Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Kitchen Tips: Plastic Lids

I might (or might not) be a weirdo when it comes to storage. I like for everything to be in its place. And if its place is not a good place, it needs a new place.

Whew.

When I was a kid, my Mom stored our Tupperware/plastic storage containers separate from the lids. That’s the way we always did it. Frankly, I was surprised to learn that other people stored their lids with their plastic containers. I thought everyone did it the way Mom did.

And since I am a creature of habit, when I got married, I stored my lids separately from my plastic containers. Husband thought I was weird. Other people probably do too. But let me tell you a secret: it’s actually easier that way.

You can stack all your plastic bowls (whether they be the expensive stuff or leftover Cool Whip bowls) without worrying about where the lids go. You can fit a lot more into a cabinet when everything is stacked neatly.

I store the lids in a plastic container under the sink. If I’m feeling ultra Type A-ish, I sort them by size. If I’m not, I just toss them into the tub. Either way, they’re really not that hard to find. Under the sink is a big enough area to hold all the lids and it doesn’t take up useful space in the “good” cabinets. (And yes, I have plenty of other things under there as well, not just plastic lids.) It might take some getting used to – not having your lids with your containers. But when you open the cabinet to pull out a bowl, the lids will not come tumbling down on you.

For more kitchen & bathroom storage tips, visit today’s themed Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

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4 comments:

  1. OMG. When I started reading your post...I was holding my breath...thinnking that you might have abandoned the teachings of your super-smart Mother. But. You did not fail me. You held true and firm to one of my most important lessons - plastic lid storage. :-)
    The one thing that does happen because of this method...you end up with a random lid or two...so every once in a while you have to match the bowls and lids so you can toss the extra parts.
    Someone at my house has tried to return to the ways of old...putting the lids with the bowls...everytime I opened the cabinet...those crazy lids fell out. I was always more than perturbed when those lids came crashing down like boulders. Someone around here got their very own 'special' plastic lid storage lesson.

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  2. that's a great idea! I have two drawers that I keep mine in. one for round and one for square. type a? what do you mean? ;) Oh - and my husband hates it too...

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  3. That is the way my mom always did it, so I do that too. But I noticed recently that she has gone the other way now. I need to ask her why.

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  4. I've always kept my lids separate too, except with a few items (like rice cooker and crock pot, which don't stack). At first I kept the lids on a shelf in a file holder (ok...you're probably going "HUH?". Here's a picture of the type I mean... http://www.stacksandstacks.com/blog/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/file-holders.jpg )

    That worked great until I got more lids than there was room for in that. I tried keeping them with their containers then, but gave up on that quickly. Now we have whole drawer devoted just to lids.

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