This holiday season, I had to purchase a number of square containers to fit into my fridge for leftovers, as well as to store cookies, and or, ship in US post office Priority mailers.
For some reason Ziploc has decided to make their latest containers that are narrow at the bottom and wide at the top so that you can’t stack anything in the fridge or in a box. Not only that the lids don’t snap on anymore. I just recently found a no-name brand, and I’m also trying to find Rubbermaid containers because they tend to put them in squarer shapes.
My husband also burns through my Ziploc containers because he puts everything in the microwave for his lunches. He doesn’t have the concept of “don’t overheat” in his brain.
I’m thinking of contacting Ziploc and ask what they were thinking. Opinions?
I have these, though bought in the store vs online. I love that they’re glass, not plastic, with all the news stories about how bad plastic is for humans and the environment (note the lids are still plastic). They’re solid in the microwave and dishwasher. I’ve had them for over a year and not one has been broken or needed to be replaced even with regular use. A couple of them are square. I’m not sure what can be bought as singles as I wanted a bunch to replace all my plastic food storage.
For square plastic ones our store sells all of its cold salads (mac/potato salad, coleslaw, etc) in containers we keep and reuse as needed.
For rectangular our Chinese place gives us plenty and we get some from sandwich cold cuts.
For all the plastic we save a bunch of them for a while, then get way too many and toss them. It bugs me since they aren’t recyclable. I wish they would switch to something compostable or recyclable, but alas, such is life.
If you don’t buy any of those or don’t like reusing things that won’t help you (sorry), but it’s what we do if you’re looking for suggestions.
I have no idea what contacting Ziplock would do TBH. You can always try it.
Yes, I really like the idea of using glass and reducing our carbon footprint but unfortunately I have a husband who is a bit of a klutz. He cant deal with stacking. Even our children, when they were younger, could pull out a dish without breaking any. He takes his lunch in Ziploc containers to work and tends to burn his containers a lot. No concept of overheating.
I have a really tiny kitchen and he has broken a lot of my former Pyrex and Correll containers.
Also, I did have a sister who helped herself to a lot of my good containers! Who does that? Well my sister did! We were shocked! She would tell us that she wrapped up some care packages for her kids and wouldn’t tell us that she had taken them! Apparently she did that at all of my siblings households!
My husband and I were really surprised when we would find our dishes and containers at her house! I did remember a lot of the nice things that we got for our wedding. They would end up at her house!I would mention it to my sister and would say, “this looks like one of my set of dishes, what’s it doing here?” And she would sheepishly say “oh do you want it back?”
She didn’t take care of her dishes- they were all chipped and cracked and that’s the way they would be returned. Thankfully, she moved. It was an issue in our family and when she lived here, we supervised her before she left because otherwise things will disappear! Why is there always one of those in each family?
So rather than replace those, we went to the ziplocks.
But I digress.
These work well. We use them when we give leftovers to family or friends. Don’t want them returned.
Been using the glass containers for years. They work well. Haven’t broken any that I remember and that’s with 2 teenage boys. I recommend these wholeheartedly even for klutzes. Drop one on your toe and you’ll never do it again.
My mom noticed one of her spoons missing one day after hosting an event. She looked all over for it, then finally concluded that someone must have thrown it out. Fast forward some time and she was at one of her friends’ houses and saw her spoon! She asked about it and the friend confessed that anywhere she goes she always pockets a spoon - it could be a restaurant, an event, a friend’s house, anywhere. Mom was aghast - who does that? Especially from friends!
Perhaps that lady was related to your sister?
Good luck finding something that will work. FIL still uses a lot of plastic and burns it up in the microwave. A lot of ours end up at his place because of it. We replace it. He’d keep on using the same ones. At 94 he’s not likely to affect his health at least. He has no interest in glass. Plastic is easier for him to handle.
We mostly use glass containers. But we keep some plastic around. Most is from takeout or the cold cuts hubby favors (surprisingly they are microwave and dishwasher safe)… very handy when sending leftovers home with friends. Once in a while I buy a 2-pack from the dollar store - lots of variety there.
I save the take out containers like cottage cheese and yogurt and such for messy food I may be taking to work - and then toss - it for guests to take leftovers in - I don’t offer up my good stuff for first leftovers.
For Christmas I bought D2 a set from Costco that is largely stackable, snaps and vents but is NOT glass. Can’t remember the brand but it was like $20 for a several piece/size set. She wanted them for work lunches and at home storage
I have the rubbermaid ones with vent tops. Walmart usually has sets on sale for under $9 a few times a year. The set I bought has a lot of square pieces. I keep looking at the glass ones, but honestly I’m the one who drops everything, joys of having an AI disease. We use plastic dishwear for everyday use as well. We have a cast iron sink, so I’m guessing glass wouldn’t make a month. It’s a shame because I really like the idea of glass.
Get these! We use them and they stack and are perfect…and clear. We don’t care what shape those ziploc ones are because we only use them to send leftovers home with people. I will add, we never re-use containers that have had food in them like cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Those get tossed.
Out of pure curiosity, why? I haven’t met anyone who tosses those before. My grandparents, parents, in-laws, and co-workers (at least those I eat with) all reuse them, so I thought it was something everyone did.
Sorry, but those cottage cheese containers, etc. cannot be really disinfected clean. They are food waste. That’s why they get tossed. And while you know no one who tosses them, I can’t think of anyone I know who keeps them.
And yes, my mother and grandmother re-used them also…as well as deli containers. That doesn’t mean it’s the sanitary or right thing to do.
Remember, our parents drove us around in cars without seatbelts, and many smoked. Just because a former generation does something, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Well I keep cottage cheese (and other) containers. We run through the dishwasher, and I feel that adequately cleans and disinfects. If we have excess, I put them in Recycle (our town accepts plastic tubs and lids).
