Food Storage suggestions needed

[DawnM]

We have a very full, overrun cabinet full of food storage containers with different sized lids all over the place and it is a mess.

What we would like is something streamlined.   If we get glass, we will need a LOT of them as we have a family of 7, two on special diets with their own foods, etc.....I am not opposed to glass though, particularly if they nest inside of each other, although it will take up more room in the cupboard.

My oldest (Asperger's) is about to go crazy with the chaos.   He wants to literally toss ALL of what is in there and start over.

Suggestions?

[DawnM]

And just to clarify, this is for leftovers and such, not pantry storage.   And it is also not for individual meal prep containers.

Edited May 22, 2022 by DawnM

[kirstenhill]

We've been using containers like this as much as possible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07638H4KX/

They come in about three sizes and the lids are interchangeable so you can have a small stack of lids handy and keep the rest hidden away and not causing chaos. 

The downside (which according to DH, whose idea this was to use them, makes it less worth it) is that certain foods just need wide/flat/rectangular storage so we still have to keep some containers around for that purpose, which then ruins any perfect stacking systems for the leftovers in the fridge. 

 

 

[Arcadia]

What volume are you looking at and how many do you need? We use the Rubbermaid brilliance 3.2 cup and 4.7 cup, and they can stack easily with each other, for leftovers and meal prep. We use the plastic ones as we have broken way too many class stuff dropping them. They do have a glass version. 

plastic: https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Brilliance-Storage-Container-1991157/dp/B01JCNEJHU

Glass: https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Brilliance-Storage-3-2-Cup-Containers/dp/B08B7GLYZC

[QueenCat]

8 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

What volume are you looking at and how many do you need? We use the Rubbermaid brilliance 3.2 cup and 4.7 cup, and they can stack easily with each other, for leftovers and meal prep. We use the plastic ones as we have broken way too many class stuff dropping them. They do have a glass version. 

plastic: https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Brilliance-Storage-Container-1991157/dp/B01JCNEJHU

Glass: https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Brilliance-Storage-3-2-Cup-Containers/dp/B08B7GLYZC

 

We use the Brilliance plastic line as well. Love it! We have all kinds of sizes. We also use their larger ones for pantry storage (flours, sugars, etc.).

[DawnM]

21 minutes ago, kirstenhill said:

We've been using containers like this as much as possible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07638H4KX/

They come in about three sizes and the lids are interchangeable so you can have a small stack of lids handy and keep the rest hidden away and not causing chaos. 

The downside (which according to DH, whose idea this was to use them, makes it less worth it) is that certain foods just need wide/flat/rectangular storage so we still have to keep some containers around for that purpose, which then ruins any perfect stacking systems for the leftovers in the fridge. 

 

 

I actually have some of these from when I did more of dad's meal prep for the week.   They don't seem work well for us.   But I should have specified that I need larger containers for the most part.

I do use these for overnight oats in ind. size containers, although I haven't done that in a while.

[Selkie]

I use mason jars in varying sizes and also have these glass containers, which are great:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083H6C2LQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[DawnM]

Ok, son has asked if there is anything with minimal lid size variety.

 

[eagleynne]

We bought steel steam table pans from our local food service store. They stack in the fridge well and nest pretty well in the cabinet when not in use. They come in lots of sizes and shapes and are pretty much unbreakable. They only down side is that the lids don't really attach to the container, they just rest on the top. We get around that by using small bind clips on the edges, it's not the best looking thing, but it works well.

[Katy]

If you buy wide mouth mason jars you can also get plastic screw-top lids that fit all wide mouth jars. The cheapest place I can find them is Walmart, and if it’s at least $35 it’s free curbside pickup, which is much faster than shopping & standing in line. 

I’ve also bought lids from Amazon. 

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

If you buy wide mouth mason jars you can also get plastic screw-top lids that fit all wide mouth jars. The cheapest place I can find them is Walmart, and if it’s at least $35 it’s free curbside pickup, which is much faster than shopping & standing in line. 

I’ve also bought lids from Amazon. 

We have those, we use them for salads in a jar and for smoothies.   I just don't see them working for leftovers.   I try to make enough to feed us (family of 7) at least twice and we need larger containers that won't take up that much room and can stack.

We realized after we moved in, that this house came with a counter depth fridge.   We just can't fit much in there.   We need as space saving as we can get.

[DawnM]

10 minutes ago, eagleynne said:

We bought steel steam table pans from our local food service store. They stack in the fridge well and nest pretty well in the cabinet when not in use. They come in lots of sizes and shapes and are pretty much unbreakable. They only down side is that the lids don't really attach to the container, they just rest on the top. We get around that by using small bind clips on the edges, it's not the best looking thing, but it works well.

Interesting thought.   I will think about it, I might need the airtight seal.   

[Bootsie]

Last year I purchased some food storage containers from IKEA.  https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ikea-365-food-container-square-plastic-60452174/

DH says it is one of the smartest things I have ever done.  The come in plastic and glass, the lids are interchangeable, and they stack.  They come in square, rectangle, and round.  I only purchased square and rectangle.  They stack well in the refrigerator and we can see what is in the containers.  The glass can be used in the microwave and the oven.  There are several different lid types.  I primarily have the locking plastic lids, but there are some that sit on top that can be used as a cutting board, 

[AmandaVT]

I love the Rubbermaid Brilliance. They don't take up too much room because they stack inside each other nicely. They make big ones too. We have a big guy that nicely fits a dozen muffins or a big salad. I'm looking on amazon now and am ready to start ordering more for pantry storage now. Walking away slowly....will not add to cart, will not add to cart...

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/56689DC6-A171-4F08-8F5F-0B74C7A2065B?ingress=2&visitId=97a888f5-b695-4d67-a399-4f44d2a1454a&ref_=ast_bln

[Jean in Newcastle]

I like the Pyrex glass oven to freezer safe containers. I have three sizes. I keep four of the big 11 cup ones. I keep three of the medium 6 cup ones. I keep four of the small 3 cup ones. The large ones are for oven to table use or for make ahead meals. They are stored in one stack in my cupboard. The medium and small ones are for leftovers. They are stored with the small ones stacked inside the medium ones as a stack in the cupboards. This leaves 11 lids total in three sizes. The lids go sideways in a rubbermaid container in the cupboard. It’s easy to pull out a large, medium or small lid depending on what I need. 

[dsmith]

Do you intend for the leftovers to be heated in the storage container? I use Pyrex glass containers. They stack, but I like to put one those felt dish separators in between.  They still take up a bit of room though. I like the rectangular 6 cup for about 2 servings, the 11 cup for 3-4 servings, and I think it's a 3 cup for individual meals. We've also been saving the plastic containers from when we order food, similar to these: 

https://smile.amazon.com/50-Pack-1-Compartment-Food-Container-Rectangular/dp/B07L9JGZTD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1CWOTO98NKVEO&keywords=large%2Bmeal%2Bprep%2Bcontainers%2B60%2Boz&qid=1653231341&sprefix=large%2Bmeal%2Bprep%2Bcontainers%2B%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-2&th=1

I'm not crazy about plastic and usually use glass for my own food, but at least they are being re-used.

I also use this to reheat the larger family sized meals, especially in the summer: https://smile.amazon.com/HOTLOGIC-Food-Warming-Casserole-Carrier/dp/B07JQ6WPZD?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1 I avoid the oven as much as possible during the summer!! That one fits up to a 13 x 9 or more than one of the smaller sizes. I also have the small version for myself. 

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

He’d go nuts at my house. I hate the idea of throwing away perfectly good plastic to buy more plastic. So much of my ‘Tupperware’ is yogurt containers. I label all leftovers with masking tape and sharpie before they go in the fridge. I keep the containers nested and the lids stored vertically in a rectangular ice bin so I can pull it out, see all the lids, and grab the one I need. 
 

I do periodically sort through my “collection” and weed out anything that doesn’t have a lid or to reduce the number. Only so many fit in the fridge at once so I don’t need 100 containers. The rejects get demoted to garden use. I drill holes in the bottom and use the lid underneath to catch the drips. 
 

Maybe your oldest can be in charge of periodic organizing to keep things in order?

[City Mouse]

I use the Ziploc brand storage containers just because of the interchangeable lids. The square lids fit both sizes of square containers. The small rectangle lids fit both sizes of small rectangular containers. However, the largest rectangle might not be big enough for your family. 
I got rid of a lot of mis-matched Tupperware because we had a hard time with any sort of organization. 
Zip lock brand

After further looking, Zip Loc may have changed the design of container. The ones I like seem to be hard to find now. 🙁

Edited May 22, 2022 by City Mouse

[Jean in Newcastle]

43 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I like the Pyrex glass oven to freezer safe containers. I have three sizes. I keep four of the big 11 cup ones. I keep three of the medium 6 cup ones. I keep four of the small 3 cup ones. The large ones are for oven to table use or for make ahead meals. They are stored in one stack in my cupboard. The medium and small ones are for leftovers. They are stored with the small ones stacked inside the medium ones as a stack in the cupboards. This leaves 11 lids total in three sizes. The lids go sideways in a rubbermaid container in the cupboard. It’s easy to pull out a large, medium or small lid depending on what I need. 

Quoting myself to say that I needed to use two of the 11 cup ones for one large family meal.  One didn't make enough especially if there were young men around. 

[Annie G]

Another vote for the plastic Rubbermaid brilliance line. There are only 4 lid sizes, three if you ignore the tiny half cup container, which isn’t leftover useful anyway.  You might not even need the one cup size, which means there’s only two lid sizes.  
 

I like glass but my arthritis prefers plastic due to lighter weight. 

[cjzimmer1]

I'm with Jean on the big 11 cup pyrex dishes.  I have about a dozen of that size and there are times I still wish I had more.  They stack pretty well and I just slide the lids next to a stack at the edge of the cupboard.  The framing lips helps to hold the lids in so they aren't tumbling down.  

I do use the other sizes too (which means more sizes of lids) but for each area, I slide that size lid next to it so I don't have such a mess.  Round lids are more prone to fall out than rectangle so I just use a bread pan to stand the lids in.  

[alysee]

Another vote for the pyrex glass ones. We tried so many things that made me crazy and settled on these a while back. 

[prairiewindmomma]

My suggestion is to match everything up, throw away the mismatches and donate half of what is there (generally the too small stuff). Live with that for a month and then evaluate.

We have three basic sizes of our house—-large meal sized for the family ones, and then 3-4 portion sized ones, and then single meal portion.  When we sorted it all out and did the experiment above we realized this—and donated more out of what we had. We only needed to buy the large meal sized ones. We already owned the rest.

Edited May 22, 2022 by prairiewindmomma

[shawthorne44]

I will not microwave plastic, and I don't want to change containers, so I insisted on glass.   I've three of these sets, and I have a deep drawer in the kitchen for them.  They marginally stack and then the lids are off to the side.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GHJFRRB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Lucy the Valiant]

We use mason jars, too, for a lot of leftovers. We use (saved & cleaned) peanut butter lids on the standard mouth jars. Also, parmesan cheese container lids fit as well. 

[shawthorne44]

Another idea.   If the main problem is mismatch between container and lids, maybe get a set of these.  

https://www.amazon.com/JAMGOZOO-Silicone-Stretch-Lids-Pack/dp/B09WV2HHRT/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=silicone+stretch+lids&qid=1653258479&sprefix=silicon+stretch%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-12

I bought a three pack of similar lids from BB&B.   Only thing I don't like about them is that the largest doesn't fit on my largest corning ware bowl, but it almost does so I keep thinking it should.  But, I think mine are smaller than the Amazon set.