably taste bad. Making a habit of drinking water like that could cause problems later in life.

But can you drink it? Sure. People drink far worse things and survive.
posted by alms at 5:54 PM on September 27, 2011

I don't think it's going to kill you, but it might not taste very good.

Also keep in mind that, while the water is sterile, that doesn't mean there isn't... stuff... in it. Probably not bacteria, but you know, like dirt or soap residue or foreign objects or something. Ick.
posted by Sara C. at 6:48 PM on September 27, 2011

No. Whether or not the plastic leaches toxins, it probably made the water taste like plastic.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:50 PM on September 27, 2011

Best answer: Do whatever you want with the water. The argument against using it is psychological, like that study that showed that people wouldn't eat stew that had been stirred with a washed, brand-new flyswatter.

What's dirtier:

a) Freshly-boiled water that has recently touched some freshly-washed pieces of plastic which previously were used solely for breast milk. And the plastic is of a grade meant to withstand sterilization by boiling water.

b) The cookware, utensils, and dishes you use to make meals, which could easily bear tiny traces of soap residue, dust, or even a minuscule unnoticeable speck of food. And have been sitting in a cabinet or the drawer since you last washed them, where they may have also been incidentally touched while you or your wife retrieved a neighboring item.
posted by desuetude at 7:27 PM on September 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

Best answer: P.S. Don't tell your friends that you made your dinner in breast-pump water unless you feel like being contrary.
posted by desuetude at 7:27 PM on September 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

OP, please keep in mind that none of the posters here telling you that it is alright to cook with the pot of water have any idea what you boiled in it. The boiling will inactivate any pathogens that could possibly be logically associated with a breast milk pump, and any breast milk ick is silly, but to be frank most plastics are not designed with anywhere near these kinds of temperatures in mind, much less while wet.
posted by Blasdelb at 7:41 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Why risk it?
Risk what? The possibility of something leaching out of a plastic baby device(designed to be sterilized) is infinitesimal. Using that water to cook pasta (where the water is then drained, not ingested!) means you are talking about homeopathic levels of anything in your food.
It seems there is a huge disconnect in risk management among people posting here.
Why risk typing at a keyboard that is many times more likely to accidentally become live with electricity and electrocute you, than any harm from re-using the water you sterilized a bottle in!!!?!?!
Answer: because the risk is not remotely probable.
posted by bystander at 9:39 PM on September 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I really don't understand all the responses here. It's true that most plastics are not designed to be boiled, but breast pumps and bottles are definitely designed to be boiled. If they are leaching toxins on heating, you have bigger problems. I seriously doubt they are.
posted by Acheman at 2:07 AM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Young Rope Rider is right, get sterilizer bags, I used Medela but you may decide on another. Best thing ever for someone who works. It was energy efficient and did not waste water. Also, I kept the equipment in it until needed which was frequent enough to not have to worry about any growth.

Worked well with glass bottles, nipples and rings too.
posted by jadepearl at 5:26 AM on September 28, 2011

Response by poster: Blasdelb: "OP, please keep in mind that none of the posters here telling you that it is alright to cook with the pot of water have any idea what you boiled in it. The boiling will inactivate any pathogens that could possibly be logically associated with a breast milk pump, and any breast milk ick is silly, but to be frank most plastics are not designed with anywhere near these kinds of temperatures in mind, much less while wet."

I was personally surprised that the directions for sterilization were as straightforward as "sterilize in boiling water for 10 minutes". But aside from the steam pouring out of the pot when it was done, there was absolutely no indication that the parts had been in boiling water. Anytime anything else I own made out of plastic has run into boiling water, at the very least it gets softer, or more pliable. But whatever plastic it is that they use for breast pumps, it is very very heat resiliant.

So far I haven't heard anyone state authoritatively that it actually is bad for you based on knowledge of the plastics used. However, it does appear that the water has been satisfactorily used to cook food without a noticeable change in flavor. If I chicken out, looks like there are plenty of non-food options, although I am leaning towards those that make good use of the heat of the water (I'm more bothered by wasting the energy it took to boil the water than I am the water itself).

Best answers all around.

Also:

Dasein: "...If the plastics were BPA-free, then maybe."

As far as I know, practically anything made for babies these days is BPA free.
posted by Deathalicious at 12:35 PM on September 28, 2011