Basic Kitchen Organizing Part 7 – Food Containers

We are back in the kitchen, but this would also be a good Clutter Scavenger Hunt task.

When you open some of your kitchen cabinets, do the storage containers often come tumbling out?

Open all of your kitchen cabinets and pull out all of your empty food storage containers as well as all of the lids.

If you have good storage containers, why not get the butter bowls and other salvaged containers out of the kitchen altogether?  Most of them can go into your recycling bin.

Check to see if the remaining containers all have a matching lid.  Check that all of the lids have a container. If not, do not return them to your cabinet.  Discard them, donate them, or move them to another room if you can use them to control other loose items elsewhere in your home.

Take an inventory of how many you have left.  Do you need all of them? Do you have enough room in your cabinets for them to stay nice and neat? Decide if you would be willing to let go of a few more or if you need to add to the number you have remaining.

As you return the ones you are keeping back to your cabinets, look them over and decide if you want to keep them long term.  Do they stack well together and use little space?  Are they worn out or super stained from heating red sauces too often in the microwave?  How often when you are putting away leftovers do you wish you had a container that was a tad bigger or smaller?  If you hope to replace them, begin a wish list in one of your notebooks. Take your time determining what you need and look for where you can get them at a good price.

When you start looking for replacements, keep in mind that rectangle or square shaped containers use space more effectively in cabinets and in the refrigerator than round containers. Rounded edges on the bottoms of round bowls also are more likely to rock and spill or tumble over than the sharper angles of boxed containers.

What I Use.

A friend gifted me a set of Rubbermaid Premier containers that I love so much I purchased a second set! The lids secure like a snap to the bottom of each dish as well as to the top. This means that everything is stored in a neat little column without the lids tumbling out of the cabinet AND that they stack really nicely in the refrigerator.  The lid of one has a bit of an inset that makes a stable seat for another to stack on top.  Less spills and less wasted space. I often stack them as high as the shelf space allows.

I also keep several inexpensive ‘disposable’ sets that can be purchased at almost any grocery store. They are easily replaced when they start to look shabby, and I do not fret when I crack one or send one home with someone (which I do a lot).  They come in several different sizes and I pick up a set here or there as I need to. There are three sizes I like to keep on hand – the salad/soup size, one size larger and the little ones for on the go snacks for my son.  Regardless of which named or store brand you purchase, try to be consistent. They are very similar, but there is enough of a difference in the way the lids fit that it can be a pain to have to pick up a few each time to make sure to get the right one.  Maybe I am lazy, but if taking a minute at the store to get the same brand will keep me from having to give it any thought after dinner, I think that is a minute well spent.

Mentioned Resource links from our advertisers.

Save 10% on Rubbermaid products. Shop now at Rubbermaid.com
(The discount link should be good for all Rubbermaid containers including holiday and ornament storage containers!)

Amazon also carries a couple of Premier box sets  -  Rubbermaid 7J4240 Premier 24-Piece Food Storage Set and the brand names of the disposable containers. GladWare Deep Dish Containers with Lids, 8 Cups (64 oz) 3 containers, GladWare Entree Containers with Lids, Holiday 5 containers, or Ziploc Container Short Square 30 Containers.

Product Photo from Amazon.com web site.