New Reusable Plastic Food Containers

I've stopped buying disposable microwavable containers. I used to buy them a lot to store our leftovers. A long time ago (when they just started to appear in supermarket aisles) those clear plastic containers can last for months. Sometimes even years if you take good care of them. It would take a lot of usage and a lot of nuking in the microwave before it breaks and cracks. Sometimes they just start to disappear in the cupboard because we’re using it to store take away food for guests when hosting parties at home. 

But that has changed. I bought them. I used them. But it wouldn’t last anymore. I’m practically annoyed to find the lids barely closing to seal the food properly. And I don’t like it when it happens. Because it means one thing. Food spoilage. Food contamination. Uh-oh. Never a good thing. Not in my household. Even if I buy those with brand names, they are all the same. They just break so easily now. They are living on its name - disposable. 

So I started a hobby (lolz) of buying different brands of plastic food containers to see which one would last. To find which I would be able to replace my disposable microwavable container with. After a couple of years of hunting and experimenting, I’m happy to report that I have found them. Yippee!!!

Behold my new containers . . .

 . . .  reusable plastic containers

stack 'em up . . .

Errr, I know they are pretty ordinary. But they serve the purpose. And most importantly, they are cheap. Php20 each from a local seller in the market. These are being sold at Robinson supermarket for Php28. That is a really big mark up, Robinsons!!! Imagine if I buy 10 pieces then that’s a Php80 difference! I guess the price can even be less if I buy in Divisoria or Baclaran (Update, update!!! I was wrong. It's still cheaper at the palengke). 

 . . .  brand spanking new

My point now is really, plastic is cheap. There is really no point in buying expensive plastic ware (Hello Lock&Lock!). Unless they’re on sale, then ibang usapan na yan because eventually they will all break. What I’m trying to say is you get what you pay for. I’m not expecting them to last forever. Duh, nothing lasts forever, okay? 

So let’s make a comparison: 

Microwaveable container 

Price: Varies depending on brand but average would be Php10 each. 

Life span: 1 month or less before the lid started to loosen up and crack.

High end containers 

Price: Varies depending on brand. But for the purpose of this blog post and me being the cheapskate, let's consider a higher end/branded container that was on sale. Probably between Php50-200.

Life span: After 2-3 months of usage, lids still intact and no crack but discoloration/scratches started to appear.

My new plastic container 

Price: Php20 for 250ml, Php30 for 500ml and Php40 for 1 Liter

Life span: After 2 months of usage, the lid is still intact with a little discoloration and scratches. Another 1 or 2 months of usage and some of the lids started to crack but still usable.

pile 'em up . . .

Can you see the difference?

With just a few more bucks from the disposable kinds, these are (if not) close to pwede na for our leftover storage containers. 

I guess those high end/branded plastic containers you pay for the design, quality and of course the name of the brand. Still, it’s not susceptible to breakage. 

In my opinion, these new containers I got were so sulit and I love them!