Plastic Food Storage

Plastic Food Storage Buying Guide

'You are what you eat' - this famous quote is incredibly wise! Eating fresh, nutritious food keeps you feeling active and healthy. This is why it is very important to store your food properly as well. Plastic food storage is a durable, safe and affordable way to store your food items. 

Purpose of Plastic Food Storage

Good quality food storage is a must-have for every home. It helps keep your food fresh, nutritious for much longer and prevents it from rotting or getting contaminated. Plastic food storage is available widely online in a range of shapes, colors, and prices.  You can use plastic containers to store your fruits, vegetables, spices, grains, snacks and so much more. These storage containers can be placed inside your fridge, on your shelves an cabinets or even on your countertops. There's a wide variety of quality plastic food storage available in supermarkets as well as online to choose from. 

Types of Plastic Food Storage Materials

There are different types of plastics from which plastic food storage is made. Not all types of plastics can be used to store food - some can be toxic for food storage. Certain types of plastics, however, are specially formulated to be safe for storing food. Each type of food-grade plastic has different features and is used for storing and transporting different types of food. Let's read on about these types:

PET Plastic

You may have already heard of PET jars and bottles. PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is a clear, tough and moisture-resistant plastic that is used for making plastic food storage containers. This plastic is listed as '1' in the recycling triangle symbol under your container. It's used for beverages like soft drinks, juices as well as peanut butter, salad dressing, and pickles. 

HDPE Plastic

Marked as '2' in the recycle triangle symbol, High-density polyethylene, or HDPE, is somewhat stiff and commonly used for making milk containers. This plastic is ideal for packaging food with a short shelf life, as it can break down over time. This plastic, while being food-grade, is not ideal for long-term food storage. 

LDPE

Marked as '4' in the recycled triangle symbol, low-density polyethylene or LDPE is used to package a wide variety of food items such as squeezable bottles for ketchup, mustard, and to make frozen food bags.  

PP

Polypropylene, or PP, is a tough plastic which could be stiff or flexible depending on its make. It is a widely used plastic and is used for packaging everything from medicine bottles, yogurt containers, and even refrigerator storage bins. It's marked as '5' in the recycling triangle symbol on your container. 

Benefits of Plastic Food Storage

From keeping your food fresh to protecting it from contamination, good quality plastic food storage has a number of benefits to offer to your kitchen setup. They're durable, sturdy and affordable as well. Let's read more about how plastic food storage can help with your kitchen storage:

Keeps Food Fresh

Good quality plastic food storage can protect your food from moisture and keep it fresh for longer. You can use these food containers to store fresh food items like bread, fruits, and veggies. 

Protects From Germs

Since most plastic food containers have airtight lids, they prevent germs from settling and growing on the food. This preserves the nutritional value of your food and prevents diseases and contamination. 

Space Saving

Using large-sized plastic food containers help you store different food items together, which means more efficient utilization of your cabinet, shelf and fridge space. 

Keeps Kitchen Organized

By storing food and drinks in plastic food storage, your kitchen stays neat and organized. It's an easy way to declutter your cooking space.

Visually Appealing

Having neat, uniform plastic food containers lined up on shelves and cabinets and in your pantry storage looks visually appealing! It enhances the elegance of your kitchen and prevents it from looking messy. You can go for food containers either transparent or in different colors.  

Affordable

Plastic food containers are a budget-friendly way of storing your food items as well. Most plastic food storage - be in containers, bottles, spice jars, etc -  available at affordable prices without compromising on quality, vis a vis metal storage containers. 

Multi-Purpose

You can use your plastic food storage for storing a wide variety of food items - from fruits, veggies, spices, sauces, and packaged foods as well. You can use them as fridge containers, shelf storage, or even to carry your food while traveling in a portable fashion. 

Tips For Buying Good Plastic Food Storage

While there is a wide variety of plastic food storage available in the market, there are some features you should look out for when shopping for them. This will ensure that you buy your plastic food storage with features that are the safest, most convenient and according to your needs:

Durable

Plastic food storage made with strong and durable food-grade plastic will last you for a long time and will store food and drink for month after month. Look for plastic food containers that are made with sturdy food-grade plastic that does not break down easily.

Airtight

Good quality plastic food storage is airtight, which means that it shouldn't allow moisture or germs in the air to contaminate the food stored inside it. This prevents the growth of bacteria and mold/fungus on the food and prolongs their shelf life. 

Safe and Chemical-Free

It is important to buy plastic food storage that is meant for contact with food. Look out for the triangle recycling symbol at the bottom of the container, and pick storage containers marked 1,2,4 or 5. these types of plastics are certified food-grade, which means they're meant for storing food items and are free of harmful chemicals. 

Easy To Clean

Always pick plastic food storage in simple designs that are easy to clean. Complex and intricate carvings or designs on plastic food containers have the risk of food residue getting left behind on its corners and nooks, which could encourage the growth of germs and mold. This is why you should go for simple designs such as round, square or rectangle containers that are easy to clean. 

Easy to Open and Close

Good plastic food storage should be easy to open and close so that there is no spillage every time you reach for the containers. Good quality plastic food containers come with a top lid design or snapware which is easy to snap the lid open and close.

Good Capacity

Finally, your plastic food container should be spacious enough to accommodate the food items you plan to store in them. Go for bottles, jars, and containers of enough storage capacity for your household needs.