Upgrading/Updating My Kitchen Storage Situation

[weinoo]

First of all, Merry Christmas to all. 

 

This stuff, about deli containers, got me thinking...

 

On 12/20/2018 at 10:34 AM, DiggingDogFarm said:

 

I know a lot of folks like them.

Help me understand why they may be a better choice than something like the thick Rubbermaid reusable containers (not the real thin variety.)

On 12/20/2018 at 10:40 AM, gfweb said:

They are cheap and last for ages. They fit in a freezer door rack.

I give them away with leftovers they are so cheap.

I get the sturdy ones from Amazon that are OK for the freezer.

Rubbermaid is good too.

 

 

I have Tupperware and Rubbermaid containers which are years old. Decades even, in certain cases, I'm sure.  And plenty of takeout containers from (mostly) Chinese restaurants, usually given with soup noodles, etc. etc. Always washed in the dishwasher, for all those years.

 

Then a friend was giving my some shit about the quart containers, when he saw that I had used 4 of them for my recent IP stock making, claiming, you know, how bad they are for you, blah blah blah. Interestingly, I did a little research, and of course BPAs and god-knows-what-else are bad for you, and certainly using these types of containers in the microwave is probably not great - though we don't own a microwave, so I don't have to worry about that, though pouring boiling hot soup into them is probably also a not-great idea. 

 

Now, the Chinese restaurant containers, and most everything else made out of plastic and used for food, has a little symbol with a number in it, on the bottom, allegedly attesting to how the container is best recycled (or not, as the case may be). There are other symbols and letters on the bottom of containers too; you could spend hours looking at this stuff; the whole idea being that I'd like to at least start storing my food in the safest containers possible; obviously glass and stainless being at the top of that list, but not always practical for kitchen use.

 

So - where am I headed with all this? Oh yeah - I decided I was gonna replace all my old stuff, because a: it's old and b: It's been washed, in the dishwasher, like hundreds of times, and that can't make it any better.

 

So on to Amazon I went, and a buying spree ensued.  I also started by looking at how various storage products were rated, on sites like Cook's Illustrated's, et al. And I started with these:

 

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container, 14-Piece Set and these:

 

OXO Good Grips Smart Seal Leakproof Glass Food Storage Container, in various sizes.

 

Holy shit, both products are light years beyond the old Tupperware/Rubbermaid stuff. The lids are amazingly tight, that Tritan plastic used in the Rubbermaid Brilliance is amazing, and OXO just generally makes stuff that I like; these glass storage containers totally fall into that category.

 

I threw out almost all of the old stuff (I'll keep a few of the restaurant containers, to give away leftovers for sure); but man, these products are game changers. 

Edited December 25, 2018 by weinoo (log)

[TicTac]

Wise move - sounds like you have a smart friend!

 

A few years ago we threw out pretty much all plastic containers and replaced with OXO or other similar brand glass containers with (mostly) snapping lids.

 

With 3 young kids, I am not going to chance anything. 

[Martin Fisher]

FWIW, All my storage containers are relatively new.

Except for one old Tupperware container that I rarely use.

[weinoo]

I was surprised to find that all of the "deli" type containers I have, the ones which came from delis or restaurants for instance, are made in the US, and are both microwave and dishwasher (top shelf) "safe," for whatever that is worth.

 

And yes, @TicTac, if I had kids, I'm sure this would've been much more important to me; why chance anything?

[robirdstx]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

So on to Amazon I went, and a buying spree ensued.  I also started by looking at how various storage products were rated, on sites like Cook's Illustrated's, et al. And I started with these:

 

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container, 14-Piece Set

 

I started with one 14-piece set and now have three sets. I love them! We do have a microwave and I use them a lot for reheating leftovers.

[CanadianHomeChef]

21 minutes ago, robirdstx said:

 

I started with one 14-piece set and now have three sets. I love them! We do have a microwave and I use them a lot for reheating leftovers.

Same. I like that you can flip up the clips and keep the lid on while microwaving, as there are small venting holes under the clips.  

[boilsover]

Only glass and Cambros for me...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I just got two new Cambros today.  I use Rubbermaid for ice.