Did I ever mention that I work from my home office full time, homeschool my teenagers and help my husband with his business marketing? Oh yes I do. And I love every minute of it. Although it definitely takes some planning to keep everything on track, so I've been making healthy freezer meals to help ease my crazy busy schedule. But it also took some effort to find safe dishes for freezer meals too.
I've been experimenting with different types of freezer-safe containers. I've gathered a nice list of winners made from glass, stainless steel, silicone and freezer-grade, BPA-free plastic. Not all of them are as big as I'd like, but they get the job done.
Safe Dishes for Freezer Meals
[show-logos orderby='none' category='freezer-safe-dishes' activeurl='new' style='normal' interface='grid3′ tooltip='false' description='true' limit='0′ ]What are your favorite safe dishes for freezer meals?
20 comments
How do yogurt containers compare in terms of plastics/toxicity?
Great question Eve! Yogurt containers are typically made from polypropylene plastic (recycling code #5) which is a good, safe option for food storage and even for reuse. You could try it in the freezer, but it may crack because it’s not specifically made to be freezer safe. ~Alicia
I also like the Pyrex and Snapwear glass containers for both microwaving and freezing. I also use the Ball canning jars, especially when freezing chicken broth. I try not to use any plastic containers, but do use Ziplock bags, when needed (to freeze cheese, tortillas, bread).
Tupperware freezer mates are BPA FREE and come in several sizes, actually all Tupperware is BPA FREE and always has been 🙂
I’m glad to hear that Tupperware freezer mates are BPA-free, dream83004! Tupperware definitely used BPA in a good number of their containers though. We did our own research to confirm a couple of years ago and you can read about that here: http://guide.thesoftlanding.com/tupperware-is-moving-away-from-polycarbonate-plastic-bpa/ ~Alicia
Great resource you’ve put together here! We use our canning jars the most. However we make sure to mark the bottoms with a pen to be sure not to reuse them for actual canning. The freezing, boiling combo over time can weaken the jars and there is nothing more sad than a busted jar of home canned goodness in the canner.
Thanks so much Green Woman! You make a very valid point about keeping track of the jars used for freezing and those used for canning. Thanks for the tip! ~Alicia
You mentioned wishing there was such a thing as silicone ziploc style bags: Crate & Barrel is carrying them now.
That’s so cool, thanks for pointing it out Beckybee! I found it at http://www.crateandbarrel.com/silicone-cooking-pouch/s130424 and will be curious to know if people like it. ~Alicia
I wanted to add two things:
1. Someone has asked about silicone bags, I know it is supposed to be safe, but try putting anything silicone in your mouth for even a few seconds, and you will immediately taste a nasty factory type taste. If it takes only a few seconds for that to get on your tongue, I would not trust that it is non-toxic.
2. we stay away from all plastics, but the glass containers can get pretty prices if that is all you use, so I started to save glass jars from the foods we buy. The tall slim shape takes up less space in the freezer, and I feel safe knowing that nothing is getting into our foods. It’s funny, I’ve become obsessed with glass jars, I even pick our foods, like salsa, based on the jar styles I like. It also helps with storing some specific foods, like guacamole for example. A tall thin jar is perfect, as it allows for a smaller area exposure to air – result – less browned guacamole.
Then you probably bought some random nasty silicone products. Highly doubtful that any silicone of GOOD quality & made with quality control practices would cause any taste being transferred.
Thank you for all the great information, but I have a few questions. I always wondered if I should take frozen items out of their plastic bags when I get home from the store and put them in glass? How to you store meat? We get 1/4 grass fed cow and I (cringe) use freezer bags to store but the meat is prewrapped in freezer paper. Thanks!
Ideally storing in freezer safe glass containers would be the best option, but not always practical. Read this post for additional options when looking for safe way to store your food: http://nontoxicninjas.wpengine.com/how-to-avoid-pvc-in-plastic-food-wrap/. Hope that helps~ Joanie
Hi Beth – polypropylene (PP) is one of the safest plastics according to our years of research, so if the Tellfresh products are made with it, I’d definitely recommend them. You can read more about PP in our free ebook here: http://nontoxicninjas.wpengine.com/learn-how-to-do-your-own-safer-plastic-research-with-our-free-guide/ ~Alicia
Rubbermaid FreshWorks produce saver storage containers are BPA Free and Have a code #5 on it. So are these free of BPS and other nasty things?
Do you have any other stainless steel storage recommendation?
Yes Jonathan, if they’re marked with a #5 recycling code, then it’s made from safe polypropylene plastic and so it should be fine.
No we don’t at this time, Pam. You might check our regular food storage guide to see if there might be a stainless steel container there to meet your freezer needs: http://nontoxicninjas.wpengine.com/bpa-and-pvc-free-food-storage-containers/