Well, hello, hello there. Welcome to the Nutrition Diva

podcast. I'm Monica Reinagle and this week our topic was

suggested by a Nutrition Diva listener who wrote non-stick silicone cookware

Especially for baking seems really useful, but is it safe and also I'd like to stop using my plastic steamer that I rely on for steaming

vegetables in the microwave. So what type of container do you suggest? Well let me just start by explaining what silicone is.

Silicon is a type of synthetic rubber made from silicon, which is a naturally occurring element

that's abundant in rock and sand.

Silicon or silica is used to make mortar, glass, cement, bricks, and concrete.

And silicon is also used as a semiconductor in computers and cell phones,

and that's why the Santa Clara Valley near San Francisco, California is often referred to as Silicon Valley.

Now Silicon can also be modified or polymerized into a rubbery material and that's what we call

silicone.

Silicon is not exactly new to kitchens.

Your grandmother probably used silicone-based rubber spatulas.

But more recently, it's been used to make non-stick cake and muffin pans, baking mats or liners,

and a whole range of other cooking gear. Now, Silicon Cookware has several advantages. It's very lightweight, flexible, it's easy to clean, stain

resistant, and nothing sticks to it. You can put it in the freezer, in the dishwasher, in the

microwave, or the oven, and it comes in all kinds of fun bright colors

but is it too good to be true?

Many of you have also written to me lately

about a new movie called Dark Waters.

It's a legal thriller, sort of in the tradition of Aaron Brockovich.

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