Food Storage Containers
After eating your favorite meal, a good quality container allows you to avoid food waste by saving leftovers. Keeping the food fresh in a glass, plastic, or steel container with a lid allows you to save money and avoid going to the grocery store. In addition to saving food, an airtight food storage canister with lid may help prevent freezer burn and seal in spices while also being safe to use in the microwave.
What materials are food storage canisters available in?
- Plastic: These containers to store items in your kitchen are typically light, safe for microwaves, and safe for the top rack of your dishwasher. Most units come with a lid made of plastic as well.
- Glass: While a little heavier, glass containers are safe for the bottom rack of dishwashers and resist stains.
- Plastic without BPA: BPA is short for bisphenol-A. This chemical is added to most plastics to strengthen them. The effects of BPA on fresh food storage are unknown, so you may want to find plastic containers for kitchen and food storage without it. Typically, the lid included with these is also BPA-free.
- Stainless steel: Stainless steel storage containers are extremely difficult to break, making them a good choice for those needing stability in the kitchen.
How do you store food storage container lids?
- A container within a container: You may want to consider storing each plastic lid with the container inside a larger container. Make sure you seal the larger container with its plastic lid, as this is what keeps it organized.
- Lids next to containers in a drawer: If you have a drawer in your kitchen large enough to store food storage containers on their sides, lay the plastic lid down next to its respective match.
- Keep the plastic containers together: While this storage method requires more space, keep each canister sealed with its lid and store the containers as a whole unit that way. Make sure they are dry before you snap the lid in place.
What colors and shapes are available for food storage containers?
While many kits will be clear so that the contents inside can be visible, you can find kitchen food storage containers in any color, from sophisticated black to bold red. Additionally, the containers can be short or tall, with round or cylindrical and square or rectangular shapes to fit different amounts of dry and perishable items.