u/theGentlenessOfTime

I have never seen this strange brown band before. It doesn't taste or smell rotten. And even if it was i'd eat it, with current cost of living...

Anyone know what this is though?

Ich habe einen Regenbogen an Zwirn von meiner Großtante geerbt. Vieles davon ist aus den 40ern, 50ern, oder noch früher.

Mercerisierte Baumwolle, "Perlcordonnet" von der Firma MEZ, u.a.

Funktioniert das, in einer modernen elektrischen Nähmaschine?

Ich habe schon gesagt bekommen, dass Baumwollzwirn für die Nähmaschine schlechter sei als Polyester.

Irgendwelche inputs oder Erfahrungen dazu?

Ich will den Zwirn nähmlich schon benutzen...

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this sub. I got my first set of Souper Cubes today.

I had actually bought a set of no-name silicone trays previously. Before using them, I preheated them because I had watched a documentary about silicone baking molds. In that documentary, a German scientist discussed lab tests and said that it is advisable, to heat silicone molds before the first use at the maximum allowed temperature. According to him, some off-gassing of certain compounds is normal, and heating the molds beforehand can reduce the amount of substances that may be released later during use.

The recommendation was basically:

1. wash with dish soap first

2. heat them at max. allowed temperature for 1-4hours

3. wash them again with dish soap,

and then they're ready to use.

That's what I've been doing.

I should probably mention that I'm generally concerned about chemicals in food and the environment, since I've already had cancer and have a ton of health issues. Whenever possible, I try to avoid plastics and silicone, and instead use materials like wood, stainless steel, glass, ceramic or enamel. I just trust a chemically inert surface more, when it comes to food.

That said, I thought long and hard about this and ultimately decided to give the Cubes system a try because of the freezer-space savings and the benefits for meal prep.

When I preheated the no-name trays (which had good online reviews) the smoke development was so intense and the smell so strong that my entire apartment smelled for hours, despite having all windows open and all ventilation running. They also popped and developed bubbles (despite sticking to maximum rated temp).

It honestly turned me off out enough that I returned them, because I simply didn't feel comfortable using them.

That's one of the reasons I decided to invest in the Souper Cubes brand.

Even though I do not trust a bigger brand more, I figured that a company with an established reputation has more to lose and is likely to put more effort into material quality and safety than a random no-name seller that appears on Amazon and disappears again a few months later.

That said, Souper Cubes are even more expensive here in Europe. This was a significant investment for me. I personally think the price is criminal and not to justify considering the manufacturing cost.

Anyway. I still bought them, due to lack of alternatives.

So, I received them today and am currently heat-treating them as recommended in many places online.

What concerns me is the amount of visible smoke they are producing.☁️☁️☁️

The video I posted was taken after 1 hour and 45min of heating at the maximum recommended temperature. I heated them at 200°C.

I even chose a slightly lower temperature to leave some margin in case my oven is not perfectly calibrated. (I've never had any reason to suspect that my oven runs significantly hotter than indicated, i bake regularly.)

While the Souper Cubes definitely smell much less intensely of chemicals than the no-name trays, I'm still concerned about the amount of visible smoke that continues to be produced even after more than 90 minutes in the oven.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this? Any silicone experts or chemists here?

I was hoping that visible smoke would eventually stop, or t least get less, because I instinctively associate visible smoke with substances being released that I would rather not have near my food.

Some people online say that visible emissions should diminish significantly after a while, while others claim that silicone can continue producing visible smoke for quite some time and that this does not necessarily indicate problematic off-gassing. I honestly don't know what to make of it. I don't trust it.

Did any of you preheat your Souper Cubes before first use, or did you simply wash them and start using them?

I am concerned if I have gotten actual brand souper cubes (ordered on Amazon, counterfeits of other products are an issue there to my knowledge). Packaging and quality looked good. Nothing sus there.

I have emailed the company today and asked whether the trays undergo a post-curing or heat-treatment process after manufacturing.

Based on my research, higher-end silicone products are post-cured at the end of production, while cheaper ones often are not, which is one reason why home heat-treatment is recommended.

However, I couldn't find any information about this on the Souper Cubes website.

If anyone has come across an official statement from Souper Cubes regarding post-curing or heat treatment, I would be very interested in seeing it.

At this point, given the amount of visible smoke I'm seeing, I'm honestly glad that I decided to heat them before putting food into them, either way.

Still, I'm concerned and would appreciate any insight or experiences others may have.

Thanks!