Chill out, you can have a plastic-free fridge!
...with these ingenious ways to help keep food fresh
WE PLOUGH our way through 800,000 tonnes of plastic food packaging in the UK every year — more than half of all household plastic waste.
So we’re all on the lookout for planetfriendly ways to store our food. Having relied on shrink-wrap and leakproof plastic containers for decades, though, it’s hard to imagine anything could be quite as convenient or efficient.
But, in fact, a mix of clever new products and trusted traditional methods could keep your food in even better condition than plastic.
You may not be able to change your fridge’s plastic interior and shelves but,
MANDY FRANCIS reports, making the rest of it plastic-free is easy . . .
SWITCH PLASTIC FOR GLASS
‘GLASS jars and bowls with airtight lids will keep food as fresh as any plastic container,’ says Rosalind Rathouse, who runs sustainable kitchen courses at the Little Portland Street Cookery School in London.
And there are benefits to using glass. There are concerns chemicals in plastic containers — some linked to hormone disruption — can leach into foods, particularly when using a microwave.
Glass, meanwhile, does not react with food or affect its flavour. Glass containers won’t become stained like plastic can, or buckle in the dishwasher. Rosalind adds: ‘Most glass withstands cold — even freezing — temperatures, it’s easy to clean and, if you buy ovenproof glass, you can transfer dishes straight from the fridge to the oven.’
To repurpose jam, sauce and pickle jars, wash them, then tip in two teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt and some water. Screw on the lid and shake for a minute, then rinse. The abrasive mix will neutralise odours.
If you’re buying new, Kilner makes an attractive range of glassware, including a 950ml clip-top jar, (£5.49, ocado.com). Lakeland has a selection of glass jars and bottles, from £2.99.
‘If you’re short on fridge space, go for square or rectangular containers,’ says Julie Carlson, co-author of Remodelista: The Organized Home. ‘ They stack more neatly to optimise storage.’
Anchor Hocking does a range of stackable square jars (from £12, amazon.co.uk), or try Ikea’s 365+ oven- safe range ( from £3.25, ikea.com).
MAKE A MEAL OUT OF STAINLESS STEEL
STEEL containers are another good option and, unlike plastic, won’t degrade in contact with acidic foods such as tomato sauces. Steel can also be washed safely at high temperatures.
‘The only drawback is that you can’t see what’s inside,’ says Rosalind. Julie suggests making labels from plastic-free Washi Tape (£2 for six rolls, theworks.
co.uk). Made from paper, it won’t leave a sticky residue and you can write on it with a normal pen.
Many steel containers are also designed to stack neatly, making them great space-savers.
You’ll find a range of stainless steel at elephantbox.co.uk, from £16. Andkeep.com sells everything from small snack boxes, (£6.99) to larger containers with two tiers and internal compartments (from £24.99). Theplastic
freeshop.co.uk has tiffin boxes.
WRAP CHEESE IN BEESWAX
‘ONE of the best alternatives to cling film and single-use plastic food bags is reusable beeswax wrap,’ says Julie.
This is made from cotton fabric saturated with beeswax, pine resin and vegetable oil. You use the warmth of your hands to mould the wrap tightly around the food or to seal a container. Best of all, it’s reusable — just clean it with cold, soapy water and hang to dry. If your wrap starts to look tatty or cracked, place it on a baking tray in a cool oven for three minutes, until the wax softens and spreads evenly.
It should last a year and then can be put on a compost heap.
Models Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Cara Delevingne and TV presenter Fearne Cotton have designed pretty beeswax wraps for Sky Ocean Rescue’s Pass On Plastic campaign (£20, accessories.sky.com. You can also buy beeswax wraps from waitrose.com, lakeland.
co.uk and beeswaxwraps.co.uk. ‘You can’t wash the wraps in hot water, which means they’re fine for dry goods and cheese, but I would avoid wrapping meat or fish in them,’ adds Rosalind.
PAPER LAYERS FOR MEAT AND FISH
A PARCHMENT paper parcel, followed by a layer of aluminium foil, is an ideal option for meat and fish.
The environmentally friendly brand If You Care has Forest Stewardship Councilapproved, unbleached and compostable parchment paper baking sheets (£4.50) and snack bags, (£3.50 for 48, both waitrose.
com). It also makes recycled aluminium foil (£ 6.56,
amazon.co.uk, which can be washed and reused. If you save enough of the foil to make an Easter egg- sized ball, it can be recycled when it’s no longer of use.
THE RETURN OF MILK IN GLASS BOTTLES
DEMAND for milk in glass bottles soared in 2018. Unlike plastic bottles, glass ones are reused around 18 times before being recycled. Book a delivery at findmeamilkman.net.
Take empty containers, as well as wax wraps and bags, with you when you go shopping and fill them with loose produce where possible. Thezerowaster.com has a handy list of shops across the UK that sell plastic-free goods.
KEEP FRUIT FRESH WITH COTTON MESH
THE thin plastic bags that fruit, vegetables and salad often come in can actually make such foods go soft or soggy sooner.
‘Most fruit and veg will keep perfectly well stored loose in your fridge’s crisper drawer,’ says Kelly Wright, founder of The Refillery, a plastic-free shop in Edinburgh. ‘To transport loose produce and keep items tidy in your fridge, use cotton mesh produce bags.’ From £ 2 each at asliceof green.co.uk and from £1.50 at
theplasticfreeshop.co.uk, Kelly suggests dampening the bags with water before you put them in the fridge. ‘The moisture will keep veg crisper for longer.’
FABRIC ‘SHOWER CAP’ TO COVER BOWLS
‘A SIMPLE china plate is always handy for covering dishes and bowls in the fridge,’ says Rosalind Rathouse. But if you want a more secure option, reusable, elasticated fabric bowl covers — resembling small shower caps — do the job perfectly. Yumbles.
com has a selection of washable Bowlovers (£13.50 for three).
REMODELISTA: The Organized Home by Julie carlson and Margot Guralnick (£20, Artisan Books) © 2017. Photographs by Matthew Williams.