Bamboo dishes: properties and application features

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When it comes to the use of bamboo in the home, the first thing that comes to mind is the increasingly popular flooring in the form of parquet boards, as well as durable and stylish furniture.

Not everyone knows that kitchen equipment can also be provided with bamboo. The range of such dishes is far from being limited to the usual cutting boards and Teflon-coated spatulas.

The myth that the dishes made of this material has a rough appearance and does not fit the interior of every kitchen is easy to refute. Cutlery, plates, bowls, cups, glasses, salad bowls, disposable tableware made of bamboo amaze with a riot of colors and a variety of shapes.

Bamboo in everyday life

Bamboo has been used in everyday life for thousands of years. Young shoots of it were eaten, used as a remedy, they built houses, bridges, fences from it, made furniture and clothes, hats and wicker utensils, writing utensils and paper, weapons and containers for bulk products, handles for umbrellas and bags, rods.

In the US, a hundred years ago, they traveled around the cities on light bicycles with a bamboo frame.

Bamboo in manytraditional oriental cultures has become a symbol of friendship, longevity, strength, invincibility. In some Asian countries, it was even believed that humanity owes its appearance on Earth to this amazing plant.

In European culture, this material is again gaining well-deserved popularity, slowly but surely displacing the ubiquitous plastic from its positions. People are learning more about he althy lifestyles and wanting to get rid of things that can harm the he alth and well-being of the environment. Therefore, bamboo dishes are of such high interest to consumers.

Strengths of bamboo cookware

Buyers should find out before buying what occasions bamboo dishes are suitable for. Properties, features of the use of such utensils and mandatory requirements for caring for it - all these points deserve special attention and consideration.

When dishes are made from natural materials, this in itself is already its advantage. Manufacturers claim that even brightly painted, it consists of 99% natural raw materials.

In addition, the advantages of such products are:

• special aesthetics, bright colors and stylish appearance;
• light weight;
• impact resistance;
• low price;
• antiseptic properties of the material;
• no harmful excretions in food;
• no foreign odors, preserving the natural flavor of food;
• heat-insulating properties;
• shovels and spoons are notscratch the surface of teflon-coated stewpans and frying pans;
• bamboo dishes do not stain from food and do not absorb odors and liquids;
• remains smooth for years, unlike wood and plastic;
• color coating does not fade even after repeated washing.

Weaknesses of eco-ware

But is it really only bamboo dishes that have advantages? Fissman - a popular kitchen utensils store - recommends careful care of eco-friendly utensils:

• wash products with a soft sponge and liquid detergent or in a solution of soapy water;
• do not use any abrasives;
• before washing in the dishwasher, you should carefully study the recommendations of the manufacturer of the unit and dishes;
• storage of liquids for two or more hours in bamboo vessels may be fraught with biodegradation of the latter;
• Microwaveable depending on cookware manufacturer's recommendation;
• this dish should not be used for food products that are too hot (more than 75 degrees);
• should not be placed on electric heaters or hobs.

Possessing many advantages, in return it requires special care. Despite its versatility, bamboo tableware can only replace cutlery and dining utensils, not cooking utensils.

What dishes are there?

Distinguish dishes forreusable and disposable, with patterns applied with colored paints and natural texture, covered with transparent varnish.

Appearance and use of products vary by manufacturing technology.

Bamboo tableware technology

Bamboo is a renewable natural resource. This plant grows at an amazing rate. Within an hour, the stem stretches three centimeters.

Even cut stems placed in water continue to grow, as do the stumps left after harvesting bamboo. In terms of economic and environmental efficiency, it is almost an ideal raw material.

For the production of dishes intended for repeated use, only shoots are taken. The crushed fibrous mass is subjected to hot pressing into the required shapes and, depending on the design, is coated with transparent food varnish (to preserve the natural pattern) or colored food enamel, which has water-repellent and bactericidal properties.

To give the utensils high aesthetic properties, the dishes are painted with bright colors made with the addition of permitted food dyes and soy.

Unscrupulous manufacturers, trying to cash in on people's passion for environmentally friendly products, use rather dubious adhesives instead of hot pressing, which impregnate a lot of sawdust of unclear origin.

Covered with painted glaze,such dishes can have an attractive appearance, but with it an unpleasant feature of releasing harmful substances into food. Therefore, an inattentive attitude to the choice of a manufacturer can cost the buyer not only money, but also he alth.

Bamboo Disposable Tableware

Biodegradability is the main advantage of disposable food utensils made from this material.

Bamboo plates and cups could put an end to the age-old disposable paper vs. plastic disposable tableware controversy, as they are the best of both.

The aesthetics of this utensil will appeal to lovers of a he althy lifestyle, connoisseurs of natural household items and fighters for the cleanliness of outdoor recreation areas.

Even if an unexpected downpour forces vacationers to leave the picnic area and does not allow them to quickly collect their used disposable tableware, as often happens, to the great regret of more responsible tourists, nature itself will clean up, quickly recycling the bamboo fiber.

The range of disposable tableware includes not only glasses and plates suitable for outdoor use and buffets, but also forks, canape skewers, cocktail tubes, toothpicks, skewers, bar peaks, dowel sticks for confectionery, sticks for sushi, placemats, stirrers and even napkins.

Consumer Reviews

If the choice of the buyer was bamboo dishes, reviews of real consumers will be of interest to him in the first place. Most of the people who have expressed an opinion about this kitchen utensil highly appreciate its consumer properties.

Few disappointed indicate they expected accessories to be unbreakable at all. Some experimenters have deliberately placed items in microwave ovens to see what happens. For most of the testers, the dishes retained all consumer qualities, for some, they ignited. Unfortunately, not all people who left reviews indicated the brand of the manufacturer.

The hostesses who used it for its intended purpose and in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations did not complain of cracks and chips during operation.

Cookware for business

Compressed bamboo tableware has become a fashion trend among owners of sustainable cafes, sushi bars, ethnic restaurants and children's entertainment centers.

Inexpensive utensils are durable, have a presentable appearance and become the highlight of the establishment, raising the service to a new level.

To summarize briefly. Introduced a few years ago, bamboo tableware has quickly won its fans and taken a leading position in the eco-ware niche in the kitchen utensils market.