From a loaf wrapped in linen to herbs standing in a jar of water, some of the simplest ways to keep food fresh are also among the oldest. Discover practical ways to store food without plastic, helping ingredients last longer while cutting down on waste.
Plastic has found its way into almost every corner of the modern kitchen. We wrap sandwiches in it, cover bowls with it and use it to keep everything from half an onion to last night’s supper fresh.
It’s convenient, but it isn’t always necessary. Long before plastic boxes and rolls of cling film filled our cupboards, people relied on glass jars, cloth, paper, cool larders and well-ventilated baskets to preserve food and make the most of what they had.
Many of these simple ideas still work remarkably well today. Bringing a few of them back into the kitchen can help reduce our reliance on single-use plastic and, just as importantly, keep food at its best for longer.
Why use less plastic in the kitchen?
Plastic can be useful and durable, so there’s little sense in throwing away containers that still have plenty of life in them. But when something does need replacing, choosing a reusable alternative can gradually reduce the amount of new plastic coming into the home.
This matters because plastic can remain in the environment for a very long time. As larger pieces break down, they can form tiny fragments known as microplastics, which have been found in water, soil and ecosystems around the world.
Reducing plastic needn’t mean buying a cupboardful of new storage containers. In fact, some of the most useful alternatives may already be in your kitchen: an empty jam jar, an old tea towel, a breadbin or a basket tucked away in a cupboard.
The best place to begin is with what you already have.
10 ways to store food without plastic
1. Treat fresh herbs like flowers
A bunch of parsley or mint can quickly droop when forgotten at the back of the fridge. Giving freshly cut herbs a little water can help them stay lively for longer.
Trim the ends of the stems and stand the bunch in a jar with a few centimetres of water. Depending on the herb, it can then be kept somewhere cool or in the fridge. Change the water regularly and remove any leaves that begin to spoil.
Parsley, coriander and mint respond particularly well to this treatment. Basil is a little different: it dislikes the cold and is generally happier on a kitchen worktop, away from strong sunlight.
As well as helping herbs last longer, keeping them where you can see them makes it rather more likely that they’ll find their way into supper instead of the compost bin.
2. Wrap leafy greens in a tea towel
Leafy vegetables need moisture to remain crisp, but too much can hasten decay. A clean cotton cloth or tea towel can help create the right balance.
Wash lettuce and other salad leaves if needed, then dry them well. Wrap them loosely in a clean tea towel before placing them in the salad drawer of the fridge.
The cloth absorbs excess moisture without sealing the leaves inside an airtight environment. Check it occasionally and replace it if it becomes very damp.
The same idea can be used for spinach, chard and other leafy greens.
3. Give old glass jars another life
There’s good reason generations of kitchen shelves have been lined with jars. Glass is hard-wearing, easy to clean and, importantly, lets you see exactly what you have.
Washed jam, pickle and sauce jars can be reused for dried beans, grains, seeds, homemade dressings and all manner of leftovers. Larger glass containers are useful for cooked food once it has cooled sufficiently.
Being able to see the contents has another advantage: forgotten leftovers are harder to overlook when they aren’t hidden inside an opaque box.
Not every jar is suitable for freezing or heating, however, so check that the glass is designed for the job before exposing it to very high or low temperatures.
4. Cover bowls with beeswax wraps
Beeswax wraps offer a reusable alternative to cling film for many everyday jobs. Made from cloth coated with beeswax, they soften slightly with the warmth of your hands and can be moulded around bowls, cheese, bread and cut fruit or vegetables.
Afterwards, wash them gently in cool water with a little mild soap and leave them to air dry. Hot water should be avoided as it can melt the wax.
With care, a wrap can be used many times before it needs refreshing or replacing. They’re best kept for foods that can be safely stored without a completely airtight seal and shouldn’t be used for raw meat or fish.
5. Wrap cheese in paper
Cheese is a living, changing food, and tightly wrapping it in plastic can trap moisture against its surface.
Waxed or purpose-made cheese paper offers an alternative, allowing the cheese a little protection without enclosing it too tightly. Once wrapped, keep it in an appropriate part of the fridge, ideally inside a container or cheese drawer to prevent it from drying out.
For hard cheeses in particular, this can help preserve both texture and flavour.
If you’re using ordinary baking parchment, bear in mind that not all parchment paper is compostable, so check the manufacturer’s guidance before putting it on the compost heap.
6. Freeze fruit in reusable containers
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to make the most of a glut, whether it’s summer berries from the garden or bananas ripening faster than they can be eaten.
Wash the fruit where appropriate and dry it thoroughly. Chop larger fruits into useful-sized pieces, then spread everything in a single layer on a tray. Once frozen, transfer the pieces to a freezer-safe glass or stainless-steel container.
Freezing the pieces separately first stops them forming one solid mass, so it’s easy to take a handful whenever you need it for porridge, baking, puddings or smoothies.
If using glass in the freezer, choose a container specifically designed for freezing and leave enough room for foods that expand.
7. Use a damp cloth for thirsty vegetables
Carrots, beetroot and some leafy vegetables can become limp as they lose moisture. A slightly damp cloth can help slow this process.
Dampen a clean cotton cloth, wring it out well and loosely wrap the vegetables before placing them in the fridge. The aim is to provide a little humidity rather than leave the vegetables wet.
Check them every few days, refreshing or replacing the cloth when necessary. Carrots that have already softened can sometimes be revived by standing them in cold water for a while before use.
8. Bring back the breadbin
There is something reassuringly simple about a breadbin. More importantly, it does a useful job.
Bread needs some protection from the air, but sealing it too tightly can trap moisture and encourage mould. Wrapping a loaf in linen or a clean cotton cloth before placing it in a wooden, metal or ceramic breadbin can provide a good middle ground.
Keep the breadbin somewhere cool and dry, away from the warmth of an oven or a sunny window.
Different loaves behave differently, of course. A crusty sourdough won’t keep in quite the same way as a soft sandwich loaf. If you have more bread than you’ll eat within a few days, freezing part of it while it’s fresh is often the best way to prevent waste.
9. Let onions and potatoes breathe
Not everything belongs in the fridge. Potatoes and onions prefer somewhere cool, dark and well ventilated.
A wicker basket, wooden crate or paper sack allows air to circulate while keeping light away. Potatoes exposed to light can turn green, so a dark cupboard, pantry or traditional larder is a better home for them than an open kitchen shelf.
Keep onions and potatoes apart. Storing them separately can help both keep for longer.
It’s worth checking your stores from time to time, too. Removing a sprouting onion or damaged potato early can prevent spoilage spreading to the rest.
10. Make use of stainless steel
For something light, sturdy and long-lasting, stainless-steel containers can be particularly useful. They work well for packed lunches, dry ingredients and many foods kept in the fridge.
Unlike glass, they won’t break if dropped, making them handy for picnics, days out and lunchboxes.
They can’t be used in a microwave, and not every stainless-steel container is designed for the freezer, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions. A well-made container, though, can remain part of the kitchen for many years.
Start with what you have
Creating a kitchen that relies less on plastic doesn’t require a wholesale clear-out. Throwing away perfectly serviceable plastic containers simply to replace them with new ones would rather miss the point.
Instead, use what you have for as long as it’s safe and practical to do so. When something reaches the end of its useful life, consider whether a glass jar, cloth bag, bowl and plate, breadbin or reusable container could take its place.
Look at what would otherwise be discarded, too. A sturdy jam jar can hold tomorrow’s lunch; an old cotton napkin can become a vegetable wrap; a basket can provide a dark, airy home for onions.
These are small changes, but that’s part of their appeal. They ask very little of us and make good use of familiar things. And in a kitchen where food is stored carefully, kept for longer and less readily forgotten, reducing plastic can go hand in hand with something equally worthwhile: wasting less of the food we bring home.
Further Reading: Winter Comfort Food – Casseroles and Stews, English Pudding Season, The Olio App – Reduce Food Waste, How to Shop Ethically, From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family, Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, How the Cost of Living Changed My Shopping List
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