Buy Ceramics Carefully

Dear Heloise: I’d like a little information on ceramic cups. I purchased some in Mexico, but have been apprehensive about using them for coffee. How do I find out if they’re safe to drink from? I’ve read articles about imported pottery and mugs with lead glazes that can be hazardous.

JOAN, San Antonio, Tex.

Dear Joan: I contacted a Food and Drug Administration representative and was sent some information about this type of pottery and the hazards of lead poisoning. The FDA warns that imported handmade ceramic products to hold food are “pretty to look at, but dangerous to use.” Pottery with lead glazes pose a hazard when used for food preparation, storage or service.

Acid foods such as fruit and vegetable juice are especially dangerous if put into a ceramic container that has been improperly fired, because lead can dissolve into the food and be consumed.

Lead poisoning produces a wide range of symptoms, including constipation, diarrhea, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, sleep disturbances, nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, body pain, trembling and tiredness.

Lead-free products commonly have labels or stickers that say so. The FDA checks imported pottery for hazardous levels of lead and other heavy metals from all countries, but it does not check every shipment. Pottery from other countries sometimes is brought into the United States by individual consumers. Be careful when purchasing any ceramic product to be used for food.

Dear Heloise: Is it OK to store a serving spoon in a dish such as a salad or cranberry sauce while it is being kept in the refrigerator for those times when dinner is served late? My husband tells me there is some reason why I should not do this, but he doesn’t know what it is.

--PAM, Bedford, N.H.

Dear Pam: If the spoon is silver or silver-plate, acids in the food could react with the metal after a time, causing the spoon to discolor. It is not toxic but is unappetizing in appearance and the food might have an off taste. If the spoon is stainless steel, there is no problem.

Dear Heloise: Keep a piece of bread with your chocolate chip cookies to help keep them soft. Just put the bread and cookies in an airtight container and enjoy.

--KRISTEN, Provo, Utah

Dear Heloise: Why do recipes for pickles call for a canning process? Since the solution used for pickles is about half vinegar, plus quite a bit of salt, won’t this prevent spoilage?

--SARAH, Ventura, Calif.

Dear Sarah: Not necessarily, according to food technologists. Organisms that cause spoilage can live even in an extremely salty solution such as brine or in an acetic acid such as vinegar. Although the organisms may not be fatal to a person, they can make the pickles unappetizing or inedible. The bacteria may exist on the lids, the jars or the cucumbers themselves.

Canning in a hot water bath for the proper length of time not only destroys these microbes but keeps the pickles that are in the top of the jar from becoming soft and discolored. Simply pouring a hot brine solution over the cucumbers packed in a jar is not effective since the liquid cools too quickly to kill harmful bacteria.