This worked for us as well. We standardized on three, actually, bcs I do use big ones now and then.

But then, we started keeping a different size....

backsliding, lol!

oh, and each size needs to be the same brand (no mismatched lids!)

This post was edited by Violet.West on Tue, Sep 16, 14 at 18:53

Now that salads and veggies and fruits and all manner of food are sold in rather handy resealable (disposable) plastic containers, I find that I need plastic storage things a lot less in general. We have also moved down to two sizes, but in truth, there is one container that I now prefer, Versaglass from Ziplock. We can microwave in it, it fits in lunch boxes, and the bright orange lid is easy to spot in the fridge. Plus they stack nicely. The lids are very well made.

It cost about $7 or so at Target. I've also seen it at Walmart and in regular grocery stores too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Versaglass 25 ounces container.

glass containers are really great, and I have a few. I particularly like the ones that are retro all glass -- not great for take alongs, though.

I store those separately from the plastic ones, and they don't seem to be a problem.

Although I have a good amount of well-organized plastic storage containers (I'm from the Tupperware Party generation ;-), I use canning jars for much of my food storage - 1/2-pints, pints, quarts and 1/2-gallon sizes.

I vacuum-seal the lids on canning jars with my FoodSaver using a canning lid or a FoodSaver Universal Lid, which means no pantry pests in dry goods due to the oxygen-free environment, and foods stored this way will stay fresher and last longer. Glass doesn't absorb oils from foods or retain odors like plastic does. I use a wide variety of freeze-dried foods so this method of storage is great each time I open a #10 can. I can repackage the food in user-friendly size jars and just vacuum-seal them shut until I need to move them from the food storage room in the basement to the kitchen for use.

Fresh salad greens keep longer vacuum-sealed and stored in the refrigerator. I make salads for a week and vacuum-seal them in jars in the refrigerator. When hubby takes a salad to work for lunch in a pint jar, he inserts a recycled plastic container from an individual tub of applesauce into the top of the jar (fits perfectly in a wide-mouth jar) and puts dressing in the plastic tub, then places a plastic screw-on lid on the jar.

There are plastic lids available for canning jars now, so you don't have to use the metal lid and ring, as well as a plastic lid with a flip-top spout for pouring I really like. I recycle the flip-top lids from dry Parmesan &/or Romano cheese (one side for spooning from and the other side for sprinkling). These lids fit on regular-size canning jars (not wide-mouth) and are handy for things like baking soda, which I purchase in bulk and keep a user-friendly amount in a pint jar in the baking cabinet. I also pre-mill flaxseed and chia seeds and keep a pint jar in the freezer covered with one of these lids. It makes it easy to flip the lid for spooning from.

I have some decorative jelly jars I keep spices in (also purchased in bulk). If I don't use the spice frequently I can place a vacuum-sealed lid on it for longer storage, or put a recycled flip-top lid from the dry cheese product for quick access of things I use frequently.

I spray painted the top of canning lids with chalkboard paint and they are fun to use in the pantry for marking the contents. Use chalk or (liquid) chalk markers to mark the lid. I've maximized some storage space in the pantry by laying quart jars with dry goods like lentils, beans, rice, etc., in them on their side on a narrow shelf, with the chalkboard lids showing the jar contents facing the front of the shelf.

I also have a good selection of Pyrex glass containers (in 3 sizes) with plastic lids we use daily for leftovers for the refrigerator or freezer. They stack nicely, can be placed in the freezer, and the food can be heated in the oven/toaster oven or microwave. Hubby takes them to work in his lunch and can reheat leftovers in the microwave. I store portions of leftovers in the freezer in Pyrex containers for his (or my) lunch choices.

I do have a tip for anyone who needs to separate food in storage containers....(pancakes, pre-cut quick breads, etc.). I was given two packages of plastic cutting boards that I never really used (each package had 4 cutting boards in different colors in it). With my old-fashioned guillotine paper cutter, I cut the plastic sheets into sizes that fit in my plastic containers. Now those tuna patties, black bean patties, pancakes/waffles, slices of homemade gluten-free bread, etc., never stick together. I was using squares of freezer paper for this, but the plastic cutting board works much better and can be reused.

-Grainlady

Oooh, I love that idea for cutting down the plastic cutting sheets!

And especially for you, grainlady, with your aggressive and detailed food storage plan (which must save you a ton--it was quite revolutionary for me to realize that buying chicken on sale half off and freezing it means you've nearly doubled your money).

It would be great for anyone who premakes hamburger patties, or freezes rolls, etc., regularly.

This post was edited by talley_sue_nyc on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 11:33

wow, grainlady -- that's a very clever and thorough system. And seems far too complicated for my needs.

Grainlady- I love reading your posts. Thank you for great information. Here's a question I hope you (and anyone else out there) can weigh in on.

If you were just starting out and buying a Food Savor, what model and accessories would you buy? We are moving into a new home and will have an upright freezer and good pantry space, so I plan on buying in bulk.

Thanks for sharing your insights!

Ohh, I don't use those anymore. I bought some for dry cereal because I had some kind of beetle in my pantry. They were fine for a while....then I opened one and you wouldn't believe how bad it smelled. It was not old cereal, dry cereal should never smell. I don't use plastic any more, only glass. I buy square glass storage bowls because they stack better without any wasted space.

TamaraTomNC-

I started using a FoodSaver when I got serious about home food storage in 1986, so you can see I'm sold on them. My first one was a demo. model purchased for a discounted price, and I've owned a total of 4 FoodSavers over the years (#3 and #4 are still working).

Each one have done the same general functions, but they all had some differences - including style, some held the bag and others didn't, slightly different ways to use or lock them, different sizes..... For me, less is best. All I need it to do is vacuum-seal the 2-sizes of bags and have a port (hole) for the hose so I can vacuum-seal jars using the jar sealer, and also use the Universal Lids (which come in two sizes and will fit on any rigid container with a smooth rim) which also requires the hose.

The models change so often I haven't been able to keep up with them, but they all seem to have the same basic function with a few bells and whistles coming and going as they change the models. "Bells and whistles" aren't always essential to the general function, and usually add to the cost. My last FoodSaver cost $49 at Tuesday Morning and came with 3 canisters, hose and jar sealer, as well as rolls of bags and some pre-cut bags. That's also where I purchased many canisters at 1/2-price, although I generally use glass canning jars over plastic canisters.

Canisters and/or jars are essential for storing food that would get crushed or fuse together in bags - including chocolate chips, marshmallows, coconut, freeze-dried foods, crispy dry foods like crackers, cereal, pasta, etc. Some foods need to remain free-flowing. If you decide to vacuum-seal flour, for instance, it needs to be in a canister or jar in order to remain free-flowing. If you vacuum-seal it in a bag, there is enough moisture in flour that it can smell moldy after being in storage, and possibly develop a dangerous aflatoxin fungus, if you store it by vacuum-sealing it in a bag.

I am on the electronic mailing list at FoodSaver and would suggest you join because they often have specials on the rolls of bags and you can get a lot of information from the site. You can find any number of videos on-line of people using a FoodSaver, but I will caution you that every way people use them isn't always a food safe use. Food stored at room temperature needs to have 10% moisture, or less, or it can develop bacteria. I never vacuum-seal brown sugar because it can develop bacteria from the moisture.

FoodSavers function best if you can have it out and ready-to-use. If you have to store it away, you'll never use it as much. In our currant home I have it on a baker's rack next to the refrigerator. I have the bags and other accessories in a pretty basket on one of the lower shelves, along with a Sharpie for marking bags, and a pair of scissors for cutting the bags, adhesive labels for jars, etc. I also have a basket with a selection of empty canning jars in it, along with canning lids and FoodSaver Universal Lids. A small rolling cart was used in another home.

If you check the COOKING forum, there are a lot of discussions about FoodSavers with lots of ideas about how to use them.

You can also vacuum-seal jars by using Oxygen Absorbers, if you want another option.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, thank you for such a thorough response. I really appreciate it, and it's great to know I don't need to spend a fortune to get what I need.