If you are reading this blog, you would have seen on all our Lizzard Flask packaging, website descriptions and across social media platforms that our flasks are made from 304/18/8 food grade stainless steel – and have probably thought what on earth is that and why should I care about it.
I had this exact thought when I first came across 304 stainless steel, but unlike you, I didn’t have all the facts summarised into a quick-read blog.
So without further ado – here is all the research you actually care about:
Key Factors:
Food Safe (non-reactive to natural chemicals found in food and drinks)
Protects against rusting (important when flasks carry liquids 24/7)
Durable
Protected against corrosion caused by acidic food elements (hello coffee)
Miniscule leaching of the good stuff only
Food Safe
This is one of the highest grades of stainless steel selected for food preparation items such as cookware, utensils and appliances due to its non-reactive properties (Naoum and Lichtig, 2024). This means it will not react with acids found in milk, fruits and vegetables, nor with the high heat used for cooking – making this steel safe for consumption use. It is also known as Grade 304 Steel, the most commonly used grade of steel in food containers due to these properties. (Steelmor, 2024)
Durable
18/8 means it is composed of 18% Chromium and 8% Nickel, which are the two most important elements in preventing oxidation (rusting), corrosion from acidic elements found in foods and durability for long-term use, especially at high temperatures (Steelmor, 2024). This means that when you are using your flask all day and switching between hot coffee in the morning, a breakfast smoothie, icy water, a perfectly brewed warm tea and cocktail all in one day, these changes in temperature will not have any effect on the stainless steel’s temperature.
Easy to Clean
Due to a whole lot of chemical reactions that we don’t need to understand, stainless steel has a film that regenerates with a little help of oxygen when it is damaged in anyway (Gopal, 2024). Not only does this make your flask durable, but this smooth film makes cleaning of the flask simpler – bacteria has nowhere to hide and comes right off with very little scrubbing (Gopal, 2024)
Flavour Integrity Preservation
Its protection against corrosion also means that all these different flavours will not transfer from one drink to the next – making your one flask all you need (unless of course you are like me and need 3 different drinks at once, and therefore need 3 flasks in different shapes and colours).
Leaching
All containers, no matter the material, plastic, wood, stainless steel, release elements of their make up into their contained items. However, by our flasks using a higher quality of stainless steel, the percentage of elements released is miniscule due to 18/8, or Grade 304, stainless steel’s highly stable and durable nature (Life Without Plastic, 2024). At most, your body will absorb a few extra micrograms of iron, which cannot hurt.
Simply put, the stainless steel used in your Lizzard Flask has been carefully researched to ensure that your flask not only has a lifetime of memories to give you, but that it also gives you one of the highest quality of beverages that money can buy.
REFERENCES;
Rush, B. 2024. “Why Are Reusable Water Bottles Good for the Environment?” 1 August 2024. [Online].
https://www.seagoinggreen.org/blog/why-are-reusable-water-bottles-good-for-the-environment
Steelmor, 2024. Stainless Steel – What Do All The Numbers Mean? [Online].
https://www.steelmor.co.za/what-do-all-the-numbers-mean/
Naoum, K. and Lichtig, A., 2024. The Differences Between 18/8, 304, and 316 Stainless Steels (29 March 2024). [Online].
https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/18-8-vs-316-vs-304-stainless-steels/
Gopal, R. 2024. 18/8 Stainless Steel. 19 July 2024.
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/6416/188-stainless-steel
Life Without Plastic, 2024. Stainless Steel. [Online].
https://lifewithoutplastic.com/stainless-steel/?srsltid=AfmBOopvSplJvqsk4Kp3pqf4uFtdrkGSCAFY5LWoG2r1QcB8xC1Ls-1o