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Does it ever feel like your kitchen is drowning in plastic? Me too. This was just one cupboard in our kitchen–a jumbled mess of containers, lids, and mixing bowls. It was impossible to find the right lid for the right container, and when you grabbed one bowl, everything else fell out.
Several years ago, we decided to try to reduce our “plastic footprint” as much as possible. As part of this, we recycled all of our plastic storage containers.
So how do you store leftovers without plastic? Good question–it’s easier than you think, and we’ve been doing it for years. Here are my favorite plastic-free food storage containers.
Best Ways to Store Leftovers Without Plastic
In the Serving Dish
Storing leftovers in the serving dish is the easiest method of all. If you want the leftovers to be covered, put a plate or cloth napkin over the top of the bowl.
Pyrex Storage Bowls
We have a bunch of these Pyrex bowls, in many different sizes and shapes. They aren’t perfect, because they have plastic lids; but unlike plastic, Pyrex is safe to use in the microwave.
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Recycled Jars
Spaghetti sauce jars and peanut butter jars are great for storing leftovers and bulk foods. Putting chicken strips in a spaghetti sauce jar may seem weird at first, but the chicken strips don’t care what kind of a container they’re in. Heck, this might even turn into a new Pinterest fad (see canning jars, below)
Canning Jars
We have a lot of canning jars around, in tiny sizes (perfect for that extra bit of chopped ginger) up to quart sizes. They’re great for storing soups, sauces, and even that double batch of pasta salad. If a zillion people on Pinterest can make salads in canning jars–well, friend, you and I can use them for just about anything.
Stainless Steel Bowls
Stainless steel bowls are great for storing leftovers because they are kid-proof, especially ones like this with a no-skid base. If you’re the type of person who forgets about leftovers, you might want to put a post-it on the bowl since you can’t see inside.
Reusable Sandwich Bags
Imagine how many plastic bags would stay out of the landfill, if we all switched to reusable sandwich bags. And oh my goodness, these have sloths on them! Plus they’re easy to wipe clean and have a zipper close (instead of velcro) for silent snacking.
