This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 10:56 am and is filed under Food Storage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Empty margarine tubs, sour cream containers, and other plastic boxes and bowls have been known to end up in refrigerators and freezers as holders of leftovers and food storage items. There is nothing too wrong with this as long as they are used wisely.
There are, however, a couple of things that should be kept in mind.
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These containers were not designed for long term storage. As they age they are more prone to cracking and breaking and otherwise disintegrating.
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They may not be microwave safe. It is so tempting to take those leftovers from the refrigerator and then pop them, with the container holding them , into the microwave for heating and serving. Withstand the temptation. There is a very real chance that harmful chemicals may be released from the plastic as it is struck by those microwaves. Manufacturers did not design them for microwave use , and they have probably not been tested for such usage.
That microwave tub may be “free”, but if you need something that is freezer, dishwasher or microwave safe, it may be better to make a modest investment in a food storage container that has been designed to be a food storage container.