A while back someone gave some information about why paper towels should not be used with food. Now I need that info and can't find it. I want to take it to my Master Food Preserver class next week. I mentioned it and everyone is interested in finding out more. If anyone knows what thread it is in, or if the lady who gave the info could email me, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks much.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), June 09, 2001

Answers

Please, if someone emails you with that info, post it here. I would be very interested in it too. Thanks!

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), June 09, 2001.

Hmm... I always thought paper was much safer than cloth, since most paper is disposed of quickly. I'll certainly watch this thread.

cheers,

-- Max (Maxel@inwindsor.com), June 09, 2001.

One thing I will mention very important I have not see mention about paper towels, when you reach for one it is very poissable to containment the whole roll if your hands should drip or to hold by contaminatd hand to tear off one. Bacteria loves that paper. Just thought I would mention it. Coaltrain

-- coaltrain (prairierose91@hotmail.com), June 09, 2001.

That was me. What I posted was that when I went to the state fair, I stopped to watch one of those food device demos (a really neat pressure cooker, but that's beside the point). They were using it to flash-fry some hushpuppies, and when it came time to drain them, the lady said that they were using napkins to absorb the fat because state (?) food service law required it.

Seems that paper towels, being designed for pick-ups and not for mouth contact (napkin) use are made with beaucoup "enhancement" chemicals, like formeldehyde for absorbancy, and so on. The announcemt contended that there were possibly hundreds (I can't remember the number, but it was uncomfortably high) of icky and possibly carcinogenic chemicals in paper towels that make them better at paper towel-ing, that you should not (and if you are selling, could not) expose to the human mouth. Napkins, on the other hand, just have the standard questionables of bleaches and the such (also not your best food additives, but at least they're minimized) because they are designed to be in contact with the human mouth. For more specific information, contact the agency in charge of monitoring and regulating the food industry (I guess that would be the health department, but I'm not sure) and see what they say. It was in NC that I saw the demo. Sure did like that pressure cooker, though. Thinking about getting me one.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), June 10, 2001.