Cook meals in advance for the next few days and take them with you in the morning. Meal prepping has become indispensable for many working people and makes your everyday life a lot easier.
Once you have prepared your meals, they need to be stored safely so that you can still enjoy them a few days later.
Plastic is usually used to store food. We say - it doesn't have to be!
Storing food in glass containers is not that difficult and with the following tips, you too can preserve your food in glass jars and save it from going to waste.
Preserving food in glass jars - what you should look out for
If you prefer not to use plastic when storing food, glass storage containers are ideal for you.
Before you start looking for suitable glass jars, however, you should consider a few points
Containers with an airtight seal
If you are mainly storing meals that have already been prepared, you should look for containers with an airtight seal. If you store dishes such as cooked fruit and vegetables without a proper lid, moisture will quickly build up and food will soon spoil.
Cold-resistant plastic
If you are looking for storage containers that can also be used in the fridge or freezer, you should definitely look for a jar that is highly resistant to heat and cold.
This will not only extend the shelf life of your food, but will also allow you to use the storage jars in a variety of ways.
Pollutant-free storage
Many storage jars contain plasticizers that are harmful to your health.
When looking for suitable storage jars, it is therefore best to look for products that are manufactured without harmful BPA, for example.
Food-safe jars
If you don't want to lose the taste or smell of your meals, you should definitely look for containers that are food-safe and won't affect your food. This way, your food will remain edible for a long time and you won't have to worry about storing your supplies.
Storing food properly - here's how it works
If you are preparing meals a few days in advance, it is essential to know how to store food correctly and learn how to handle it.
If you combine different ingredients together, they sometimes need to be stored separately so that they keep for a long time. Here are a few quick tips for you.
Store sauces and soups in separate jars
Let pasta dishes cool well before storing them in the fridge
Avoid reheating beetroot, spinach or fennel
Do not store fish dishes in the refrigerator for longer than two days
Store individual components separately to avoid food waste
Storing food correctly in the fridge
Most meals can be pre-cooked and stored for a few days in a cool place like the fridge without any problems
.In general, you should never put freshly cooked dishes in the fridge straight away. Let your food cool down before you transfer it.
Do not put your food in the fridge in a pot, but transfer it to smaller food storage containers in portions.
Also make sure your fridge is at the right temperature and where your food is best stored. Fruit and vegetables or fish and meat products, for example, can be stored at the bottom, while cooked meals should be kept on the top shelf at lower temperatures. Fragile foods such as eggs are best stored in the door.
Also note that not all foods are suitable for storage in the fridge, as they would spoil too quickly.
To preserve your food for longer, you can also simply freeze it, for example.
You can find more methods for optimizing the shelf life of food here. (Link article Preserving food)
How you should proceed when freezing
Freezing food is probably the most practical method of preserving food if you don't have a separate room or pantry
.Freezing food inhibits the growth of germs and bacteria, which automatically extends the shelf life of your food and makes it available to you for longer.
It is often assumed that preserving food in glass containers is difficult because they burst. However, there are just a few points you need to bear in mind to make sure it works.
Avoid narrow jars so that there is not too much pressure on the glass
Place jars in the fridge to defrost so that they do not burst due to the temperature difference
Do not fill glasses completely full so that frozen liquids can expand
Freeze jars upright for even expansion of liquids
When storing food, generally pay attention to the best-before date and use up products that spoil quickly as soon as possible
This will save you a lot of work during the week, your kitchen will stay tidy for longer and you can reduce food waste in your household.
If you don't have much space at home or in the freezer, there are a few other approaches or methods for preserving food in jars that could be helpful. For example, you can pickle, dry, boil down or sugar foods immediately after buying them so that they keep for longer. Otherwise, many foods can be stored well in the pantry, such as canned goods, potatoes, flour or rice.
Most foods do not necessarily need to be stored in a cool place, but feel most comfortable at room temperature.
Which storage location is suitable for which food, how meat, bread or fruit should best be stored or which preservation methods are available, you can find out here.
Once you know how to store food properly, there's usually nothing that can go wrong and you can cook your food in advance and take it with you on the go without any worries. This also preserves the nutrients or the flavor of the meals and a varied diet proves to be easier than you think.
