apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh the glories, and pitfalls, of tupperware. We just cleaned out my grandmother's kitchen...and there were five huge outdoor trashbags full of tupperware containers. All going to the goodwill store!

My mom's tupperware is so old that it is beginning to get sticky - the plastic is breaking down.
I have an amalgam of glad/ziploc/ikea storage things and no real organization to them.

I never seem to use the larger ones except when making large batches of food (holidays) and my small ones are almost always relegated (and then forgotten) to the freezer with stuff I make to take to work.

I got the cheap glass containers (about 10oz) from Crate and Barrel and dumped most of the rest of my weird odds and ends. I have two Frigoverre containers which I adore and they get used first. Then the glass. It's allowed me to really get rid of most of the plastic. Oh, and a set of Anchor Hocking (sp?) nesting bowls with lids. That's definitely more leftovers than we will actually eat.

I definitely found that if I have about 6-8 glass containers in sizes I don't ever get as far as using the plastic.

Our kitchen has this ridiculously shallow drawer (used to be a pull-out cutting board above it) that gets used for tupperware lids. Nothing else can fit in it.

I go all-plastic, though. I am way, way too much of a klutz to go with anything else.

Here's my issue: I need tips on what to do with pot and pan lids. They're tough to balance, large, take up a ton of space, are impossible to reach quickly to grab one without upsetting the pile, and did I mention SO LOUD when they all come crashing down?

Having only two sizes works great for me. If you can manage to find a large and small size that nest together AND use the same lid, even better.

Another good tip from the old classic "Stocking Up" is this: if you freeze a lot of things, freeze them in the size tupperware you want, then remove the frozen contents and stack them together inside a large freezer bag. That way, you still have your tupperware available for leftovers and you don't have to keep as much of it on hand.

I can't remember the brand exactly, but we invested in a glass set with plastic, snapping lids from Costco. I think we ended up with about ten containers for $30, which is sort of steep, but glass lasts longer than plastic, can be used for re-heating, and is dishwasher-safe. You can also put them in the freezer! I've used them to store homemade ice cream as well as my dinner leftovers. I love them! Even more, I don't worry about anything unwanted getting into my food.

We have 5 Anchor-Hocking from Crate and Barrel, and all of our Corningware (5 containers) and Pyrex (4) have lids. The whole lot didn't cost more then $50, and will last us a lot longer than the margarine tubs. I do have my eye on some rubbermaid produce-savers though.

I use one metal wire basket for lids, and 2 wire baskets for the containers. All are stored in the pantry. So far, the system is working perfectly.

matchbookhymnal, I'm with you on this! I have 2 sizes of square containers using the same lid and 2 sizes of round also using the same lid, size meaning in this case different depth. The square ones fit in each other as do the round ones. In my very small kitchen, this is working like a charm!

Thanks for your top tips and most importantly thank you for talking about this issue! You reminded me to clear my plastic container cupboard out! Every time I open the door I get attacked by them and most frustrating thing is that I have bottoms with no lids and lids with no bottom grrr makes my angry! Going to do the deed right now! http://www.britishlarder.co.uk/ love your top tips! Cheers!

Magmae,
I use an old dish drainer to store pot and pan lids. They stand upright between the plate dividers, so it works well. The whole thing sits on the bottom shelf of a lower cupboard.

This post makes me sad...I have tupperware coming out of my eyeballs, falling all over the one closet in my apartment...and most of them are big pieces...but I actually use them all, cause I carry around cakes/tarts/cookies/petit fours more than most people would believe. Sometimes I leave pastry class with 3 tarts. Sometimes people ask me to make dozens of cookies or cupcakes. And everyone I know gets a cake on their birthday, be it at the office, a friend's job, a bar, or someone else's house. I despise tupperware, but I can't live without it :-(

I threw them all out and only kept two sets - my pyrex set, which is good for very large dishes, and my collection of square asian take-out containers.

Why the take-out containers? Weirdly they stack better, clean better, and hold food more efficiently than any brand I've ever found at a store. They're a square rectangular shape with a clear lid, and the *perfect* size to hold an adult sized meal. They also perfectly hold cupcakes without crushing the icing.

I don't entiiiirely trust them, since they are, indeed, meant to be disposable. But they're so damned convenient and superior to everything else. And I suppose I'm getting use out of something most other people would just throw away.

Yasmine, what brand are your containers that use one lid for two different sizes? Where did you get them. Thanks.

Like Kaete, I use asian take-out containers. I use the round ones that come in pint or quart or half pint sizes. One lid fits all sizes and they stack extremely well. Plus they are free if you are a fan of hot and sour soup :). Mine claim to be microwave safe, but I never microwave with them.

I have ditched most of my plastic containers. I purchased some glass bowls with lids from Martha Stewart (Kmart). They seem to be pretty spill proof. I havent had an issue before. I use them to bring lunches and store left-overs.

I hang one of those under the shelf baskets inside my cabinet for the lids and then stack the containers underneat. The lids dont get scattered around like they used to, and I free up a lot of space.

This is, by far, the most challenging spacehog issue in my kitchen. I'd love to go the glass route (and it would probably be better for me, considering how much I microwave) but I need lightweight containers for the amount of brownbagging I do. I love the idea of bento boxes but I don't want to dump my tupperware just to amass a collection of bento boxes that neither microwave nor nest. I'm sort of at a loss.

I do the same as Yasmine and matchbookhymnal.

Mine are Ziploc plastic containers - 2 square sizes using the same lids and 2 round sizes using the same lids, each shape nested and stacked together. Easy system to use and manage.

Plus I have two Glass-Lock containers for lunches, one round, one square. They nest right underneath the Ziplocs.

we use those rubbermaid ones with the black rubbery tops in the 4-sizes that they come in for all of our leftovers that go either in the fridge or freezer. the lids snap together and the containers nest inside of each other. not glass, so it adds the extra step of plating before reheating, buts its all good.

that and Ball canning jars. the canning jars are uber-spill-proof for soups on the go and are perfect for holding (and measuring) the large batches of beans that we make throughout the course of the week. they are also multi-function - we use them as extra glasses when we have company over and all sorts of other stuff. cheap too!

I'm with you, aneelee. I use Ball jars for soups and sauces for the freezer. I prefer rectangular, stackable glass for leftovers as they fit best in the fridge. I keep a small stockpile of recycled plastic deli containers , in the back hall, for transporting foods out of the home; and I always tell the receiver to keep the container. I found that when the plastic was taking up all my premium kitchen real estate, I needed to change my ways. So now I'm a more thoughtful and careful cook. A meal plan really helps. I can make a plan for leftovers so they don't accumulate in the fridge.

I use old dairy (sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc) containers for tupperware. They come in 3 sizes, 250, 500, and 750 ml. They all nest together, and the lids for all 3 are interchangeable. And they are a free, constantly replentishing supply, so I don't feel bad if I melt one in the microwave or throw it out because it has really moldy leftovers in it.

@magmae - I loop my pot lids over the pot's handle and hang the whole thing up. Granted, this only works if:
1. you have a loop handle on the lid
and
2. you are able to hang your pot(s)

As for the storage containers - I mostly have Pyrex w/the rubber lids and a few plastic Rubbermaid containers (daycare won't accept glass, even w/all the BPA news!). I keep ALL of the lids together standing on edge in a separate bin that I can pull out from the back of the cabinet & the containers stack together by shape. Round w/round, square w/square, etc.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I keep all my plastic lids in a small shoebox on one side of my cupboard shelf.

I finally gave in to the needs of my plastic containers (they were demanding more space) and gave them an entire shelf of their own in the cupboard. I had to get rid of a few things to do that, but I think it was worth it.

I would also love to use glass storage containers, by the way, but I am always on the go, and it just wouldn't be practical.

For a white elephant gift exchange at my husband's office Christmas party, one of the secretary's boxed up a huge package of tupperware containers that had been left at the office by the guys! It was a hoot because, of course, one of the guys chose that package because it was so big and he was expecting something really great, LOL!! I now know what happened to a lot of my tupperware over the years...

I moved in with my roommate and discovered none of her tupperware had lids that fit anymore. I think a key, along with buying sets, is brand loyalty. I don't actually care what brand I have, but I bought a set and now will only buy from that same type. The small and large square ones have the same lids and the lids snap together for storage.

Round ones may take more space, but these are crucial when taking liquid-y leftovers: http://www0.epinions.com/content_221401943684 (not my review, just first in the googling)

I have heaps of containers, but once every 3 months when we go to the butchers and stock up, we suddenly don't have enough. Maybe it's a sign we should just go to the butcher more often?

we save old jars (from pb, jams, ect) wash'em and use them to store food. just as good as pyrex, and way cheaper.

Well this is from a Grandma who is still using her Tupperware from 1967. Life changes so needs change. I find it useful to store seldom used pieces in a location other than the kitchen. My lettuce and celery keepers are still in constant use. That sticky feel can be eliminated with a run thru the dishwasher. Having one pie slice container handy when brown bagging my lunch to work is great. I was very happy to be rid of the plastic cups even though they stack well. All of my regular use pieces are stacked in a former bread drawer. As for the pans, the best investment I ever made was putting slide out drawers in one of my cabinets. I thought I would lose space but instead I gained storage. The pans stack nicely and the spaces between are great for odd pieces like graters and sifters. Most of the lids are kept in the bottom drawer of my stove. I did notice using plastic is fine if you have the time and are at home a lot. Being an empty nester and working, I seem to resort to foil, plastic wrap and baggies most of the time.

@Veggie Chef: sorry, didn't see your question. My containers are plain old Ziploc, I bought a box with plenty of containers for about 10$ at Costco.