Spaghetti Stained Containers, Say it Ain’t So!Glass vs. Plastic

Open up your cupboard where you keep your food storage containers. Go ahead, do it. I’ll wait, I’m patient.

Okay, what do you see? Stained plastic containers and an organizational nightmare, huh? It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. Half the containers are probably missing lids but you haven’t gotten up the courage to just recycle them already. Go ahead, do it! Recycle those bad boys. When you’re done, do yourself a favor and go out and buy some glass containers. It will change your life. It did mine. No exaggeration here.

Here are all the reasons why you shouldn’t use plastic storage containers:

1. Plastic is porous, so it absorbs food color and smells. Who wants last night’s pork chops mixed in with today’s fruit?

2. You can’t microwave it. And if you do, you shouldn’t.

3. Some plastic can react with food and leak chemicals into your lovely food. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a serving of plastic with my butternut squash soup. There’s also a rumor on the street a.k.a in scientific journals, that these chemicals can cause cancer. I know, I know, everything these days causes cancer. However, if you can easily eliminate one of the causes, why not do it?

4. Plastics are made of petroleum, a non-renewable resource that requires new fossil reserves to be extracted continuously. (NRDC website — http://www.nrdc.org)

5. Plastic containers get lost. There is no emotional attachment because it’s lightweight and easily replaceable. Therefore, you constantly have to replace it. I rarely, unless it accidentally gets thrown away in a work kitchen clean-up, lose my glass food containers.

Are you sold yet? Well here’s more: glass containers are safer because they do not leach any questionable chemicals when in contact with food. (NRDC website — www.nrdc.org)

My recent purchase from Costco. Pyrex glass food keeper set.

Let’s face it kids, food heated in glass containers tastes better too. So, do yourself a favor, go to Costco, Target or Amazon and buy yourself some handy dandy glass food storage containers. You can thank me later.

Learn more about why you don’t want to eat from plastic containers and more on wise food storage options on the NRDC website:
http://www.nrdc.org/living/shoppingwise/food-storage-containers.asp