Guide · 4 min read
Store and reheat food without plastic
Heating and storing food in plastic is one of the most direct ways particles end up on your plate. Glass and steel fix it.
Storing, and especially reheating, food in plastic is one of the most direct routes microplastics take into your body, because heat sharply increases how much migrates. Switching your containers and wraps is a fast, permanent win that pays for itself as the glass and steel outlast every plastic tub you have ever owned.
Never heat food in plastic
Glass and stainless steel do not leach, and they move from fridge to oven to table. Borosilicate glass sets, classic mason jars, German clip-top jars and a stainless bento cover almost everything plastic tubs used to do. Even 'microwave-safe' plastic releases more particles when heated, so reheat in glass.
Pyrex Glass Food Storage Set (18pc)
Ball Wide Mouth Glass Mason Jars (12-pack)
Weck Glass Storage Jars (Set of 12)
Stainless Steel Bento Lunchbox
Wrap without cling film
Beeswax wraps mould around a bowl or a half-cut avocado with the warmth of your hands and wash for reuse, while food-grade silicone bags replace hundreds of single-use zip-locks for the freezer and sous-vide.
At the shop
Most microplastic exposure traces back to packaging, and a lot of it starts at the grocer. Organic-cotton mesh produce bags let you skip the flimsy plastic ones, and they wash and last for years.
Common questions
- Is it really worse to microwave food in plastic?
- Yes. Heat sharply increases how much plastic migrates into food, so reheating in glass or ceramic is the safer choice even with containers labelled microwave-safe.
- Are silicone storage bags actually plastic-free?
- Silicone is not a conventional plastic. Food-grade platinum silicone is stable, reusable for years and a big step up from single-use zip-locks. If you want the most inert option of all, choose glass or stainless steel.
- What is the easiest first swap?
- Glass jars. They handle pantry storage, leftovers, overnight oats and freezing, they let you see what you have, and you probably already own a few.
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