storage: glass vs tupperware

[kmik]

What's the best and why, to store nuts and seeds and stuff?

I've been keeping my stuff in tupperware modular mates, and they seem to work fine. However I'm in need of more storage if I want to keep plenty of variety on hand. If there's something bad about using tupperware instead of glass, please tell me before I go shopping :confused:

[Bobbi Kay]

There's a site that talks about the dangers of using plastic to hold food. (I don't remember where it is.) Plastic leaches into the food. It is very inconvenient to transport glass though. So at home I use glass and when I am going somewhere that glass would not be a good idea I use plastic.

[rawpriestess]

I use ziplock freezer bags to store everything in, they come in all kinds of sizes, and they conform to the contents, you can get the air out, and you can instantly see what's inside. I like the idea of being able to flatten them out, or scrunch them up, to fit inside my larger huge container in my cupboard.

This way, I can just drag out the entire container of nuts, which has about 10 kinds in it, and seeds, spices etc.

[Goldenrod]

I save most of the pint and quart size glass jars that I get when buying food for DH & the boys and use them for storage. If we're going out, I'll put our food in plastic, because with the boys I'm leery of glass going boom! I store as much stuff as possible in glass including stuff I freeze for them.

[sionkali]

Hey Kmik!!
In my opinion glass is certainly better for storage; before I bought my square glass containers I was using quart sized mason jars to hold a lot of my dry things like nuts, seeds, etc. They're small, relatively inexpensive, last a whole lot longer, and can even be transported if you need to take them somewhere.

Like Bobbi Kay, I too have read a few things about the dangers of plastic containers.

This excerpt is from the June issue of "Organic Style":

"If you're heating up last night's pasta primavera in a plastic container, there's something you should know: Plastic contains chemical additives, some of which can leach out and may increase the risk of birth defects, developmental delays, and certain hormone-related illnesses, such as breast and prostate cancers. According to several university studies, heat releases these harmful additives into the food you're innocently warming up. So don't use plastic - any plastic - in the microwave.

Another hot spot is the dishwasher. Washing plastic by hand, in warm water, reduces the likelihood of chemical leaching. Scratches can also increase chemical migration, so don't use abrasive sponges or harsh cleaners on plastic. (Send all scratched plastic containers to the recycling bin immediately.) The good news is there are plenty of other options."

They also recommend to not "store food in any plastic containers made from number 3, 6, or 7 plastic." They don't say why, but I'm sure it has to do with something that these specific containers are made of or what they might leach into our food.

They don't list what university studies have been done about plastic containers, but in my head it does make pretty good sense.

They also list this website for some neat, safe plastic containers: http://www.thecontainerstore.com

I'm sorry if it was a lot of information, but I hope it helped!! :)

[nobletroll]

If you storing dry items in plastic you are probably safe from most leaching. The surface area is not very large compared to the volume of stored item if they are dry. Water is a solvent, one of the strongest solvents there is, so most liquid items can leach molecules from their storage containers. So if your storing wet or liquid items you should go with glass. I believe water will even leach the silicon molecule off glass but the silicon doesn't hurt nothing.