How to Choose Food Storage Containers

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Chefs should always exercise extreme caution when they are handling and storing food produce. After all, they hold in their hands the safety and wellbeing of the guests who enter the restaurant and eat their dishes. This caution to protect the health of the guests even includes choosing the safest food storage containers. For this reason, here are the tips on how to choose food storage containers.

Choose BPA-Free Plastic Containers

Chefs should only choose and make use of plastic storage containers that does not contain BPA or Bisphenol A. BPA is known to cause some damage to the human body as it upsets the normal level of the hormones, thus, disrupting how these hormones function inside our body.

When choosing the containers, they should check the bottom of the container and make sure that the numbers located inside the recycling triangle sign are numbers from one through five. This means that they are safe and are free of BPA. Plastic containers with numbers six or seven have BPA, so these containers should be avoided.

Shopping for BPA-Free Plastic Containers

If the chef really wants the assurance that he is paying for the most excellent type of plastic container, then he can certainly make use of the Internet before making his purchase.

In the World Wide Web, he will find many reviews about branded plastic containers, and through these reviews and testimonials, he can make a good decision.

If he, however, does not have the time to read reviews, then he can simply visit a kitchenware store and ask for their assistance. The staff there knows the products, and they can help him choose the best one for his restaurant. Of course, he still has to check and see if the number located at the bottom of the container is from one to five.

Things to Consider

It would also not hurt his cause to take a good look at the label. For this reason, he should choose those that can be used in a microwave and washed in a dishwashing machine safely. It has to have a high tolerance to heat. Another factor that he should consider is if it is freezer safe. Again, the plastic container should also be able to tolerate cold temperature.

Of course, because the chef would naturally want to preserve the freshness of the food, he should also take into consideration the freshness seals. He should see to it that it is airtight and watertight, and one way of making sure that it can, indeed, preserve the freshness is by looking for silicone lining the lid.

Aside from all those mentioned above, the chef should also choose the plastic containers based on their size and shape. The best shape for plastic containers are square or rectangle ones. This way, they can easily fit into the refrigerators and freezers without wasting too much space, unlike round ones that waste space.

Lastly, choose plastic storage containers that can nest or be stored inside each other with their lids on. This way, they will not take up too much space when storing the containers. Plus, loss of lids is reduced.

What is Nano Silver Technology?

There are chefs who utilize plastic containers made with nano silver technology. In a nutshell, this technology makes use of silver nanoparticles in coatings. Plastic containers with nano silver have antibacterial properties, so this helps slow down food spoilage, thus, keeping the food fresher for a longer period of time. Now, as a chef, he can purchase this type of plastic food storage container if he wants to better protect the health and wellbeing of the guests.

Image Credit: kitchen-tools.org

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Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Filed under ProChef360- General · Tagged with Chefs, food storage containers, handling and storing food, Restaurants, storing food produce

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Comments

One Response to “How to Choose Food Storage Containers”

Jose FigueroaSeary says:

July 30, 2011 at 9:35 pm

Hello Chef Matthew Goudge, it looks you we’re on the same page today. I just blog about this issue and the fact that most people do not know or care how to properly store their food once they get it home. I share you article on my fan page as I always do. Good job Chef!

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