The Mindful Momma's Guide to Food Storage

from Mindful Momma 

Uh, oh.  I smell trouble.  The topic for the Spring Cleaning: Get the Junk Out carnival this week is about getting plastic containers out of your kitchen.  And my friend Beth @Fake Plastic Fish is hosting.  She doesn't have plastic containers in her kitchen. I do.

Not as many as I used to though.  Over time, as my plastic containers have cracked or lost their lids, I have tossed them and replaced them with more environmentally-friendly storage containers.  Here's what you'll find in my kitchen cupboard - keep in mind, there are pros and cons to each of the options:

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  Glass - Heavy-duty glass containers like Pyrex are both microwave and freezer-safe but not all glass is that durable.  Be sure to check the label for usage advice. Glass containers are odor-free and clean up easily but can be a bit on the heavy side to carry to and from work or school.  I'm not comfortable sending glass containers in my kids' lunchbox and I notice that my husband doesn't take them to work either.
  
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  Stainless Steel- Lightweight, durable and non-reactive, stainless steel is the superhero of food storage containers. The biggest drawback is that they are comparatively expensive.  My favorite stainless food container costs about $15 and you could buy a boatload of plastic containers for that.  My suggestion is to look for them on sale or put them on your holiday wish list.  My Mom gave my husband one for Christmas last year!
  
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  Ceramics - Make your dinnerware do double duty by acting as food storage containers too!  A salad plate makes the perfect lid on top of a cereal bowl.  I have a lot of ceramic ramekins that I use to store small amounts of food or sauces in the fridge.
  
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  Plastic- If you already have plastic containers, I say keep on using them until they are cracked or badly scratched.  Just make sure they are BPA-free.  Polycarbonate plastic (the kind that has BPA) is hard, clear plastic that may or may not have a #7 recycling code on the bottom. Plastics #2, #4 and #5 are generally considered safer for food  storage. And remember, don't use plastics in the microwave!  Even though the company may say a container is microwave safe, heat causes chemicals to leach out of plastic and that's not a good thing.
  

Although I still use some plastic containers in the kitchen, I am inspired by Beth's commitment to live as plastic-free as possible.  Please read her post (it will be up Tuesday, April 6th) and other links about the topic as part of the Spring Cleaning: Get the Plastics Out carnival this week!