Over the past few years, namely since starting our debt freedom journey, I’ve begun to look at everyday objects in a whole new light. I am not a fan of throwing perfectly good things in the trash; it just doesn’t make sense. That pet peeve was part of the driving force behind buying in bulk. But the number one problem I found with buying in bulk was the storage.
Written by contributing writer Phoebe Hendricks of Getting Freedom
I wanted to be able to have easy access to my everyday cooking and cleaning supplies, but I also wanted it to be somewhat stylish and user-friendly. Then a light bulb went off: use old glass jars! Since starting to use glass to store our bulk purchases, I have found myself using glass for everyday storage.
10 Reasons Why YOU Should Use Glass
1. Glass is non-toxic and it does not react with its contents.
Plastic has a history of leeching chemicals into your food, especially when heated up. If your plastic contains BPA, it leeches into liquid without heating and is also linked to ovarian and breast cancer. Yikes! Glass cannot absorb germs like plastics do.
2. It is easy to clean.
Glass is easily cleaned at high temperatures in your dishwasher without fear of melting.
3. Glass does not absorb smells.
You can use a glass jar to store chipotle powder this month, and marshmallows the next and no one will ever be able to tell.
4. There is no aftertaste.
Like others, my taste buds tend to be sensitive, and I can sometimes taste whether food has been stored in plastic or metal containers. Because glass is non-reactive, it tastes just like it did when you put it in there.
5. There is no need to worry about discoloration.
You know that yucky film left on plastic after a tomato product has been stored in it? Yeah. Glass doesn’t have that problem.
6. Tempered glass containers are also freezer friendly and perfect for your next Freezer Cooking Day.
You can go straight from freezer to oven with no worries, and no additional dishes.
7. … Which also makes them perfect for storing leftovers.
8. What’s prettier than a cupboard full of glass jars?
Let’s face it, glass jars are far prettier than boxes, bags, and plastic containers. Not to mention it is easy to see exactly what’s being stored and how much is left.
9. Glass is environmentally friendly.
Reusing old glass jars, or even purchasing new, reduces trash and waste. It also takes less energy to recycle a broken jar or piece of glass versus recycling a plastic container.
10. Longevity.
Glass tends to hold its age, and look new-ish even when it’s 50+ years old. Glass also lasts longer than plastic… well, unless you’re a klutz. 😉
Do they keep the stored food items fresh in the pantry? For how long?
unfortunately pickle and pickle relish jars do retain their smell. Disturbing. 🙂
Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny´s last blog post ..Super 1 Foods Matchups 2-23 – 3-1
@Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny, I would have to respectfully disagree with you on this. We actually buy the huge jugs of pickles from WalMart and once their all gone we give them to our farmer for our Raw Milk. Also, I canned some pickle relish a few years ago, and it ended up being far too much for us to use. We dumped out a few pints after they’d sat in the canning jars for just over 2 years. No smell in either instance.
Have you tried cleaning them on the sanitizing cycle of a dishwasher?
Phoebe @ GettingFreedom´s last blog post ..Oriental Noodles
@Phoebe @ GettingFreedom, No, I haven’t tried that. I am so frugal that I hate to put large items in the dishwasher (we also buy the large jars of pickles) . I have tried letting them soak with lots of sudsy water for hours, to no avail. Maybe it’s the brand-we usually have Vlasic or Mt. Olive.
Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny´s last blog post ..Super 1 Foods Matchups 2-23 – 3-1
@Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny,
Also, something we’ve used for laundry is adding baking soda and vinegar to the wash to get smells out of laundry that just wouldn’t let go (baby laundry). You could try one of those- if you put both in there, you’ll have a volcano effect but maybe just try a little baking soda water paste? My mom used to buy the big pickle jars too and always reused them for holding crackers, pasta…
@caroline garner,
Really should not use vinegar on baby stuff – vinegar messes up with pH level of skin
@Julia,
really? I’ve never heard that before. Even when it goes through the rinse and an extra rinse cycle? Thanks for that advice.
@Julia, You can safely use vinegar on baby clothes or any other clothes for sensitive skin. The way to keep the PH correct is to use baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the rinse with an extra rinse. VERY VERY SAFE and most baby diaper makers reccomend this as a softener.
@Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny,
Maybe it’s the metal lid that is retaining the pickle smell?
@Cricket @ Thrifty Texas Penny,
i agree that pickles leave an odor in the jars that they come in. maybe if after you use them and leave the top off for a considerable length of time the odor will go away, but i still have pickle smell in my bottles too!
@rere, I don’t think it is the glass, but rather the lid and the plastic lining in some lids that are in fact holding the odor. 🙂
You mentioned labeling with dry erase markers…
Do you just take that off with rubbing alcohol when your switching whats inside?
This is a great post by the way!!
@Marta, Most of the time I’ve been able to get the words off with just water and a rag–but rubbing alcohol would work just fine!
Phoebe @ GettingFreedom´s last blog post ..Oriental Noodles
We reuse our pickle jars too. I do not have a problem with the smell either. We usually wash it and then let it air dry and it is ready to go without any extra smell. There is a part of me that wishes we went through the pickles a little faster since I have so many things I want to store in them and I am to frugal to go out and purchase jars. LOL
I’m trying to move away from plastic as much as possible, b/c nobody really knows how much leaching is happening with various foods and drinks.
Also, glass is way easier to clean if you wash dishes by hand, as I do. I need to use a ton of soap to get grease/oil out of plastic compared to what I need to wash an equivalently dirty glass dish.
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I LOVE glass. I just re-did all of my storage over to glass jars. It looks prettier and they are all a nice, uniform size and shape.
We switched over to glass for leftover storage a while ago – the idea of what may have been getting into our food was decidedly unpleasant! I also love that I can take a glass container out of the fridge and put it into the toaster over to re-heat stuff – avoids the microwave altogether!
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