This is a big topic when it comes to living plastic free: How do we store our food? When you think about it, plastic has all the perks you'd want for storing your food. It is cheap, sterile, food safe, see-through, it comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can even be malleable (cling film). It is a very convenient material but unfortunately it is incredibly unsustainable. Research is being done about creating more and more biodegradable plastics from plants or corn starch, but as we are not there yet, I am going to list all the plastic free solutions I have found useful to me.
Here is a photo of our food storage drawer. We keep Beeswraps, beeswax blocks, an old cheese grater and parchment paper for replenishing them. We also use silicone pouches instead of plastic baggies and silicone lids for bowls.
glass jars
This is the absolute staple of my food storage. I use them to store mostly dry goods such as rice, grains or seeds and some times leftovers. I have bought some nice clip top jars but I also reuse a lot of jars from the shop. You can wash and re-purpose most jars, I like to reuse mostly large ones from olives or pickles. I usually put them in a bath of hot water and bicarbonate of soda to get the labels off, if there is persistent glue after that, I use a mixture of vegetable oil and bicarbonate of soda, follow this link to find out how. You can also use alcohol but it gives off unpleasant fumes.
Jars are very handy for going to the zero waste store as well. Since large jars can be a bit heavy to carry, I like to reuse the metal tins that we get our coffee in which are lighter and less breakable. When I get home, I pour the contents into jars. If I am topping up a jar I make sure I pour the content in a bowl first, fill the jar with the fresh dried goods, then pour the older goods back on top to make sure we are eating the older food first.
We have recently made a new addition to our kitchen to help us on our journey to plastic free by building some shelves to store our dry goods in jars. It makes it much easier to see what to use when cooking and what is running low when going to the shop. It also looks amazing! So much better than a cupboard filled with plastic packets. We now have a pretty and accessible kitchen pantry. (Thanks people in my house ♥)
Beeswrap
To store hard cheeses or cured meats, the best option is to use Bee's Wrap. It is made of cotton and soaked in bee's wax to make it stiff and sticky. When new, it has a lovely smell of bee's wax. I found this even better than cling film for hard cheeses as it can be used over and over again without any issues whereas cling film starts breaking and stops sticking to itself after a few uses and needs to be replaced.
You can wash your bee's wrap with cold water and mild soap and hang to dry. DO NOT USE HOT WATER because it melts the wax away and your bee's wraps will stop working. I have made a little contraption on the window sill so I can hang them to dry after washing them (see photo).
If you find that your bee's wrap is no longer sticking to itself very well or has lost its stiffness, you can grate some pure beeswax on it and place it in the oven at 50ºC for a few minutes on a tray. When you take it out you may want to smooth out the wax with a flat piece of cardboard so it is evenly spread around. Your bee's wrap has been replenished and is good to be used again and again.
When they reach the end of their life or break you can put these in your home compost.
I have stuck some string to my kitchen window using suction cups so I can hang my wraps to dry out of the way.
silicone pouches
Instead of plastic baggies we now use silicone pouches. These are reusable and they can be washed in the dishwasher. They are fridge and freezer safe and you can even put soup in them. I use them to store some leftovers (for example washed salad, soup or berries) or to take a sandwich to work if my usual tupperware is dirty. They are great for carrying a snack such as crackers, nuts or grapes to have on the go. They have a sliding lid that keeps them from leaking and keeps the food fresher for longer.
silicone bowl covers
These are quite good for leftovers after a party or if you have things already in a bowl. They are good for storing something in the fridge when you need frequent access to it. I use it to store my tuna-mayo in the fridge to make sandwiches for work for example. They are stretchy and come in different sizes. They can even be used on half a melon but I have never tried.
parchment paper and tin foil
Parchment paper is a very good option for wrapping larger things such as a loaf of bread that you can then tie up with string (and if it doesn't get very dirty it can be reused). It also makes your homemade goods look really nice and rustic. Tin foil isn't reusable or compostable but has less of an impact on the environment and it is plastic free, so we do use it every now and then when we need to. The best company I found to buy parchment paper and tin foil is If You Care and I usually buy their products from www.ethicalsuperstore.com. Not everything on the website is plastic free but there are quite a few good finds.
tupperware
These are usually made of plastic (although you can also find some glass and metal ones) but they last a really long time if cared for properly. Also, using what we already have in our homes is better than throwing it away just because it is made of plastic, which would just to the problem. There are still many things that I still use plastic for in my house, if it is something that I already owned and still works.
It is a great option for storing leftovers in the fridge or taking a packed lunch and much better than throwaway cling film. I like to label my leftovers or bulk-made meals in the fridge so I can see what is older and needs to be eaten first.
This is the round up of all my food storage solutions. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below or send me a message on the Contact page.