All right, let's see a show of hands: who's too tired to cook every night of the week? Yup, that's what we thought ... us, too.
On the weekends, we like to go to the local farmer's market and load up on fresh produce, meats, cheeses, eggs, and the like. Often we'll devote one day to preparing lasagnas, casseroles, soups, and stews that we store in these wonderful Pyrex storage containers that go perfectly from the freezer to the oven to the table.
The containers come in rectangular or round shapes and several different sizes, and have durable blue snap-on lids. The containers are oven and microwave-safe; the lids are microwave-safe. The entire product is dishwasher-safe, which makes clean-up a snap.
Last week on Apartment Therapy Los Angeles, we asked what your after-work rituals are. Our ritual is to grab one of our prepared meals out of the freezer and pop it in the oven. While it's cooking, we slip into soft cotton lounge wear and sip a glass of wine. Within the hour, a healthy, delicious dinner is ready for us to eat!
(Image from Pyrex)
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Can we have a post on meals that we can prepare ahead? :)
view Anokha's profile
I love these containers! We got a smaller round one for my boyfriend to take his lunches to work and heat up in the microwave (much better than nuking plastic). I also like that Pyrex (and similar brand Anchor) are still made in the USA.
view SisterRae's profile
When making a lasagna for freezing, do you cook it first, with the cheese on top, or just layer everything together?
view N in SF's profile
I second Anokha's request. I would love some ideas. And if you could do some vegetarian ones that would be awesome. :)
view Lexo's profile
I got the round set for Christmas and then went out and bought two more sets of the rectangular ones. Great for storing stuff in the fridge so you can actually SEE what's in there, perfect for microwave and taking to work.
view cybele's profile
I wouldn't put these containers directly from the freezer into a hot oven. The thermal shock could break them even if the website claims otherwise.
view laura dot's profile
i love my pyrex, i bought a large 15-20 piece set a few years ago, and it's great. the main reason i love it so the no staining. i eat a lot of meat, often with sauces on it, and i have stained a good amount of our "stain proof" plastic containers. My wife was nice enough to write "meat" about 5 ties with a sharpie on those, and that's all that goes in them now. then i remembered the pyrex (we just moved so it was in an odd place), and no more worries.
if you have a bed bath and beyond or linens n things type store nearby, you can get them at a good discount, often using a 20% off coupon and a rebate they often have.
view jmorey's profile
I love Pyrex and use it frequently, so I don't want this to sound like I'm raining on the Pyrex parade. I second Laura Dot's comments, though, about being careful with temperatures on these dishes. One of Chicago's news stations recently reported on issues with these dishes shattering and sending shards of glass all over the kitchen. If interested, you can find the story here (http://cbs2chicago.com/investigations/problem.with.pyrex.2.664614.html).
Just be very careful to read all the instructions before using.
view DLT's profile