Monday, January 9, 2017

MID-CENTURY PRODUCT CONTAINERS, PART 3



MID-CENTURY PRODUCT CONTAINERS, PART 3

Joni's husband Pat waits to be served, c. 1960
Hallie asks when we started using aluminum foil. You can read a nice history of foil here. Apparently it began to develop as a packaging material in the early 1900s, but its potential was seen during WWII and its production for the consumer increased. We kept foil in our 1950’s household, but Mother saw it as expensive and we used it sparingly, as Chris also remembers. Sometimes a sheet was used and then washed for re-use, and I think some folks still do that. Apparently aluminum foil is recyclable, but not in our community.

Hallie also asks about glass from China, which apparently should be tested for lead or cadmium before use. Our U.S. brands, such as Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, Ball, and Kerr are safe for food use. The post, “The End of the Tupperware Age,” from Earth 911 (here) offers helpful information. KW


2 comments:

Chuck said...

Cheryl did an etching project, putting our last name on a glass baking dish. The project recommended Pyrex. One lady used another type (perhaps Chinese) and the etching did not work. Cheryl's worked fine. She did 11 baking dishes for Christmas.

Chris said...

I think poor Pat needed a chair!! LOL Meanwhile, we do need to be careful where our good come from, sadly.