You’ve probably heard this one before. Keep food fresh in the fridge… but space in yours is already maxed out. Oh ok. Then use the pantry. What? No pantry? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
These three small buys deal with the actual reasons food goes off in a small kitchen: warm air sitting round your veg, lids that don’t fit anything, and a drawer full of cling film you keep meaning to use up. Not one of them needs a spare cupboard.
Myth: your veg needs more fridge space
Lettuce wilts and carrots go rubbery for one reason, mostly. Warm, damp air sitting around them with nowhere to go. A produce keeper like the OXO GreenSaver Produce Keeper, Large fixes that with a lid that vents, so you can let some of that air out instead of trapping it in. It also comes with a small carbon filter, made from coconut husk, that soaks up the ethylene gas ripe fruit gives off, which is what speeds up everything sitting near it. Pop it on one shelf and leave the rest of the fridge exactly as it was.
Good to know: the carbon filter needs swapping every few months to keep doing its job, and the maker sells refills separately. These details come from OXO’s own product listing rather than anything we’ve tried ourselves.
Myth: leftovers need a cupboard of tubs
Open most kitchen cupboards and you’ll find a drawer of lids with no matching base, or the other way round. The Sistema KLIP IT Food Storage Containers, 1 Litre (Pack of 2) get round that by nesting into each other when they’re empty, so two take up the room of one. The lids clip down on the sides for an airtight seal, and the whole thing is dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe, as long as you take the lid off first. The lid itself isn’t microwave safe.
Good to know: keep them on the dishwasher’s top rack if you want the clips to last, and don’t expect them to seal tightly enough for liquids you plan to tip upside down in a bag.
Myth: you need a drawer full of cling film and foil
A roll of cling film is cheap, but it adds up, and it’s one more thing to find room for in a drawer that’s already full. A set like SUPERBEE Beeswax Wraps for Food, Set of 3 does the same job for sandwiches, a bit of cut fruit or covering a bowl. Once you’re done, you wash it, let it dry and fold it flat. It isn’t a straight swap for everything, though.
Good to know: wash these in cool water rather than hot, since heat melts the wax, and skip the dishwasher and the microwave altogether. They’re not right for raw meat either; a glass container is the safer choice there. Expect six months to a year out of each wrap before it needs replacing.
None of these need a new cupboard or a bigger kitchen. They just do a slightly better job than whatever’s already doing that job for you.
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