For maximizing fridge house: sq. deli containers
Our take a look at kitchen workers could also be hopelessly devoted to straightforward deli containers for his or her comfort, worth, and stacking capabilities, however there’s one factor we are able to’t ignore: Their cylindrical form wastes a variety of house on fridge cabinets. In contrast to the spherical containers, sq. plastic meals storage containers might be packed into fridges, freezers, and pantries in a extra comfortable trend. It’s easy geometry! Jampel loves these space-saving, BPA-free plastic sq. containers with leakproof lids. “They’ve all the advantages of cylindrical deli containers—light-weight, reasonably priced however not disposable—and so they additionally nestle into my cabinets like puzzle items,” she says. They arrive in units of 20, which makes them wonderful meal prep containers.
For vacuum sealing…something: Zwilling Recent & Save
If you happen to actually wish to up your meals storage sport, take into account vacuum sealing, which can preserve your meals contemporary for 5 occasions longer than their non-vacuum sealed counterparts. Our favourite vacuum sealer, the Zwilling Recent & Save, works for every part from left over casseroles to avocado halves to spelt flour. Alex Beggs says there’s no higher method to preserve meals contemporary, and she will verify that it extends the shelf lifetime of her meals by days to weeks to even months. This high-tech meals storage system consists of a chargeable handheld vacuum pump and its personal high-quality containers—you’ll be able to select between sturdy plastic, borosilicate glass, or reusable plastic luggage. We suggest the starter set, which is offered with both exhausting plastic or glass and features a medium container, a big container, two small vacuum sealer luggage, and two medium vacuum sealer luggage. You may also buy totally different containers—like this bento-style lunchbox—à la carte if you need. A couple of of Beggs’s fave issues to hoover seal: frozen berries, rice salad, ham hocks, and full loaf muffins.
For dressings, grains, and sauces: glass jars
A meals storage container set that doubles as a set of ingesting glasses? Depend us in. “I’ve a jar hoarding downside and save most coconut oil/ghee/peanut butter/jam jars for storing salad dressings and raw rice,” says Carla Lalli Music. Broad-mouth canisters are nice for grains whereas smaller half-cup containers will just do wonderful for sauces and dressings.
Anna Stockwell replaces the two-part canning lid on Mason jars with these plastic tops, that are simpler to scrub and make it much less seemingly that you just’ll have French dressing leakage throughout your lunch field.
For cooking oils: plastic squeeze bottles
Stocking up on an enormous tin of Frantoia olive oil is a good funding, nevertheless it’s virtually unimaginable to pour a tablespoon straight from its container. You might switch the oil to a fancy cruet, however a humble squeeze bottle is your finest wager for on a regular basis cooking. The versatile plastic is obvious, which might doubtlessly make the olive oil go rancid extra rapidly, however if you happen to’re cooking with olive oil a pair occasions a day you’ll undergo the bottle sooner than you assume.
For decanting dry items with type: colourful magnetic containers
If you need your kitchen cupboards to seem like a Pinterest board, then boy do now we have the pantry storage for you. However they are not all type and no substance. Cliik containers have cleverly designed magnetized lids that snap comfortably onto every jar. They’re additionally square-shaped and magnetized on the facet, so in addition they connect to the lids of different Cliik containers. Whereas Cliik says you need to use the containers for storing edible and nonedible objects nearly anyplace, commerce author Wilder Davies, who examined these containers in his residence kitchen for a number of months, prefers to line them up in his cupboards for frolicsome and colourful pantry decanting. “In case you are a fan of Italian Modernism, have a variety of little issues to place in jars, and recognize a nostalgic coloration palette, Cliik containers are for you,” Wilder mentioned in his overview of the Cliik containers. The magnetized lids additionally saved meals contemporary and weren’t as susceptible to breaking or injury like lots of the storage containers we have tried have been. Wilder has additionally famous that many mechanisms for locking lids into place on meals storage containers might be shockingly troublesome to connect. Not so with these magnetic-lidded guys. And okay, sure, they’re trendy. “Cliik containers add a contact of visible perfection that any prop stylist would envy, and that alone is price one thing,” he mentioned in his overview.
How we examined storage containers
We make a variety of meals in our take a look at kitchen, which implies now we have a variety of leftovers. Over the course of years of recipe growing, our editors have taken notes on one of the best storage strategies for all types of substances. We have supplied their favorites in lots of, many classes on this overview, honed over these years of testing—as a result of one of the simplest ways to retailer herbs shouldn’t be the identical as one of the simplest ways to retailer leftover rice. We have additionally used each sort of meals storage container in our residence kitchens. And our editors are all the time looking out for brand new, market-disrupting storage containers that problem the basic plastic deli container resolution. We be sure that we get our fingers on all of these prettily pastel-colored direct-to-consumer storage container options and check out them in opposition to the outdated execs in our residence kitchens, and typically, like within the case of W&P Porter’s storage set or Cliik’s revolutionary magnetic lid design, they really win. We’ll proceed to replace this overview with new storage containers we like as we discover them.
This story was initially revealed in 2017 and was up to date by Tiffany Hopkins in 2023 and Megan Wahn in 2024.
