All Glass & Stainless Steel Storage
Look, I didn’t mean to turn into the kind of mom who side-eyes plastic containers like they personally offended me at PTA night. But somewhere between discovering a melted lid fused to my lasagna and realizing half my Tupperware had no matching bottoms (or tops—seriously, where do they go?!), I snapped.
Next thing I knew, I was elbow-deep in a cabinet purge like it was a reality show challenge. “You have 30 minutes to say goodbye to plastic and hello to adulting.” And just like that, I made the switch to glass, stainless steel, and silicone—basically the holy trinity of food storage that doesn’t smell like garlic or stained with spaghetti sauce after one use.
Is it heavier? Yes. Is it prettier? Also yes. Do I now open my fridge just to admire my leftovers like a proud mother duck? Don’t judge me. But in all seriousness…
Microplastics are all over. In the past, I was lured to plastic containers that were BPA free—I remember first learning about Bisphenol A while watching Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Baby Mama when I was in my 20s and nowhere near having kids. I believe the line mentioned purchasing baby bottle that were BPA free. I looked it up, and it stuck in my mind. And yes, I bought glass bottle when my kids were babies strictly due to remembering that line and the research that I did immediately after. However, ‘BPA free’ is all that remained in my mind for years. I did no research in regards to other reasons plastics are harmful to us. Since my kids and I have been sick more than ever during the last 3 years, I started to do research again this year. This is when I discovered microplastics.
What are Microplastics?
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size, often created when larger plastic items break down over time. They can be found in the environment, water, air, and even in the food we eat. In food storage containers, especially when plastic is heated or scratched, small plastic particles can leach into your food. Over time, this may contribute to microplastic ingestion, raising concerns about potential health risks like inflammation or chemical exposure. This is not BPA and should not be confused; these are totally different concerns regarding plastic usage in food storage.
How Can You Avoid Microplastics in Food Storage?
While it is difficult to avoid plastics all together (for me at least..I do not trust glass containers for school lunches), I do avoid plastics as often as possible. At home, we do not use plastic at all for meals. I do not use plastic plates, utensils, cups, or straws. I also use stainless steel and cast iron cookware to avoid any contaminants that are found in non-stick coatings. These coatings can be ingested if chipped and additionally can produce harmful fumes. When out and about we use stainless steel tumblers and silicone storage bags when convenient. We’re not perfect, but I’m surely trying to rid my household of all unnecessary plastics.
For Home
I’ve been using glass storage for my home food storage for years. I have gone back and forth with cheaper options like BJs and Costco brands, but each time I come back to Pyrex (at this point, now I save plastic take out containers for guest leftovers because let’s be honest, if you give them a glass container, you are never getting it back). They go on sale often and containers range from square, rectangular, and round storage, to circle mixing bowls, deep dishes, and classic baking dishes.
My favorite dishes of all time (we had some variety as a kid growing up and I remember breaking ONE ever in high school and my mom nearly killing me) are Corelle brand. For some reason, these never ever chip or crack. We had opaque green ones growing up, but I use classic white since white can be jazzed up for any season. I have the dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls. They clean immaculately and never stain. We use stainless steel serving utensils (they all work the same—I think most people have these at home if you don’t use plastic utensils) and these 16oz Glass Juice Bottles with Lids and Straws for beverages. I absolutely love these glass jars. Since I started juicing a few month ago, I find that putting the homemade lemonade straight into jars works better than pitchers. I do make my homemade cold brew coffee and iced tea using these 2 Quart Glass Pitchers. Even though I wash the straws (usually) after every use, I have extra Stainless Steel with Silicone Tip Straws as extras or for when we have company. My kids are older so regular stainless steel straws are ok, but if you have younger kids, I 100% recommend the ones with the silicone tips.
Out and About
When out and about, we use stainless steel tumblers for both hot and cold beverages. For hot beverages, I like this non-brand cost-efficient 12 oz Stainless Steel Tumbler. I’ve not tested to see if its contents remains hot or cold the 4-6 hours later that it claims, but 2 hours later my coffee is still hot (though I rarely make it past 40 minutes without drinking all of my coffee!). My fave for cold drinks is the Contigo Jackson Chill 2.0 Water Bottle. It’s wide mouth so I don’t have to worry about mold and mildew getting all stuck in the lid contraption. That grosses me out and happens wayyy more often than we think. My kids, of course, love anything Stanley. They use their water bottles daily, so I don’t mind the price (though I did buy one of theirs on sale!) I’ve even purchased the Stanley IceFlow Fast Flow Water Bottle when it was on sale for myself. It’s widemouth too and comes in a lot of colors. Since I’m a teacher and travel from room to room many days, I don’t like bringing it to work out of fear or leaving it somewhere. I doubt anyone would steal it, but I just don’t like the idea of my Stanley being lost at work.
We also keep Collapsible Stainless Steel Drinking Straws handy when on the go too. We bring them traveling and keep some in the car as well (just be careful, they can get hot if your car is super hot).
On-the-Go and Lunch Containers
If we bring something hot to school or work, I like to use stainless steel containers to keep our food hot. Mira brand is my favorite brand, especially their 13.5oz Insulated Food Jar for larger portion items and their 9oz Insulated Food Jar for smaller portions or for my kids when they were younger. I find they keep the items hot for lunchtime much better than the actual Thermos brand. I do add hot, boiling water to the thermos prior to adding my food. I usually let it sit around 5 mins before dumping it out and adding the actual food. I also absolutely love the Crockpot Lunch Warmer that allows you to heat up your food crockpot style without the use of a microwave.
While I haven’t yet started using non-plastic containers for cold items, this upcoming school year I will. I’ve done extensive research and so far this is what I’ve come up with:
Stainless Steel
Keeps food cold and/or room temperature. Not suited for reheating.
Salad Dressing Containers With Lids - these are a tiny 1.6oz but perfect for dressings or dips. In an attempt to incorporate veggies into every meal, sometimes my kids need ranch dressing to flavor it up. This is the perfect size.
1 Cup Stainless Steel Snack Containers - these are still small, but at 8oz are perfect for a side of fruit, veggies, or a small salad.
Lille Home Leak Proof Stainless Steel Lunch Snack Containers Set - this set offers 3 sizes of containers—47, 30, and 16oz that provide a wide range of food item capacities. I think these will be my go-to most days. They also come in various colors that will make everyone happy.
Glass
Can be used in oven and microwave for reheating purposes.
FIT Strong & Healthy Glass Meal Prep Containers - I’m always nervous about bringing glass anywhere, but if you’re not, these offer 3 different arrangements for your food including 1, 2, and 3 compartment containers.
Pyrex Freshlock (5-Pack, 4 Cup) Glass Food Storage Containers Set - though more expensive, Pyrex has never let me down. It takes a lot for these to crack or chip.