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Post by maggie on Mar 5, 2013 0:25:29 GMT -5
I learned a lot in the pots and pans thread, and in a different thread of mine, a discussion of tupperware was started. It strikes me that this is information that would be useful to other people.
So what do you use for food storage? I mainly have tupperware and tupperware like food storage, but some things I've read make me think about switching to glass. However, that's heavy, I've got little kids who might shatter it (although why blame the little kids -- I've shattered 4 pyrex glass bowls so far in my life myself), and what do you use for a lid?
I'm thinking mainly about the kind of storage containers that you would put leftovers in, but I'd also be interested in hearing what you use to store staples like a ten pound bag of flour or sugar.
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Post by dtesposito on Mar 5, 2013 0:34:40 GMT -5
I'm afraid I must confess that I regularly throw food containers away because I push them to the back of the fridge and forget they're in there until they're at the "open it and you'll pass out from the smell" stage, so I end up throwing them away. This is something I REALLY have to work on, I can't afford to waste the food OR the containers.
I was buying the Ziploc or Glad plastic containers until I discovered that Target has a store brand set of 12 assorted containers for only $3.99! They are probably similar in quality to the Ziploc, etc., maybe a little less sturdy, but it makes it a little less painful to throw them away when they're so cheap. Don't get me wrong, I don't regularly throw them away--it probably happens once every 2 to 4 weeks that I find a container that I don't think I can possibly clean--after all, plastic does absorb smells. But on a limited income even that's too much.
Unfortunately, all the companies seem to have stopped making the larger round containers that I used to use to eat my salads--they were small enough to eat out of but big enough to mix the veggies around without them all flying out of the bowl. The current round ones are smaller and don't work as well.
I wish I could find a good solution for flour, etc. I have a couple of screw top large plastic jars that people have saved for me, they're from the giant containers of pretzels that you would get somewhere like Sam's Club. They're great but I don't shop at those places so don't have access to any more of them. Cannisters that don't have tightly fitting screw tops let in air/bugs so they don't work for me.
Diane
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Post by bobolink on Mar 5, 2013 1:36:05 GMT -5
For things I store in the fridge - leftovers etc - I use glass containers with the plastic lids that lock shut. I have to be able to actually see what is in the containers, or the contents are doomed to rot at the back of the fridge. Also the glass is easy to clean and doesn't pick up stains or odours like plastic does.
I use plastic containers for dry food storage. I don't buy large quantities of anything so the containers don't have to be huge. A few things like whole wheat flour I store in the freezer in heavy-duty zip-lock bags so stuff doesn't go rancid before I use them up. But I find that buying things as I need them really helps with storage, prevents waste/spoilage, and actually ends up saving me money.
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Post by eagle on Mar 5, 2013 2:22:52 GMT -5
Maggie, I use a combination of things for food storage.
I prefer glass for dry goods that I keep in the pantry, but also re-use plastic peanut butter jars when I don't have the right size mason or other glass jar. I have various sizes of glass jars ranging from very small to very large.
Most of my flour (I have many different types of flour that I use) is kept in gallon sized zip-lock baggies in the freezer, although I do have one crock with a lid in which I keep a baggy of all purpose flour in the pantry.
Food in the refrigerator may go into a glass jar (extra soup, vegetable stock, and most acidic foods, etc.) But I also use plastic containers. I don't have much Tupperware anymore because I stopped buying it when I was in my 20's I think (didn't like the party method that much.) I use a few different brands: Rubbermaid, Glad, some I brands I don't recall. I even re-use some plastic containers from foods I bought at the grocer, but for the most part, those don't last long.
I have two white corning oven-to-refrigerator dishes that came with plastic lids that I have used for over 30 years, which I really like. But the lid to the bigger one became damaged eventually & I had to toss it out, so I have to cover it with aluminum foil if I refrigerate the contents now. The lid to the smaller one is also deteriorating with age, but I rarely use it in the fridge, so it doesn't matter as much.
Food for the freezer has to go into plastics (for me; I've never liked using glass in the freezer & don't think it's a particularly safe option.) Besides zip-lock baggies, I also use vacuum sealed bags (BPA-free) for freezing foods I make ahead.
Periodically I go through my plastic containers and make sure the bottoms and lids match in size, fit and number. I toss them into recycling as they become damaged, such as when I pull something out of the freezer and drop it on the floor and the container cracks (I've done this a few times, actually.)
I don't use plastic containers in the microwave oven because they seem to become damaged & I have to toss them. So anything that comes from plastic goes into/onto glass & cover with a paper towel before heating in the microwave.
My MIL used to replace her plastic containers once a year, but I don't know if she still does that since her stroke. I believe that's a pretty good idea.
Now when I buy new plastics, including plastic baggies, I always look for the 'BPA free' on the packaging before making my purchase.
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Post by ClutterBlind on Mar 5, 2013 2:27:01 GMT -5
What Maggie forgot to mention, that she read in the other thread, and is the reason why she is actually asking for SAFE alternatives to OLD Tupperware and old plastic food containers, (not what is cheaper or more convenient) is that I posted about the cancer causing dangers of SOME plastics. Here is my post from the other thread: It doesn't matter how vintage, collectible, antique or retro Tupperware and some other old plastics are. It doesn't matter how much money you spent on them. Some of them are potentially DEADLY. Some plastics get brittle over time. Some degrade over time and leak toxins. Eagle was right when she said some OLD Tupperware should be suspect for the cancer causing toxin, BPA, leaching out of it. This was released by Tupperware regarding their products: "Tupperware follows the recommendations and guidelines of governmental regulatory agencies regarding materials that may be used in our high quality products. The Company also acknowledges the attitudes of consumers regarding products containing BPA. In its continuous search for the best materials for use in its products, Tupperware has found other materials with improved performance characteristics that have been approved by regulators to be BPA free to replace polycarbonate. As of March 2010, items sold by Tupperware US & CA are BPA free."
Link: thyroidu.com/1204/thyroid-health-is-tupperware-bpa-free-and-safe-to-use/ This means that any the Tupperware products you have before 2010 may NOT be BPA free. And if there are no recycle codes on the bottom of the containers, then you do not know if there is any BPA or not. OLDER plastics do not have them as the recycle codes are a newer add-on. Tupperware does admit to at least one line of their products as previously being dangerous: the Rock 'N Serve/Vent 'N Serve storage and microwave reheating containers. You can read about it and see pictures in this link: lisabrowndesign.blogspot.com/2012/05/tupperware-and-bpa.htmlNote how Tupperware talks specifically about the dangers in children's products. While there IS more of a danger to children, adults are NOT immune. So are they purposely not telling us about the adult products that still have some BPA, yet currently fall in between the cracks as far as governmental guidelines? Do you really want to take that chance? Just like there is an excess of non-stick coating materials from cookware found in the human blood stream, according to this link, BPA has been found in the urine of 95% of humans studied. It causes all kinds of hormonal imbalances, and is known to cause several types of cancers in men and women, including breast cancer. discovermagazine.com/2008/may/18-the-dirty-truth-about-plastic And if you heated the plastics at all, pouring in hot water, tossing in the dishwasher, or sterilizing the products, the greater the chances of leaching BPAs. I believe Tupperware always claimed to be dishwasher-safe. You still want to keep all that Tupperware and old plastic food containers that have no recycling codes on them because you spent too much money on them? Factor in how much money for it will cost you to deal with life-long illnesses you may get from using these products to store food. If you want vintage, collectible, antique or retro, pick out a coffin in those styles. Toss the old Tupperware and old plastic food containers. Do not donate them and pass the dangers onto other unsuspecting people. Go to ANY dollar store and see how cheap it is to buy NEW plastics to replace ANY old plastics nowadays. And any new plastic food containers should have triangle recycle codes on them, so you can better figure out which kind of plastic they are made from and the potential dangers. They look like these below:  Numbers 2,4 or 5 are supposedly food safe - at least till new info is found telling us different. Number 1 is safe for single use, like disposable water bottles, but not for constant re-use. That in itself doesn't sound too reassuring, as that means some toxins are potentially released. Again, we do not currently know how much may be dangerous. These are only current guidelines which can change as more research is done. |
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inchbyinch
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Joined: January 2011
Posts: 37
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Post by inchbyinch on Mar 5, 2013 5:10:55 GMT -5
Thankyou very much ClutterBlind for this info. My child has a tupperware sandwich box she has used for the past 5 years, and I have very old plastic tupperware mugs with lids which my child loves using, and I like for the car. Do you know off the top of your head if they are okay.
For storage containers, I recycle 2kg plastic flour containers with screw lids- all number 1's, peanut butter and nuttella jars- all with screw top lids-all plastic. Don't buy things in huge quantities. Have noticed in a lot of SELLERS of fresh qrain food shops that they just use clear plastic storage bins (like I use to store clutter)- don't know where they put their lids when the shop is open, and the lids are not airtight- hence I never buy from them. Don't know how long its been open, no use by date, don't know what crawls around the shop after dark... Yes it may be cheaper than pre- packaged products with a use by date- but I want air tight, stored correctly food, with a rough idea of its freshness.
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Post by ClutterBlind on Mar 5, 2013 9:02:12 GMT -5
Thankyou very much ClutterBlind for this info. My child has a tupperware sandwich box she has used for the past 5 years, and I have very old plastic tupperware mugs with lids which my child loves using, and I like for the car. Do you know off the top of your head if they are okay. Inch, if the Tupperware containers are 5 years old, then they are well before the 2010 date that Tupperware themselves set as the date they guarantee their plastic is safe as they started using new materials since then. Please, Please, PLEASE Google "BPA + children". The affects on children are even more dangerous as their livers aren't fully developed to filter out the BPAs into their urine. Girls are even more susceptible as they get reproductive, uterine problems, thyroid, endocrine problems and breast cancer. Canada has already made a law outlawing BPA since 2010. The U.S. unfortunately because of political reasons is lagging behind in doing the same. Plastic degrades as it gets older period. You should really switch it out for something new and with the recycle codes. And if you leave a plastic cup in the car all the time, the heat from the windshield is heating the cup. If it doesn't have one of the new recycle code numbers, it could be made from one of the plastics that releases toxins when heated. Change it out to a BPA-free insulated travel mug. You can actually search Amazon.com or the web to buy a "BPA-free travel mug." |
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Post by def6 on Mar 5, 2013 10:08:05 GMT -5
I have a very small collection of mis-matched containers, most medium sized, a few large and a few small. They have their own cabinet in the kitchen where they reside. I have learned through the years that you need fewer of these than you think. Also , I was so disorganized throughout my life that I didn't develop a strong habit of using containers.( and we didn't have many when I was a kid) It is not uncommon for me to break out the plastic wrap or even tin foil or grab a dish or a bowl for storage. After these ones are done, I might graduate to one of those sets that snap together and store super neatly...the ones they show on TV.  |
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Post by maggie on Mar 5, 2013 10:18:28 GMT -5
I am definitely interested in hearing about how people store things without using plastic, but I'll be honest, I can't see going 100% plastic free. So I'm interested in hearing about everything. For instance, until I read Eagle's post, it hadn't occured to me to worry about whether bags were BPA free. Also, regardless of whether you are using plastic, glass or something else, what you use and the way you manage it might spark an idea for someone else, even if they want to implement the same thing in some other material.
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Post by maggie on Mar 5, 2013 10:28:42 GMT -5
Def6 -- I remember lots of the time that things were put in the fridge in whatever bowl or pot they started in, but with a plate set on top for a lid. I still do that once in a blue moon.
I just reread my first post, and I said ten pound bag of flour. Actually, I buy my flour and sugar in the 10 kg bags (so about 22 pounds). I put them into large Tupperware (of course) containers. The sugar fits, but the flour is just a little bit too much (although if you really shake the container and pack it down, you can just make the flour fit), and it drives me crazy. But I just haven't seen anything else suitable that's large enough. And I definitely do not want to leave it in the original bag because of bugs in the summer.
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Post by scribbliz on Mar 5, 2013 11:22:02 GMT -5
maggie, just a quick thought, before you open the original bag, can you wait until you are about to bake something using that flour so that you don't have quite as much to go into the container? i had to do that for a long time. sadly, i have gotten out of the habit of making my own bread, and when we moved my flour container got broken, so i have to completley start over, but i found that if i just moved the flour into the container (i used a 10kg bag too) then I had too much, but if i made one batch of bread (using about 10 cups) or even a cake recipe (using about 3 cups) i suddenly had the room for my flour to fit in the container i use
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Post by maggie on Mar 5, 2013 11:40:56 GMT -5
Scribbliz -- I do that, but unless I am really packing the flour in, I have about 6 cups more than what fits in the container, and usually I am not using up that much from the new bag when I first open it. I've thought about putting flour and sugar cannisters on the counter to solve that and so that I don't have to move the big ones so often, but I really don't want to add anything to my counters, and I think refilling the cannisters would annoy me more than what I am doing now.
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Post by eagle on Mar 5, 2013 12:34:36 GMT -5
Scribbliz -- I do that, but unless I am really packing the flour in, I have about 6 cups more than what fits in the container, and usually I am not using up that much from the new bag when I first open it. I've thought about putting flour and sugar cannisters on the counter to solve that and so that I don't have to move the big ones so often, but I really don't want to add anything to my counters, and I think refilling the cannisters would annoy me more than what I am doing now. what I used to do before keeping my flour in the freezer (standing freezer in the garage) was to keep it in large glass jars. Of course it didn't all fit perfectly, so the excess went into a ziplock baggy. I still keep a small ziplock baggy of flour in the pantry that's easy access and not cold, good for when I need only a bit of flour for something, or for sprinkling on the board when kneading dough. I don't know if you ever do any shopping at Costco, but if you do take a look at the large glass jars of artichoke hearts. Those are the glass jars I'm talking about for keeping dry goods in my pantry. The jars are too large for storing in the refrigerator if you have a lot of other foods in there, but what I do is re-package the artichoke hearts into smaller glass jars to keep in the fridge. The marinade in which they are originally packaged keeps them good. I have never had them go bad before using them. That way the glass jar is ready for re-use sooner, too. |
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Post by misssue on Mar 5, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -5
You can buy large food grade buckets at Lowes! Bread bakers and Survivalist people buy them to store food. Some use mylar bags inside, but the Lowes are food grade. I have not checked Home Depot, the orange ones are not. Some people get food grade containers from bakeries or restaurants, though because they now get money for returning them, you may have to pay for a bucket with a lid. Same with glass jars, though most pro suppliers have cut way down on glass for food purchases. But you can ask. Or you can go to a restaurant supply house and buy the containers. I also use Lexon Rubbermaid containers that I got at a supply and Sams. Buy square, they fit next to each other better than round.
I have always found it interesting that so many people are worried about plastic poison, but store non healthy or junk food in the "safe" containers! That is their diet.. and I am not saying that about anyone here, but have observed that in my life. Not worried about what they eat, just what they eat it in! My analogy is that the kids bottle or drink cup is PBA free in the car seat container as they go through McDonalds or some other fast food place. Or filled with Crystal lite drink or soda. I have ate a natural foods diet, or tried to since I was young... a long time. Just my humble opinion.
IF you freeze flour, brown rice any grain.. it will eliminate the weevil larvae that is in many grains, and after 48 hours you can store it outside the freezer. That will help with the "moths" you get in your kitchen. Since here it is below freezing a good part of the year, I usually buy a big bag of whole wheat flour and keep it the garage below freezing for a day or two before I put in a container.
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Post by PaperGrace on Mar 5, 2013 17:04:02 GMT -5
My new favorite find from one of those close out type stores (Marshall's) are these beautiful bowls with elaborate designs nice enough to display that have plastic tops with a vent for microwaving. The parts my food is touching is safe, I tend not to use the tops for microwaving even though they say they are safe. They would be perfect for packing a lunch to bring to work and they are lovely. I like to make big salads in them so I can shake a small amount of dressing onto the greens with some free space between the lid and the bowl. I have two that are that sweet size someone else described 'small enough to eat from, big enough to toss things in' and they work great as serving dishes on the table. Pop the top on and shove them in the fridge after the meal. I have a small shallow one that is perfect for Husband to bring leftovers to work in, and I saw a bunch that were little 'snack size' but didn't pick them up. I wish I'd bought a half dozen when I saw them, since the closeout store doesn't carry things consistently and I don't know where they came from originally.
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