I have three Rubbermaid commercial grade rubber spats that are about twenty years old and although they are in good shape, they keep giving off this oily residue that makes me think the synthetic they are made from is decomposing.
Anybody else ever see this?
I don’t have any that are that old, they wear out sooner. The most recent ones we have are from Williams-Sonoma, and I like them better than Rubbermaid.
20 yrs? Might be time for some new ones…
If you think it is breaking down I wouldn’t want any of that residue in my food.
Find your local Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods or Marshall’s and get yourself some silicone spatulas and spoonulas. They’re certified up to 800 degrees most of the time and they won’t break down under exposure to heat like the old Rubbermaids. No need to pay full boat at Macy’s, W-S or SLT. The discount places have them all the time. If you have an outlet mall near you the Le Creuset brand should be discounted at their outlet, too.
I’m sure there’s someplace online to get them cheap, but I don’t know where. Word of advice: Don’t get the ones with metal handles. Stick to wood.
My silicone spatulas tend to get some film on them from time to time. I’m guessing it’s just dirt/grease floating around the kitchen from cooking, but perhaps I’m wrong.
+1 squared
I figure it’s just age.
Replaced them with Vollrath commercial duty heat proof pieces from Restaurant Depot.
Mark, we have the same stuff going on, the wife has been trying to figure out how to “clean” them but the greasiness seems to me to be coming out of the rubber. Replacement is probably the answer.
As with many things that I cook with, I have gotten more than the mileage I paid for out of them. I suspected a compositional breakdown, but I held onto them until I could replace them with something of equal or greater durability.
These suckers should last at least as long as the old ones:
