Looking for food storage solutions...

October 26, 2007 8:21 AM

Food storage. What are your recommended brands of containers and techniques for storing fruits, nuts, powders, herbs, vegetables, etc? Some of my requirements/concerns are inside.

I'm searching for the ultimate containers... some of the factors to consider:

- preferably glass though good plastic is acceptable
- air tight
- stackable when not in use
- clear so it's easy to see what's inside
- has some reusable way of marking contents or dates
- available in various sizes
- can be used in the freezer (I don't require them to be oven safe or microwaveable)
- can be bought online or are available in Toronto

Now, I don't expect to find all of the requirements in each container but it would be nice.

What are your suggestions?

posted by dobbs to home & garden (18 comments total)

1940s refrigerator dishes will meet some of your specs. Pyrex is about as tough as they come, but I don't put any glass in the freezer, at all. I've had one incident of shattered glass in the freezer, and it meant having to completely defrost and clean the freezer and throw out some bagged goods and ice.

For pantry storage I use Ball and Mason canning jars, which I seem to run across for cheap or free at yard sales and the like. I've got dozens - they just come to you. They are clear and attractive and come in pint, quart, and half-gallon sizes. I purchase the rubber rings at grocery stores during canning season, and that makes them sufficiently airtight. I don't use them for canning - modern jars are better for sealing. Just for dry storage of rice, pasta, grains, and the like.
posted by Miko at 8:37 AM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've always had good luck with the ones with the latches on the side. The seal around the inside makes me think of surplus ammo boxes.
While I'm sure you can get them just about anywhere, and they are probably overpriced here, check out:
FresherLonger
posted by enobeet at 8:38 AM on October 26, 2007

I mostly use mason jars and lexan cambro tubs. You can dump boiling liquids in the cambro containers and they're fine in the freezer. They stack easily and the 2qt/4qt sizes have the same size lid. Mason jars work well for smaller quantities. Both are fine in the dishwasher. I label things with masking tape and a sharpie.
posted by foodgeek at 8:41 AM on October 26, 2007

- has some reusable way of marking contents or dates

A Dry Erase marker might do the trick.
posted by caddis at 8:45 AM on October 26, 2007

I think you're looking for something like Pyrex with lids (I think the brand is Pyrex StorageWare). Pyrex can be frozen (they're also oven-safe and dish-washer safe, although that's not one of your requirements). They're glass, available in many sizes, and air-tight. I am not personally sure if they're stackable, but a few of the reviews on Amazon.com say that they "nest" well. I can't speak from personal experience on that front, since I only own mis-matched sizes. The supermarkets in my area (Illinois) sell Pyrex right in the baking aisle, and they're pretty inexpensive, so you should be able to find them somewhere in Canada.
As far as marking them, I would use a china marker, which washes right off of glass or plastic.
posted by k8lin at 8:50 AM on October 26, 2007

Why not just good old Mason jars? They fit all your criteria to a T and you should be able to find them in a hardware store. They're cheap, too.
posted by Camofrog at 9:08 AM on October 26, 2007

"has some reusable way of marking contents or dates"

China marker is the best way to mark glass for your purpose.
posted by Mitheral at 9:20 AM on October 26, 2007

Oops, I forgot that another requirement is that they are multi-use... that is, I can store nuts in them or lasagna. So, looking for things that have wide openings. Hence, mason jars are not suitable.

Thanks for the links thus far though. Those cambro things are neat--haven't seen those before.
posted by dobbs at 9:26 AM on October 26, 2007

There is such a thing as a wide-mouth mason jar. I don't know if they'd be tall enough for lasagna, though.
posted by Stewriffic at 10:07 AM on October 26, 2007

The Ikea 365+ series is close to what you want. Glass, stackable, a few different sizes, freezable. Use a china marker to write on them.
posted by emyd at 10:10 AM on October 26, 2007

If you are a cereal lover, I highly recommend pouring your cereal out of the cardboard boxes with the rolled-down bags into a nice plastic container like this one:

Cereal Keeper

You will eat all the cereal instead of ending up with about ten nearly-empty boxes of cereal in your pantry.

I also like these for staples like flour and sugar that tend to sit on the shelf for a while:

Flour Keeper

I also (can you tell I have kids?) keep my cinnamon-sugar in a container with a lid that can be refilled. Not this one, but it is cute:

cinnamon sugar.
posted by misha at 10:31 AM on October 26, 2007

We use mason jars and the glass/ceramic Ikea jars. The Ikea jars stack, which is nice. Some of the lids fit tighter than others, but overall they're quite good.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:03 PM on October 26, 2007

OXO has just a released a new line of air-tight, stackable containers:



Kinda pricey, but OXO usually makes good stuff.
posted by shakobe at 2:20 PM on October 26, 2007

I'm not sure why my link is not working, but try www.oxo.com it is featured on the main page since it is a new product.
posted by shakobe at 2:22 PM on October 26, 2007

A Dry Erase marker might do the trick.
Non-permanent markers suck mightily for use in refrigerators and freezers. (Because of condensation, they either don't write well or don't dry well, leaving blue smudges all over the insides of the fridge.)
posted by whatzit at 2:28 PM on October 26, 2007

Thanks all!
posted by dobbs at 5:44 PM on October 26, 2007

Lots of good ideas here - let me add a couple more suggestions.

Williams-Sonoma has something that might work for you, and The Container Store has glass storage with plastic lids from Frigoverre.
posted by jeri at 6:54 PM on October 26, 2007

I just bought some "Oso Fresh" containers that have a great 4-way locking lid, they're translucent (transparent yellow), have some sort of antimicrobial/antifungal supposedly (using silver), and stack well (they're rectangular). They were a great price at Costco, which appears to be local to you, and also to some degree online. As with all things at Costco, availability is not guaranteed.

Review at chowhound. I agree with the good reviews--much sturdier and better sealing than most plastic containers so they're better for dry goods storage and the like.

Costco sells these for way cheaper (36-pc for $50) than other sources, so this is recommended.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 10:13 PM on January 3, 2008