4 smarter ways to restore food in the refrigerator than using plastic bags
1. Transparent glass boxes
Glass boxes, jars and bottles not only look nice, but also are great for storing fresh foods. These simple glass boxes are no less than a long term investment and can be maintained and cleaned easily, which makes them super easy to use.
2. Washable cloth bags
This is certainly among the best ways to refrigerate food. The best thing about a cloth bag is that you can simply wash it, reuse and recycle it. Thus, is great for the environment. In fact, cloth bags are easily available online and buying them is is just a small investment for a bright future. You cam store your vegetables like tomato, brinjal and cucumber in them.
3. Wrapping veggies in newspaper
Using newspaper to restore food is saving the planet from the use of plastic. And paper is simply recyclable! You can wash veggies and pat dry them with a clean cloth, and wrap them in a newspaper. This will not only restore the freshness and will also increase the shelf life of fresh produce.
4. Add removable attachments in the fridge
This one time investment will not only make your refrigerator more organised, but at the same time will help in minimising the use of plastic. These extra attachments are easily available in the market and can be used effectively to store food.
Why You Should Avoid Using Plastic Bags To Restore Food
Many people automatically reach for plastic bags, plastic wrap, and plastic containers when they need to freeze food. While these items certainly seem convenient, they come with several big problems.
Plastic is known for leaching chemicals directly into the food we eat. Two of the biggest offenders are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. Both chemicals are known hormone disruptors that can lead to fertility problems, harm reproductive development, and cause higher rates of diabetes and heart disease.
According to studies, heating food in plastic can increase the amount of chemicals leached, which is one reason why it’s so important for our kids to use plastic free baby bottles and plastic free sippy cups. Leaching also increases when plastic touches acidic, fatty, or salty foods.
Unfortunately, new studies are also showing that leaching doesn’t just occur when food is heated in plastic. It can also happen when food simply sits in plastic.
In addition, it’s not just toxic chemicals you have to worry about when you store food in plastic. You can typically only use plastic wrap once, and then you have to throw it away. Even plastic bags and plastic containers won’t last forever. They’re all impossible to recycle, so they end up piled up in the landfill.
When you combine all of these issues, it quickly becomes apparent how important it is to reduce plastic use and start switching to eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.