Comments on: Looking for food storage solutions...

Question: Looking for food storage solutions...

dobbs — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:21:04 -0800

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?

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:37:25 -0800

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.

By: enobeet

enobeet — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:38:04 -0800

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

By: foodgeek

foodgeek — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:41:40 -0800

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.

By: caddis

caddis — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:45:20 -0800

- has some reusable way of marking contents or dates

A Dry Erase marker might do the trick.

By: k8lin

k8lin — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:50:22 -0800

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.

By: Camofrog

Camofrog — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:08:42 -0800

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.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:20:56 -0800

"has some reusable way of marking contents or dates"

China marker is the best way to mark glass for your purpose.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:26:50 -0800

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.

By: Stewriffic

Stewriffic — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:07:02 -0800

There is such a thing as a wide-mouth mason jar. I don't know if they'd be tall enough for lasagna, though.

By: emyd

emyd — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:10:53 -0800

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.

By: misha

misha — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:31:01 -0800

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.

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:03:29 -0800

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.

By: shakobe

shakobe — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:20:39 -0800

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

Kinda pricey, but OXO usually makes good stuff.

By: shakobe

shakobe — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:22:46 -0800

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.

By: whatzit

whatzit — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:28:07 -0800

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.)

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:44:22 -0800

Thanks all!

By: jeri

jeri — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:54:47 -0800

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.

By: RikiTikiTavi

RikiTikiTavi — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:13:19 -0800

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.