Food storage and thrifty ways to achieve it. I haven't bought clingfilm or freezer bags for more than 20 years. The only times I've ever bought ziplock bags was when we needed them for the rare occasion when we fly....these are then washed out and used until they're no longer fit for purpose [then recycled]. This is just what I do...gnat bottomed by name gnat bottomed by nature😁
I've found that the bags which house breakfast cereal make fabulous freezer bags [they're also good for separating burgers when you want to freeze them and not have them end up in one big lump]. They're sturdy and keep the contents from going dry. When it comes to securing the top I have some bag ties, but I also keep the ties which come with the coffee bags, bits of stray garden wire, clothes pegs and even cutting the top of the plastic bag and then wrapping it round the neck works.
Clingfilm. If I have to wrap something then I use foil and then, as every other thrifty person I know, clean it and fold for reuse. Otherwise I use the old fashioned method of putting a plate over a bowl in the fridge or turning half an onion cut side down on a saucer. Besides a couple of plastic lunchboxes I bought from the charity shop anything else gets put in a lidded margarine pot. Before we went away on holiday I finally sussed that I could freeze my leftover milk in marg pots without any worry of them splitting and leaking which had been my concern with storing bottles on their side in the freezer drawer. Just don't overfill them. I've read about people using glass containers in their freezer, but it's not something I'm keen to try.
Ziplock bags...despite my family's eyerolling 😆 those zipper bags which cheese comes in make a good alternative. Again once they've conked out they go for recycling [in the soft plastics in the supermarket or in my case through the scheme our local green group runs].
Hope there might be something of help there. Please feel free to add in any more tips in the comments. There's strength in numbers and mutual support.
Arilx
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I think you and G were tipped out of side by side molds. F washes and reuses plastic bags (lumps of feta are packaged in stout bags here and it seems to be the only way to get the dripping stuff home unless you buy your own whole 10kg tin of the stuff.), she puts fridge and freezer food in 1kg yoghurt tubs. We haven't tried freezing milk yet but I can see that being tried. She froze some egg whites once (without label) then mistook the lot for lemon juice when she was making marmalade! We never did find out if thawed eggwhites work like fresh ones for what they are meant to be used for.
ReplyDeleteI defrosted cooked rhubarb once thinking it was mince. Got quite a shock I can tell you! Arilx
Deletegreat ideas - I'll be using the cereal bag suggestion. Mind you we buy far too many Chinese takeaways and have dozens of their plastic boxes which we use to freeze things in until they stop being useful - hopefully they (the takeaway places) will soon start using recyclable cartons.
ReplyDeleteI hoard takeaway boxes too. We don't buy them very often now so my stockpile is diminishing! Arilx
DeleteI used to buy my semi-skimmed milk in 2 pint plastic bottles and grit my teeth because it seemed quite expensive compared to the 4 pint bottle. Then - brainwave . . . I now buy a 4 pint bottle of WHOLE milk, divide the milk between 2 half pint bottle, and top each one up with water, leaving a little gap for expansion. Result - 2 bottles of semi-skimmed milk at bargain prices. They freeze very well !!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good idea which I am going to shamelessly pinch!
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