Do I have to throw out my salsa dish?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Omnis
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Omnis

Omnis

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I've been taking my mom's temperature with an old mercury thermometer since she hasn't been feeling well. Each time I took it over the past two days it's read 97.1F. So I ran it under cold water for a little bit... still 97.1F. Then I thought it was stuck so I microwaved some water in my salsa dish and stuck the thermometer in it. Yep, the thermometer broke, and I am an idiot. Luckily, the Hg just globbed up into a single bead in the water, so it was an easy cleanup. All of the Hg didn't even come out, which I think helps confirm my hypothesis of a stuck reading. Still at 97.1!

So, anyway, is my salsa dish (glass pyrex) safe to use or should I toss it out because it came in contact with the dreaded hydrargyrum?
 
Do you really have that much of an attachment to a bowl?
 
Does it strike me as safe to use with some diligent cleaning? Yes. Is it worth any risk at all to save the bowl? No.

Buy a new thermometer. Buy a new bowl. Think no more of this. :)
 
TB
Do you really have that much of an attachment to a bowl?
Click to expand...

Well, it is a glass Pyrex bowl. Those are like a solid $5 at Walmart.

Granted, this isn't my wife's Pfaltzgraf, but he is a college student. When I was in college I paid $2 for a set of plastic bowls that explicitly said not to microwave it due to a risk of toxins. They were perfect for Ramen though.

Omnis, if there isn't an issue with buying a new one I woudl toss it to be safe, but a good scrubbing should do the trick if you absolutely can't lose this bowl.
 
Well I only have two of them, and have had them for my entire life. The things I eat and drink with always have lots of sentimental value to me.
 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OTWX/?tag=gtplanet-20

$25 and you'll have 10 of them! You'll even have lids. (The thermometer is the real loss... though, it was already broken...)

That way you can memorialize your old bowl that you've had for so long. I'd recommend a nice shadow box. You can mount it to the backing and preserve it forever while making a beautiful display for your wall.
 
You know that Chuck Norris takes baths in mercury, and poisons the mercury
 
My dad used to play with mercury when he was a kid. It was the cool thing to do back in the 50s. These days he gets angry every now and then but besides that he's alright.

I say keep the bowl. Since it's glass you get away with washing it with anything. I've never seen brake clean not get something clean. Try some crazy solvents, then wash it with the usual dish soap, and then enjoy eating your salads.
 
I have to agree with danoff. It would probably be ok, but it's not worth it.
 
Funny how things work sometimes. My mom pulled an idiot klutzo move while looking for a glass in the cupboard. The dish in question fell out and broke. /shrug.
 

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