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I tend to use the "bowl with a plate on it" method of food storage for the short term - goes straight to the microwave without extra dishes to wash!

I love the newer Pyrex with the heavy duty plastic lids. Safe for the microwave, and because the lid is secure, it is easy to bring to work than containers with glass containers and glass lids.

The best thing about Pyrex is that it is virtually indestructible -- and I am HARD on things.

Here is a link to Amazon.com, where I buy them:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-0237600-3491647?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pyrex&x=0&y=0

Why does running it through the dishwasher matter? (I've often wondered this.) Doesn't it finish leaching after you take it out, and before you put food into it?

I recycled all of my plastic storage containers long ago, and not because I was worried about leaching (I didn't know any better back then), but because the nature of the foods I made led to impossible-to-clean tupperware. I do a lot of ethnic cooking, and the foods would inevitably leave a film of oil or sauce on the plastic--and those weren't even reheated! I've switched to glass storage pieces from Crate Barrel that are nice and cheap, but sturdy, with small plastic lids that can easily be removed for microwaving. They're awesome.

I bought the crate and barrel containers almost a decade ago (!) at the outlet and use them all the time. Given how long they've lasted, they were definitely worth the investment. They come in several sizes as well.

I found similar fridge dishes (to the crate and barrel example) at Cost Plus World Market - quite a bit cheaper than C&B - and they stack together nicely too.

I switched to glass last summer. Fridge looks better too.

Isn't it funny with all of our advancements we end up going back to the old way - because there was really nothing wrong with it - PLUS the design was much better.

Form AND function- that's the way to go!

You can also find glass pyrex containers on Amazon for a much better price.

I went the thrift store pyrex route when I decided I no longer wanted to use plastic containers for storing and heating food. I now have all kinds, sizes, colours, patterns, and shapes with lids for precious little cash. Now I store my food in the fridge in them, microwave them, and then just eat of the container. I'm still trying to figure out how to transport food (I'm thinking my vintage vacuum thermoses or a we;ll'seled canning jar) might be the way to go, but there are a few options.

I'm going to have to be the one dissenting voice here.

I never liked the glass containers because they're heavy and therefore more likely to be dropped -- even if they themselves don't break, that doesn't mean that whatever they inevitably land on won't break (tile, anyone? chipped countertops?) Also, they're usually made of a pretty thick glass, meaning they take up a lot of precious fridge space without providing a lot of storage. Those are 2 pretty big negatives right there.

The final blow however, is related to pack lunches, which i make a LOT of. The plastic containers are great because they go straight from freezer to microwave, and they stack easily and store away. What do all you glass-container users use for lunches?

And yes, i know about BPA leeching... without a better option at this point, i'm looking the other way and repeating to myself "its still uncertain if its dangerous or not..." Sigh.

Those are my Pyrex fridge dishes! Love them, love them. Of course, my taste definitely skews vintage.

When the Pyrexes are too small, though, I use canning jars (as you suggested, dailyethnography). So much better for the planet than disposables, yes? Thanks for posting.

I use glass now too, mostly mason jars for soups & stews, that's all I usually have leftovers for...and I bring them to work with no problem, just a bit heavier.

I've been stockpiling these for months now, fearing that C&B would pull them from the shelves with a more expensive version. Well, by stockpiling I mean that I've purchased six. Thumbs up!

I drop things and have to haul my lunch on the bus to work. I'll stick to plastics, thanks. Especially since I actually like my food cold, not reheated. Unless it's been frozen, which you shouldn't actually do in glass.

I use the square/rectangular pyrex containers, which stack nicely and have blue lids, bought mine at target for a good price (bonus -- made in the USA). I also use a set of glass bowls (a large set from big mixing bowl to tiny prep bowls) from ARC of France that have plastic lids. They are all durable, but do hurt when dropped on my foot; however plastic tubs, full of food also hurt when dropped. My husband uses them for his lunches with no problems as needed. Also, they pyrex glass storage containers are just fine for freezing, even says so on the box, and mine get lots of use in the freezer.

I take my pyrex to work all the time - it fits nicely in my insulated lunch bag (bought from Target). I like that I can freeze my lunches ahead of time and just pull them out and go.

I dont take huge multi dish lunches so weight hasnt been an issue for me. I rarely have more than two pyrex dishes in my lunch bag.

Joan A. --Running the cheap plastic stuff through the dishwasher helps it breakdown faster b/c of the high heat thereby accelerating the process of plastic leaching into your food.

mh330 --I don't drop my glass containers any more than I drop my plastic ones (or any of my dishes for that matter) and I would characterize myself as a klutz. I also take the bus or bike to work; packing my lunch in glass is not that much heavier than plastic and no less cumbersome. I use the Pyrex with the tight-fitting plastic lids, which have a much tighter seal than any plastic ones I've had and I don't have to worry about the top popping off in transit (or on transit --lol). My glass containers do not take up any more room in the fridge than plastic, they come in multiple sizes, I can stack them and nest them for storage, food doesn't stick to them (ditto lostinprojection), and I tend not to lose them or leave them places b/c they cost more to replace.

Tiamat_the_Red --You can freeze in glass just make sure you leave enough room for the food to expand when it freezes. It won't expand out, thereby breaking the glass, if it has room to expand upward.

One more thing: the Pyrex can go from oven to table and into the fridge or freezer. Talk about one pot dinners!

cantabrigian1 - Thanks for the explanation.

regarding the Pyrex with the plastic lids ... don't the lids "leach" BPA's also? I guess it would be less than a plastic bowl/plastic lid ... but, still a problem, no?

for kiddos -
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/green-ideas/look-reusable-sandwich-wrap-tutorial-050317

Thanks for all the ideas guys, I just switched to glass as well.

I have my grandmothers pyrex containers from the 60's with the glass lids and I love them! They are great for leftovers and I just rubberband them when I take them to work. I don't know how many times I have dropped them and haven't broken one yet. Using mason jars, is a great Idea! I plan to start doing that right away, what a great way to travel with my morning smoothy.
I would like to know a greener way to store food in the freezer, I rarely freeze anything other that soups, which I put in ziploc bags and freeze flat.

If the plastic lid doesn't touch your food (much), it can't leach much into it.

I have some glass bowls of various sizes from Bodum that have matching tight-fitting lids, but the company stopped making the small size a few years ago, so I only have one lunch-size bowl left (dumb hot-to-cold errors). I've picked up some of the new-ish rectangular pyrex containers, but find them less lovely to eat from. I reuse commercial glass jars to store stuff in the fridge that isn't going to leave the house.

As to weight: I'm fanatical about not carrying heavy things, so if I'm willing to carry this container, it can't be that bad!

kgoodman80: Is it possible to can the soups, e.g. in 500mL jars, instead of freezing them? Or freeze them in jars instead of bags?

Oh - and is BPA usually present in the softer, flexible lid plastic? I thought I remembered something relating it to the stiff, hard plastics.

Martha Stewart has some great glass storage containers at Kmart too for those who are in smaller towns. There's some nice sizes for individual soups to take to work etc. You can also find great deals on Mason and Ball jars at grocery stores which are great for soups and liquidy things.

You can be really cheap like me and reuse glass food jars and their lids, like Bon Maman jelly jars, etc. I will make oatmeal, put it in the jars, leave some space on the top and heat up, add fruit, yogurt on top and have a one dish breakfast. Soup and other stuff like that works, too.

I've recycled all our plastic containers and use glass refrigerator containers (eBay) and old jars for food storage. For bag lunches, I use a stainless steel container like the ones traditionally used in India called a tiffin. It's a set of nesting stainless bowls with a lid and a locking mechanism to keep them sealed. It's convenient to carry, and you can even eat straight from the bowl, if you like.

I'd like to get a Japanese bento box made of true lacquer (as opposed to the plastic commonly used today), but these are hard to find. Unless you want to spend upwards of $100 on an antique. Ah well, a girl can dream.

I solved my leftover problem. I don't save leftovers any longer. Also recylced the plastic containers I used to use. I cook what is needed for a meal and if there's anything left . . . doesn't happen often enough to mention!!

to mh330, and anyone else who likes scientific evidence,

I, too, have been very skeptical about the whole "plastics are bad for us thing". I felt that it was just another thing that people were getting hyped up about.

Then my co-worker, who reads discover magazine and is also a healthy skeptic like me, passed on the following article. I am pregnant with a second boy, and the article specifically discussed this. I recommend it if you want to do some separating of fact vs. fiction.

In a nutshell, the article DID say that there is still a long way to go in collecting real data about the risks of BPA and phthalates. However, it made some very specific claims about the 2 chemicals, and who is most at risk, etc. and the risk suddenly became a lot more real to me.

Here is the link:

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/18-the-dirty-truth-about-plastic/?searchterm=BPA

I hope I am not sounding preachy to anyone. It's hard to know these days what is real and what it hype.

Does anyone know of any problems microwaving vintage Pyrex? I have accumulated a small collection but want to make sure there aren't any safety issues - I think most of what I have is from the 60s and 70s.

I am slowly changing out our plastic storage to glass. I have held onto a few plastic containers that are the non-BPA plastics (recycling codes 1, 2 and 5 IIRC), but mostly I use the Pyrex or our regular dinnerware with foil or Press n' Seal on top. That Press n' Seal is really a hard habit to break, and I'm guessing it's probably in the Evil category as well.

More than the issue of the plastic lids on glass containers coming into physical contact with foods is the issue of off-gassing. For this reason, it's not a good idea to put your plastic-lidded glass containers in the microwave.

I use the Frigovere glass containers with plastic lids and the Martha Stewart glass containers with plastic lids, but I never put the lids in the microwave. I probably shouldn't use those containers at all, but I've got a ton of them so I'll keep using them for at least a little while longer.

Of course glass is better than plastic. But is buying a new product from CB better than buying second hand? Weigh the environmental cost of energy spent to create the new products versus shipping the product. It seems to me that overall, even if it costs more, buying second hand via ebay or wherever is better. Also keep in mind that you can buy second hand pyrex, fireking, and federal milk products at most vintage household goods stores - and usually much less than the price CB is asking.