I bought a couple of each of the three sizes of the new Rubbermaid collapsible containers. They seem ideal for a small motorhome. I can stack all six with lids plus another microwave piece in the microwave for storage.
Yesterday I heated a containerful of Safeway Signature soup tomato basil bisque flavor. The soup is kind of creamy. It left a gummy residue and, of course, red stain and odor in the dish that I can't even scrape out. In fact when I try to scrape it, thin layers of the plastic seem to be coming off. I have used the dish maybe a dozen times to microwave things, so maybe the plastic has reached a stage of disintegration. They are, of course, advertised to be for microwaving.
I phoned Rubbermaid about the problem, and they said they'd be interested in seeing it. The woman who answered for consumer services kept saying it was so new they had no complaints or info. When I gave her the model number, she was mumbling to herself that "she didn't enter the numbers in here." I guess the model # wasn't yet in their database; although, the product has been out for a couple months at least. She said I would have to pay to ship it to them, for which they would, after receipt, refund the shipping cost and provide another bowl. When I suggested they email a prepaid shipping lablel, she said her supervisor was standing there and told her it wasn't that important to them and that they were doing me a favor agreeing to refund the shipping after I paid out the money to send it.
Guess I'm out a dish. And a potentially great idea. These things washed clean of berry juice stains and smells. Most of the soups I've heated in them have washed off. The tomato bisque is a bit spicy, so maybe something in that acidity reacted with the plastic in the microwave. I tried boiling soapy water in it to no effect. Soaking didn't help. Soft Scrub had no effect. In fact, the gumminess almost seems to be getting worse as I try to clean it. Almost as if the plastic is peeling apart. I had noticed little bits of the residue during previous washings and passed it off as food. It seems the containers can't actually handle repeated microwaving.
Maybe I should mail it to Consumer Reports. They have a good testing laboratory.
--pat
Yesterday I heated a containerful of Safeway Signature soup tomato basil bisque flavor. The soup is kind of creamy. It left a gummy residue and, of course, red stain and odor in the dish that I can't even scrape out. In fact when I try to scrape it, thin layers of the plastic seem to be coming off. I have used the dish maybe a dozen times to microwave things, so maybe the plastic has reached a stage of disintegration. They are, of course, advertised to be for microwaving.
I phoned Rubbermaid about the problem, and they said they'd be interested in seeing it. The woman who answered for consumer services kept saying it was so new they had no complaints or info. When I gave her the model number, she was mumbling to herself that "she didn't enter the numbers in here." I guess the model # wasn't yet in their database; although, the product has been out for a couple months at least. She said I would have to pay to ship it to them, for which they would, after receipt, refund the shipping cost and provide another bowl. When I suggested they email a prepaid shipping lablel, she said her supervisor was standing there and told her it wasn't that important to them and that they were doing me a favor agreeing to refund the shipping after I paid out the money to send it.
Guess I'm out a dish. And a potentially great idea. These things washed clean of berry juice stains and smells. Most of the soups I've heated in them have washed off. The tomato bisque is a bit spicy, so maybe something in that acidity reacted with the plastic in the microwave. I tried boiling soapy water in it to no effect. Soaking didn't help. Soft Scrub had no effect. In fact, the gumminess almost seems to be getting worse as I try to clean it. Almost as if the plastic is peeling apart. I had noticed little bits of the residue during previous washings and passed it off as food. It seems the containers can't actually handle repeated microwaving.
Maybe I should mail it to Consumer Reports. They have a good testing laboratory.
--pat
