Feast for Days
Leftovers are always a treat in the days after a delicious feast—and even better, they mean you have to make fewer meals that week. But in order to enjoy leftovers, they’ve got to be stored properly. While you probably already have a set of plastic storage containers on hand, nowadays there are a lot of other ingenious products that take up less space in the fridge, keep your food fresh, and are just fun. Whatever leftovers you're looking to store, BobVila.com has rounded up our favorite containers to hold them.
Food Huggers
Chances are some of your recipes will leave you with leftover sections of cut fruits and veggies. Keep them from turning brown and save a little space in the fridge while you're at it with Food Huggers. These silicone covers come in several sizes that fit around all sorts of produce to help keep it fresh. As a bonus, the stretchable covers can be used on cans and jars if the original lids go missing. Available on Amazon; $12.95 for a set of five.
Related: 11 Ways You're Accidentally Ruining Your Cookware
Save a Slice
It's hard to get upset about leftover pie, but if you have to deal with single slices of different varieties, it can be a creative challenge to wrap and store them. This smart storage solution lets you pack individual slices of different pies in one container, preserving freshness while keeping the taste of pumpkin off your cherry pie. Available on Amazon; $15.99.
Related: 11 Cheap Cures for a Cluttered Kitchen
Bubble Booster
So, you stocked up on two-liter bottles of soda, but then you ended up with a bunch of half-finished bottles that are going flat—fast. Don't just pour that soda—and your money—down the drain. Instead, try out the Fizz Keeper Pump and Pour, which can keep your carbonated drinks fresh for longer. Just replace the regular bottle cap with the Pump and Pour, squeeze it a few times, then flip the tab up whenever you need to pour some bubbly refreshment. Available at The Container Store; $4.99 each.
Related: 10 Kitchen Products That Will Last a Lifetime
Stretch to Stay Fresh
You know the struggle: When you're looking for a particular lid, you can find every size and variety except the one you actually need. Well, these silicone stretchable lids finally put an end to that tedious matching game. They stretch to seal any bowl or container—even those that aren’t perfect circles. Rather than transferring food from the serving bowl into a separate container, just stretch a lid over the bowl and pop it in the fridge. Think of the cleanup time you'll save! Available on Amazon; $15.87.
Related: 9 Ways You’re Loading the Dishwasher Wrong
That's a Wrap
For all its convenience, cling wrap is an imperfect storage solution. It sticks better to itself than it does to whatever you’re attempting to cover, and it just adds more waste to the landfill. A more eco-friendly and effective alternative is Bee’s Wrap, a cotton cloth that’s coated with beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin to help seal in freshness. It's designed to be used the same way as plastic wrap, but after it's done its job you simply rinse it with water and keep reusing it for up to a year. Available on Amazon; $18 for a pack of three.
Related: 13 Things Never to Put in the Microwave
Zip It
Ziplock bags don’t take up as much space as plastic containers, but they’re prone to leaks and they puncture easily, which means they're a bad choice for storing messy leftovers. (re)zip addresses that problem with their Reusable Zip Bags. Sturdier than regular plastic bags and equipped with a stronger seal, they work harder to hold liquids and more. The bottom of the bag lays flat when full, so the bags can sit upright in the fridge to make even more room. Available at Target; $19.99.
Related: 10 Low-Cost Cures for an Overstuffed Fridge
All-in-One
Between all the dishes you need for meal prep, serving food, and storing leftovers, you wind up with a lot to clean after a big dinner. Pyrex aims to solve that problem with its 19-piece bakeware set. The same dishes you use to cook your meal can also be used for serving and saving thanks to the dishes' large handles and snap-on lids. It's so genius you might just wonder why you didn't switch over to this time-saving solution sooner. Available at The Home Depot; $39.87.
Related: 10 Gadgets for Every Lazy Cook's Kitchen
Guac Lock
Avocados don’t come cheap these days, so a dollop of pre-dinner guac with chips should be seen as a treat. Unfortunately, guacamole tends to go brown fast when kept in an ordinary food storage container. Enter the Guac-Lock: This specially designed container promises to keep air out so your creamy green dip stays fresh—and looks fresh—for more than just a few hours. Available at The Container Store; $19.99.
Related: 14 Pantry Goods That Basically Never Expire
Better Bagels
So you overestimated how many bagels your family needed for brunch. Fortunately, if you wind up with extra bagels you can pop them into this nifty storage container without having to worry about them going stale; the air-tight case extends freshness for at least three extra days. The makers behind this smart storage also offer containers for donuts and muffins that all easily stack. Now you know what you're eating the next few mornings! Available on The Grommet; $12.95.
Great Greens
Saving leftover salad can seem futile. By the next day, even if it's probably still OK to eat, it's wilted and unappetizing. Switching from an ordinary food container to a produce saver could make all the difference. The Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide to create the optimum environment for fruits and veggies to last, and a moisture catcher elevates food above any water that collects at the bottom and that could cause food to go bad before its time. Available on Amazon; $21.75.
Related: 11 “Zero Dollar” Ways to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets
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