RSS Feeds: Plastic Food Storage Containers
If you don't have any food leftovers after the Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day dinners, then you just aren't doing it right. If you actually have leftovers, you have to store the food in something before you stash it in the fridge. This is where plastic food storage containers come into the picture. Your choice of containers is almost as important as the stuff you're stashing in them and this is a situation where you really don't want to be cheap.
All Kinds of Plastic Storage Containers
Way back when, the only kind of plastic food storage containers you could find were made by Tupperware. Later on, Rubbermaid came onto the scene and made plastic containers more affordable. Of course, I'm showing my age because of lot of people are familiar with hundreds of "knockoffs" that are cheaper in price nowadays. The people that buy these cheap imitations don't realize until it's too late is that the cheap imitations can't compare with the stuff that's just a little more expensive.
Just like there are different kinds of metals, there are also different kinds of plastics. Plastic is a generic term for just about any type of product which has a polymer as the primary ingredient. Of course, plastic has other meanings but I won't get into them here. Some plastic containers are microwave and dishwasher safe and some are not. In fact, some of them can release all kinds of toxins when used in microwave ovens and are downright dangerous. When it comes to plastic containers, reading the labels and the fine print can save you a ton of grief.
My Use of Plastic Food Storage Containers
I live in the tropics. You haven't dealt with insects on any kind of scale unless you've spent time in the tropics. I've been around the world, literally, and never saw the kinds of insects I've been seeing for the last three and half years. The most prolific of all the insects I deal with are the ants and the moths, with all the damage being done by the ants. Not only that, but there are dozen or more species of ants and they all behave differently.
The last cargo shipment my wife sent, before she returned from the US, contained some plastic multiple-use containers called "Lock & Lock". They look like any other plastic food storage containers to me, with an exception. The lid snaps down on all four sides of each one. I suppose they could be used for storing things other than food but it's food I need them for, and not just for storing in the fridge.
I like to eat ramen noodles once in a while. I can't just store them in the kitchen cabinets because one species of ant or another burrows right through the thin plastic packaging and sets up shop right in the middle of the noodles. I also can't leave cereal or oatmeal boxes in them, once opened (even if the inner packaging is intact), because the ants will eventually find a way to get into them.
The regular sugar canisters I grew up with in Arizona won't cut the mustard here. I swear there are ants in hiding, ready to pounce as soon as a cover is removed. We keep sugar in plastic storage containers as well as anything else the ants seem to gravitate towards. It's insane.
No Turkey Leftovers
I'm a little perturbed after Thanksgiving Day this year. I bought two turkeys and there wasn't even a scrap of meat remaining after the relatives got a hold on them. I never saw turkey disappear that fast in my life (within 30 minutes, I kid you not).
Nevertheless, we did have leftovers of some of the side dishes and we made full use of the plastic food storage containers we hadn't used yet. I think they'll be finished off by sometime tomorrow, but I'm in no hurry. After all, there isn't any turkey left and I really don't care about the rest.
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Yup I remember those Ants well, one little speck of sugar left on the kitchen table and the next morning the whole table would be covered with ants. Once someone threw a couple of sugar donuts on my door step I walked out bare foot right into 10 million fire ants, talk about a hot foot.
I just got back from a store that has a bunch of those Lock & Lock containers. They're more expensive here, but better than the other junk. The ants are under control for the most part and I'm just trying to avoid another invasion.
I don't know how I'd survive without these things! Seriously…
Word of warning though, if you have tuna and pasta in your container and you microwave it, you'll need to get a new container every 3 months. Some sort of crusty residue forms inside them and they just won't wash out! I assume it's something to do with the oil in the tuna and the heat of the microwave.
Actually, I think I have more plastic containers than I have plates. Hmm….
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Hey! I tried to stop using the plastic containers, you mention the reason – weird toxins or BHP in the plastic. I try using glass or pyrex containers, but of course they are a lot more expensive.
I didn't know ants ate through plastic ramen packages :(
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These are the things which we really have to maintain to keep ourselves healthy. I didn't knew this before but i'll implement this very soon.
Most plastic food storage containers are not safe for our health. We have to be careful.
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See the mark, that plastic container can be use for food or not. Example the mark like Fork and Spoon, that usually safe for our food. If you still afraid better use another container
In spite of being cheap plastic containers are harmful for humans as well as environment.
Cheers
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There are plenty of plastic containers but not of them all work very well. I've had trouble finding ones that the lid will actually stay on under an amount of weight.