There’s nothing worse than letting food go bad, and yet it seemingly happens to pretty much everyone. Often it’s because we don’t have the proper materials to preserve the food we make or buy. How many times have you stuck half a lemon in the fridge, hoping it would stay fresh, only to find out the next day that — surprise — it’s not?
Whether you cook at home every day, or you couldn’t name what’s in your fridge, there are plenty of solutions to make sure your food can stay fresh for as long as possible. Here are some of the best ones out there.
Beeswax is an incredibly effective tool for storing food. Bee's Wrap makes wraps in all different sizes that you can use for all sorts of things: to wrap sandwiches, as a cover for open cans, cheese, butter, and even one large enough for a loaf of bread. The bee's wax makes this fabric semi-adhesive, so when you fold it onto itself, the heat from your hands creates a seal. These are a lot more effective and less wasteful than tin foil or plastic, and they are reusable as long as you wash them between uses. They're a lot more sustainable in the long term, too.
If you're used to storing your food in plastic containers, you'll notice a substantial difference by switching to glass containers. Their seal is airtight compared to plastic containers, so they'll keep your food significantly fresher for longer. They're leak proof too, so you can take your lunch with you to work in your bag without worrying about it spilling everywhere. These come in a set of five and are microwave and oven safe—so you can just reheat your food and eat straight out of them.
Glass storage containers are great, but they can take up a lot of space in the fridge. These Stasher reusable food bags are extremely versatile. They come in various sizes, and you can use them to store pretty much anything, from fruits and vegetables to salads, rice, and soups. The seal is airtight and since it's silicone, reusing it is easy. It's microwave and dishwasher safe, and safe to boil in water, making it probably the best solution out there if you want to freeze a batch of soup and then reheat it.
If you've ever needed half an onion for a meal, then you probably know the drill. The other half likely ends up in the fridge, unwrapped or in a plastic bag, and a few days later it goes bad. It's too often that the other half of vegetables go unused, whether it's an onion, or eggplant, or a tomato, despite good intentions. Food Huggers has come up with a solution for exactly this. These silicone "food huggers" cover the open side of vegetables (or cans or lids) so that they stay fresh.
Sometimes it can be discouraging to bring your lunches to work, because after half a day the food doesn't taste as good. Either the sandwich is soggy, the food is meant to be hot but isn't, or the vegetables in your salad are wilted and unappealing. If you're looking for a solution to keep your food hot or cold during the day, then this Yeti lunch bag is a great choice, especially if you don't have access to a fridge. It also folds up, so it'll take less space once you're done eating.
Raw meat and fish are some of the hardest foods to store because of how quickly they go bad, even when you put them in supposedly airtight containers. This vacuum sealer will help preserve your food, by sealing it in the kind of airtight bag you often see at the supermarket. In addition to raw meat and fish, you can use this for pretty much anything, from sandwiches to grains, and vegetables. You can even use this gadget to practice sous-vide cooking at home.
It's hard to justify buying a bunch of basil or cilantro when you know you'll use a few leaves and the rest will likely go bad in the fridge after a few days. This Herb Keeper is meant to keep your herbs fresher for longer by providing air circulation on the top and water for the herbs on the bottom. One thing to note is that the device is 11 inches tall, which is too tall for some refrigerator shelves, so make sure yours can fit before you buy it.
