Food storage - preventing the carnage cupboard

[ScaryM0nster]

We have a cupboard that’s an absolute disaster zone of mixed lids and boxes. That are slightly different shapes so not interchangeable. That don’t stack, so take up a totally ridiculous amount of space.

Has anyone found the nirvana of boxes that:
Nest properly when not in use.
Stack sensibly when in use.
Seal well enough to use for sloppy stuff to be carried slightly wonky to / from the fridge (doesn’t need to be upside down in a bag all day proof).

I’m ok with lids not nesting. Also ok with different sizes not nesting and having different lids. If such a thing exists I’ll buy 8 in each size and bin everything else from the cupboard, and save my sanity.

I do not. Repeat. Do. Not. Want the ones where 6 different sizes nest inside each other like some hellish Russian doll take on Tupperware.

Help. Please.

We bought sets of boxes from Poundland and they are pretty robust.

I ended up throwing out the lot and buying 10 Chinese takeaway-style containers with lids.

I have the type that restaurants use, circular tubs, there is short medium and tall and they all use the same size lid. Got them from Amazon. They just dont work for anything that is wide and you want to maintain how it looks iyswim. Then when they get too manky I move them to my cleaning and painting or storing craft supplies containers

I use something like this set (you can get them cheaper in supermarkets). I store them in a drawer without the lids on when not in use.

i think the trick is to get rid of mismatching sets and just use one set, then it’s easy to find the right lids!

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-airtight-plastic-kitchen-storage-container-set-of-10-clear-blue/p6336382?s_ppc=2dx_mixed_home_BAU&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2el1yUCP3u47P_6XG5XXcxLwnm3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtpLABhC7ARIsALBOCVqI-BfjpL8n8ICdpAxdCQGikOjtIKA4Qi-MKd8EtB3KwFT3oE8cx18aApfAEALw_wcB

These aren’t exactly what I have - lids are different. They stack.

The Pyrex is good as it doesn’t stain from tomato/curry sauces, and doesn’t take on a taint from the dishwasher.

www.amazon.co.uk/Pyrex®-Rectangular-Storage-Airtight-Waterproof/dp/B08283G4JR/ref=sr_1_20_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kh5N4LAYx81HtA5AmRjQMJZSlm3tDV26yGMxIVFcBSiZdxmunzWeaINYY1xejmXxWEMLudaRl-IU50PJ55mklzGGrgssUlvgbLfPib3CnR_1IgwaN3pCm3OFSW68z_aogHoLLGWLyCgKDp3_WLcl6h7eSGooZkECl709vauOieBwqu_kz36dqAMoXYlHL52bMRXLdIwcGWduPXjptmAOvXo1aJlztG-zJGesFp0jxftMWPNdcUVqDMyJ4t24MLeU4JMotdkjmLY0tT5QhQxqpRg128gFV9tjO4kF3Swn_VQ.lLYwYwNJ4JDYR-cN_1H5DSeo-p3VujS3eAzQLo0W1bU&dib_tag=se&keywords=pyrex+dish+with+lid&qid=1745214402&sr=8-20-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

I have a mixture of Systema microwaveable pots as the lids click on properly with latches on the side and glass pots with interchangeable lids I got on Amazon (Igluu). Think the really cheapo stuff is not worth it - PFAs and losing skinny little lids. I imagine the plastic starts to deteriorate pretty quickly with those takeaway pots if repeatedly used.

No, but I store the cornucopia of boxes that we do have with their lids on. This takes up more space but is much easier.

I actually went from approx 120 boxes with detached lids to 18 boxes with lids on and I haven't missed the 100 we threw away at all.

I only have rectangle boxes. Some are bought years ago, most are the sturdier takeaway cartons. They’re as good as the bought ones. They all stack. I stand the lids upright in an old plastic ice cream container.

These are my current problem.

They don’t stack inside each other nicely when empty, you have to do the Russian dolls thing, and they’re all slightly different so the lids are matching hell.

And it’s only about two of the 6 sizes in the set that get much use.

But thank you for the suggestion.

I tried this for a while, however they’ve been really variable on their dishwasher life and the local
takeaways seem to use marginally different sized boxes.

If I could find a multipack of them
that knew dishwashered well that would be ideal. It’s that kind of stacking when empty that I’m looking for.

Thanks.

I should have added not glass. Carpal tunnel syndrome and hard tiled floor makes glass too ‘exciting’.

i just bought a set of empty takeaway type boxes from our local kitchen shop. 20 of them, they stack, fit most things, and are dishwasher safe. I chuck them when they crack.

I had this problem. I sorted them out and chucked any without matching lids. I then put the kids on and stacked them neatly. Then it's just a matter of keeping on top of it and not putting stuff away without lids on.

IKEA 365 might be the answer here. You can then just buy extra lids if you need to - often it's the lids that break first. And you'd get clippy lids.

I think buying a pack of 20/30 cheap commercial ones is quite a good model. I think they dishwash really well for what they are, but you need to think of them as semi-disposable and be prepared to chuck when they get misshapen. If that's going to wind you up don't do it.

Oh and if you have the option, keeping them in a drawer rather than a cupboard helps a lot.

I just match the boxes with the lids as they're cleaned so even though we have different ones it doesn't matter as they are ready to go as soon as you take them out.

We've recently instigated a 'rectangle boxes only' policy due to reduced freezer space, but previously what worked was to buy and eat lots of 1 litre round tubs of Mackie's ice cream.

Clippy lids are the way to go, I walk to work and wouldn't trust any other type bouncing about in my bag!
Asdas are pretty good and cheap also tkmaxx has quite a few in, the other day they had metal ones you can microwave but unsure if they were clippy or not.

I use glass now, but what has really helped with storage is keeping only two sizes and storing them with their lids on in a drawer.
You can get drawer inserts for your cupboards if you don’t have a suitable drawer to use.

If it’s helps, you get 2litre tubs of mackies in rectangles.

Yes, we do use those for storing big family-sized portions of chilli etc., but they take ages to defrost and since freezer space is at a premium it's not ideal to have 2 litres of the same flavour ice cream in there either. I might write to Mackie's and suggest they make their small tubs square.

I use a lot of the Ikea 365 glass containers. They don't cost very much, they are oven/freezer/microwave/dishwasher safe. They have different types of lids for different uses. They stack reasonably well when the clip lid is on, but don't stack all that well when empty (so fail on that point for you).

Another vote for Ikea 365+. We have these shallow ones and also some deeper ones which have the same size lids, and stack nicely when empty. I like glass, DH likes plastic, but they use the same lids so even better for us. Think they also do rectangular ones. I think they stack really easily, but concede that they take up a lot of height stacked.

We still have some random ones that have survived, somehow. DD likes using them for her dolls so for now they live another day but every so often they end up back in the Tupperware cupboard 😬.

Do these ones stack inside each other empty?

If they do, that might be exactly what I’m after.

fingers crossed.

@ScaryM0nster just edited my post because I hadn’t included that! Yes, they stack when empty but they don’t completely go inside each other in the same way that empty takeaway containers do, for example.

Ooooo I looked at the last picture (of them stacked) and my heart did a little flutter 😍 I am normal, right?