The ONE Kitchen Mistake that’s Costing You Time and Space

If I could choose one thing that contributes to the success or failure of kitchen organization, it would absolutely be your choice of food storage containers!  I have struggled with food storage for literally years.  And I've tried SO.  MANY.  CONTAINERS.  I've actually lost count.  But I've finally landed on something I'm happy with.  Keep reading or watch the video here to find out what it is (hint, you've probably grown up with these!).

Over the years of trying so many different food storage containers, I've landed on a couple favorites.  I even made some of them work for a few years in my own pantry.  I've also tried the best selling OXO brand, which probably everyone has heard about by now.  My other top contender is the Home Edit brand . . . and finally the one I've landed on as my top choice, (spoiler alert)– Tupperware.  I'm going to compare the three so you know why I've decided to go with such an “old favorite” in the food storage area.

The most important thing is to choose the food storage containers that are ideal for you and your space.  If your food storage system just isn't working for you, here are some mistakes you might be making:

Mistake #1:  Not Maximizing Your Space

In the US, our cabinet shelves are pretty standard size.  The widths and heights can vary, but the depth on all that I've measured are usually within about an inch of of one another.

WHY, then, do food storage containers not come in this common depth???  The easiest way to waste space is to have a shallow container on a shelf and not use the entire shelf space.  You can get around this by stacking your containers two deep.  I hate doing this, though, because I can never see what's behind the first container.  It drives me crazy!  So rather than not know what's on the shelf or have to unload a shelf every time just to get to the one thing I need, I will waste space if my containers are too shallow.

The OXO brand containers don't come in a full standard shelf depth.  Neither do the Home Edit containers.  So unless I stack them in front of each other, I'm never going to maximize my space.  The Tupperware containers all come in a standard depth that maximizes the shelf depth. I don't know if they'll fit ALL cabinet shelves, but they do fit mine, my mother's, and my sister-in-law's (whose shelves are the smallest of all, but they do fit).  You should check your depth if you're considering a switch, but we've all had good luck.

I even calculated the difference in how much volume I could store on my cabinet shelf comparing Tupperware to OXO.  The difference was shocking:

Just using the Tupperware modular mates more than doubled the food volume I could store in the same space. This is both because the take up the full depth and are less bulky, so less of the space is taken up by the container itself.

Mistake #2:  Using Bulky Containers.

Just how bulky are your containers?  I want them to be sturdy, but I don't want a lot of extra wasted space in the plastic.  The OXO containers have a bulkier lid that eats up some height.  The Home Edit have the latches on the sides that take up some width.  Tupperware is the slimmest of all— maybe because the design is so basic, but it just really works!

Sometimes the concern with bulk has to do with the width.  The width of cabinetry varies so much, and sometimes there are even vertical dividers in cabinets that even further limit the usable width.  If your container is just a smidge too big to fit, then you can end up wasting almost a full container's worth of space.

The best way to maximize space is to have lots of size options, including some skinnier ones to fill in the gaps.  OXO and the Home Edit sizes are pretty limited.   Tupperware has the largest size range of anything I've seen yet.

Mistake #3:  Your Container Doesn't Fit All Your Food.

It's so important that the container you choose can fit the entire contents of whatever you're decanting.  For example, I absolutely MUST have a flour bin that will fit a whole 5 lb. bag of flour.  Otherwise, what's the point?!?  The last thing I want is to have a bag with a tiny bit of flour left in it that I have to now find another place for.  That's a recipe for instant mess and disorganization.

Does your bin fit a whole box of crackers?  Are your spice jars too small to fit the whole container of spice?  If so, you have a problem.

I will also say that if you are wanting to decant large bags of something (like chips), Tupperware is the ONLY brand I know of that has a very large container that will fit something like this.

Mistake #4:  Choosing Containers That Can Cause Disasters.

Okay, maybe “disaster” is a strong word.  But I've had a few flour and powdered sugar situations that almost qualify.

I have a bad habit of picking things up by the lid.  My flour is stored in a lower drawer, so if I'm in a rush and working one-handed, I often grab the flour bin by the lid to lift up.  I KNOW not to do this (based on past experience), but it still happens.  I'll forget, or even worse, my kids are helping me, and they never remember.  The OXO lids in particular are so bad about sliding off easily, and we've had more upended flour bins than I'd like to remember.

The Home Edit bins do not have this issue.  Their latches make them really secure.  And Tupperware also has such a tight seal that the lids won't come off.  But for me, this loose lid situation is a deal breaker.  It's nice that you can take the lid off with one hand, but that convenience is not worth the likelihood of a huge mess at some point.

Mistake #4:  Choosing Containers That Don't Keep Food Fresh.

I know some people like to decant food into containers for aesthetic reasons, but really, the more important factor is that decanting will keep food fresh for longer– provided you choose the right container.

I have found that OXO does not have an airtight seal.  It works for things like flour and sugar, but forget about keeping crackers fresh. They'll last only a few days in OXO before they go stale.  The Home Edit has a much tighter seal, so they do keep food pretty fresh.

Tupperware is again the clear winner here, though.  I have kept crackers for a year (maybe longer LOL), and they've still been fresh!  The seal on these containers is just unmatched!

My family will often go in phases of what we eat, especially the kids.  So sometimes we'll eat a box of crackers in three days, and other times they stay around for a month or more.  At least in Tupperware, I know the food isn't going to go to waste if it hangs around longer than expected.

Mistake #5:  Choosing Containers That Aren't Truly Modular.

My engineering brain loves things that are modular.  I want to be able to stack up and down, back to front, and side to side and have everything be completely the same height and totally modular.

OXO and Home Edit are somewhat modular.  However, their size ranges are very limited.  OXO has a slight lip for stacking, but they slide off pretty easily.  The Home Edit is a bit better, but once again, Tupperware has them both beat.

Tupperware has a good lip so they don't fall off when stacked.  But the best part is that Tupperware has a HUGE size range.  And they were created mathematically so the vertical stacking makes so much sense!  I just love it, LOL!

I was even able to make a super detailed plan of how I wanted them to fit in my pantry and where they would go.  I highly doubt most people will want to get this detailed, but not gonna lie– I geeked out here, LOL!

Mistake #6:  Choosing Aesthetics Over Functionality.

I am so guilty of this.  When I first started with pantry organization, I admit I wanted it to be beautiful and compromised in areas I shouldn't have just because the containers were pretty.  In fact, if I had to choose on looks alone, I would totally go with OXO or Home Edit.

It's not that Tupperware is ugly…it just maybe looks a bit less modern???  I'm not exactly sure why I feel this way.  I think part of it has to do with the fact that I grew up with the same style of Tupperware.  It literally hasn't changed (except the lid colors).  I think that's why it feels a bit “vintage” to me.

It also has a cloudier plastic.  You can still see what's inside, but it isn't totally clear like the OXO or Home Edit.  However, because it's a different type of plastic, it is SOOOO much sturdier!!  I have literally never broken a Tupperware container, even after dropping them on tile.  My mom is using the same Tupperware she had from 30 years ago when I was a kid baking cookies with her.  It just lasts!!

The Tupperware still looks good.  It might not be my first choice, but I'm so much happier with how it performs that it's totally worth the tradeoff.

Mistake #7:  Thinking You Don't Need to Label.

The containers are clear, so you know what's inside.  That means you don't have to label things, right?  Um, NO.  Labeling still helps our brains identify things so much more easily.  I label everything I can!  You can label the containers themselves and even the shelf where it goes if you like.

You can be specific or more general with your labels.  For example, I always label my flour, sugar, etc., or things that I always keep on hand like lasagna noodles.  However, we rotate out types of crackers all the time.  Sometimes we'll have Goldfish, sometimes Cheezits, or sometimes the little Ritz sandwiches.  So I just label a bin “crackers” or “snacks” so we can switch it up, but it's still identifiable.

Something else I often do is cut out cooking instructions and the bar code to stick inside the bin.  For pasta, I want to know the cooking time, and for things like crackers, I often track my food in My Fitness Pal, so the bar code just makes it easier for me to track.  I just slip it along the side, so it doesn't even really show from the front, and things still look nice and neat.

Switching Things Up if You Need to Make a Change

If you think your current food storage system isn't working for you, DO NOT go out and spend tons of money on new containers and do a major overhaul all at once.  No one needs to do that.  However, these are all things to keep in mind when/if you shop for a new system.

I'd recommend trying a container type out for several months before committing.  It's what I did.  In fact, even though OXO is my least favorite of the three here, it's still what all my baking supplies are stored in (past flour disasters and all).  Now that I've used Tupperware for a good while, I am planning to switch my entire kitchen over, but it will be a longer process because food containers aren't cheap!

So, I'll use what I have but keep in mind my long term plan when I do shop.  The worst part about Tupperware, in my opinion, is that you can't just go to a store and buy it.  It has to be ordered through a rep online.  If you're interested, here's the link to where I order mine.

If you find another brand that you think I need to try, let me know in the comments!  And if you decide to start shopping for something new, hopefully this helps you think things through for functionality.  That was my biggest mistake for years, but we deserve to have kitchens that are both beautiful and functional, and it CAN be done!