I’ll admit it: I’m a little obsessed with organization. Whether I’m making lists, spreadsheets and pie charts at work or employing organizational shelves, racks and dividers at home, the act of organizing just brings me joy. There’s one problem, though. I live in a small New York City apartment, and I don’t have a ton of space in my kitchen for storage. I certainly don’t have a separate pantry. What I do have is a single, three-shelved cabinet with barely enough room for the essentials.
That’s where the OXO POP storage containers come in. I’ve been a fan of OXO’s products for over a decade (I especially love their cordless water kettle and their glass salad spinner), so I figured their storage containers would make a nice addition to my kitchen. I ordered them to help maximize the space, and now, I can’t get enough of them.
Mid-size OXO POP containers are great for storing leftovers.
I love these containers because they’re attractive, easy to use, stackable, air-tight and BPA-free (that last quality, in particular, is essential for anything in my home). For those of you lucky enough to have a dishwasher, the other great news is that the containers are dishwasher-safe—just note that the tops need to be fully disassembled to be properly cleaned. And by the way, those tops are the best part. You can quickly and easily open or close each container simply by pressing down on the push-button located in the center of each lid, which creates an airtight seal.
There’s also a lot of versatility here: The POP container sets are available in a variety of combinations, from basic 5-piece sets to “everything but the kitchen sink” 20-piece sets. The latter comes with enough shapes and sizes to accommodate pretty much anything in your kitchen—pretzels, oats, cereal and beyond.
The smallest container is .2 quarts (about 3/4 cup), which is great for storing goodies you might buy in small quantities, like pine nuts. The largest is 6 quarts (24 cups), which is more ideal for pantry staples like oats, sugar and all-purpose flour. And just to make the smartly-designed line of containers even more appealing, the brand also offers handy add-ons like removable labels, genius scoop sets and measuring cups that clip right onto the bottom of the lid so you’ll never lose them.
For me, the containers offer more than just convenience, though. We also have a huge pest problem here in New York, so sturdy containers with well-fitted lids are a must. Personally, I’ve never seen a mouse or a rat in my apartment in the 17 years I’ve been living here, but I have seen cockroaches on more than one occasion. It’s essential that I keep all of our food safely guarded and tucked away in fully sealed containers that won’t attract unwanted attention.
What’s more, I also share caregiving responsibilities for my mother, who has Parkinson’s and severe arthritis. In order for her to be able to maintain some independence in the kitchen (and to be able to get a snack when I’m out of the house), it’s essential that all food storage containers be easy for her to open without assistance. Previously, I kept most of my dried goods in glass jars, but those proved difficult and even painful for her to open. With these new containers, she’s able to get inside easily with nothing more than the push of a button.
Of course, the easy-open access also means that my five-year-old niece can grab cookies whenever she pleases. Oh, well.
The containers are more than just attractive and convenient; they also discourage unwanted pests and ... [+]
I should add that I mostly shop at a food co-op, and the lightweight containers have also worked beautifully there, particularly when I buy foods that are sold by the pound. As I leave my home, I throw a bunch of the POP containers into my bicycle bags; then, at the store, I note the tare weights so I’m not charged for the container itself. I then fill each one up with my favorite bulk goods (quinoa, lentils, beans, pecans, sea salt, dried cherries and so on), or with sensitive foods that I don’t want damaged on my bike ride home. (Tomatoes and peaches have never been safer.) I can fill up the “spaghetti-shaped” vessel with bulk soba noodles, too, rather than having to buy anything packaged in plastic.
The containers aren’t just for storing dried goods in my cupboards; they also work wonderfully as leftover storage vessels in the fridge. Instead of throwing a half-empty pan of casserole in the fridge (I’m originally from the Midwest, so I’ll never stop loving casserole), I transfer the leftovers to the POP containers, which take up far less space. The same logic applies to extra ingredients that need to be refrigerated. If I only use half of a can of olives in a recipe, I store the other half in one of the small POP containers; that way, the olives won’t dry out in an open can.
Note that while these containers are air-tight, they’re not fully leak-proof. They’re not ideal for transporting things like soup or other liquid-centric meals in your purse, backpack or bag. That said, the strong seal means that they’ll keep all sorts of dry snacks and ingredients safe, not to mention produce like berries and greens, which will stay fresh longer in these vessels than they would have in plastic bags and clam shells.
Last, I’m a big fan of the stackable quality of these containers. Because I only have those three small cabinet shelves to dedicate to pantry items, I can’t afford to waste any space. Luckily, I can mix, match and stack these containers all the way to the top of the shelves in order to maximize the little space I do have. Now, everything I need is easy to see, find and open.
Well, it is for me, at least. The cockroaches will have to head to somebody else’s apartment to eat.
