If it wasn’t for leftovers, I don’t know how my husband and I would survive. Sometimes after a long day of work, the last thing you feel like doing is throwing together a meal. That’s why we’ve invested in a wide array of food storage solutions, so nothing we make goes to waste. Here are a few safe and eco-friendly tips for storing your food:
Reuse your foil. When put to the test, plastic wrap has a smaller carbon footprint than foil, but here’s the rub: plastics can leach chemicals into your food. Foil is safer for your health. So how do you stay safe while reducing your impact on the environment? Re-use foil when you can. Be careful not to cross-contaminate foods. For example, if you’ve used foil to cover raw chicken, toss it! But if you used it to save some old dinner rolls, you can reuse it to cover up that leftover fettuccini.
Use glass storage. This is an ideal solution. It’s eco-friendly, safe, and, after the initial investment, cheaper! If you like to freeze food for use later, be sure to purchase containers that are specifically labeled as freezer-safe and allow room for liquids to expand. Food must be defrosted before removing it from the containers. If you like to grab your dish straight from the freezer and pop it in the oven, invest in Pyrex, which can withstand severe temperature shifts safely!
Clean all plastic containers by hand. Of course, glass storage isn’t for everyone, so if you’re still using plastic, avoid the dishwasher and the microwave. The heat can degrade, dry and crack the plastic, which helps those nasty chemicals to get into your foods, particularly fatty foods like cheese and meats which should ideally never be stored in plastic.
Wash food containers – and re-use them. Before you throw out that glass jelly jar, toss it in the dishwasher. You now have a free and safe food container. Some can even make great drinking cups!
Photo Credit – Liz (Perspicacious)