Borates in the Kitchen

Cooking in the kitchen starts with borates in your hands. Consult a cookbook or reach for a carton from your refrigerator shelf and the adhesives that hold it together include borates. The borate improves stickiness and makes adhesives easier to apply in manufacturing.

Don't use traditional cookbooks? The phone or tablet you use to look up a recipe also contains borates! The screen is made of thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) which is a specialized borosilicate glass.https://www.borax.com/products/applications/adhesives-caulks-sealants

Glazing your tiles and dishes

In traditional ceramics, concentrated borates increase strength and improve resistance to scratches and chemicals for kitchen products such as:

• Floor and wall tile

• Domestic tableware and cookware

• Sanitary ware such as ceramic plumbing fixtures

You can also find borate glazes in decorative pottery such as bowls and vases.

Borate-enameled steel is used for its durability and simple cleaning on stoves and refrigerators (as well as washing machines and dryers).

If you have a smart fridge, the same TFT LCD screen found in your phone is also used here.

Making cooking easier

The microwave has revolutionized the kitchen—giving people the ability to cook in minutes. Many microwaves come with a hygienic borosilicate enamel linin, which has been found to use less energy and so reduce the destruction of vitamins. Digital timers use a liquid crystal display which has a thin-film transistor made from borosilicate glass.

The microwave safe glassware you use to cook your food is made from boron. Borosilicate glass can withstand high temperatures making them especially useful around the kitchen.

Opening the oven door to check on what’s inside allows heat to escape, extending cooking times. With a glass door—made of borosilicate to withstand high temperatures—you can watch food without heat loss.

Keeping your sink in order

Many sinks and drainers are enamel-coated steel. They are hard, durable, attractive, and easy to clean. The glassy enamel coat contains nearly 10% borate which aids in the melting of the glass and its adhesion to the steel. If you have a translucent all-glass sink, it’s made of borosilicate glass.