Outfitting the Green Kitchen

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Bamboo

Bamboo kitchen equipment is sprouting up everywhere and for good reason. Bamboo is a grass that grows quickly and is easily renewable. Items like cutting boards, salad bowls and salad servers and cooking spoons, which are often made from wood, are now offered in bamboo: Large bamboo cutting board ($18; www.branchhome.com, 415-341-1824); bamboo salad servers ($20; www.3rliving.com, 718-832-0951); and large bamboo salad bowl ($46.50; www.ourgreenhouse.com, 203-364-1484).

Glass

Glass, used for wine glasses and tumblers, dinnerware and storage containers, doesn't contain lead, can easily be recycled and is completely non-reactive with food. Check out resale shops and antique stores for funky old sets of glassware or storage containers. A few companies are making glassware from recycled glass.

Green Glass's set of 4 elegant goblets ($48; www.greenglass.com) and Econscious's beautiful blue and green tumblers ($32/set of 4; www.econsciousmarket.com, 866-444-8864) are both made of recycled wine bottles. Although not recycled, Pyrex makes a great line of glass storage containers with plastic covers ($21.99/10-piece set; www.pyrexware.com. 800-999-3436).

China, Earthenware and Stoneware

Dinnerware is one of the few items that you should avoid purchasing at resale shops. Lead is a concern in ceramics, since many older patterns contain unsafe levels. If you already own an older dinnerware set, you can test it for lead with swabs from www.leadcheck.com or download a list of EPA-accredited independent testing facilities at www.epa.gov.

A safer bet is to purchase dinnerware that is labeled "lead free." Fiestaware made by Homer Laughlin is made with lead-free glazes ($99.99/16-piece set; www.amazon.com). Viva Terra sells a lead-free 16-piece setting of white, glossy contour dinnerware ($129; www.vivaterra.com, 800-233-6011). SengWare makes vibrantly colored lead-free plates, bowls, mugs and serving pieces that are available individually or as a 16-piece set ($99.95; www.sengware.com, 206-767-4580).