I bought a couple of Rubbermaid Commercial food storage and prep containers a few months ago. They’re available in two styles – clear polycarbonate and white polyethylene, and a range of sizes from 2 to 18 quarts.
There are different shapes available, but I went with square, thinking it would be a little more space-efficient on a shelf.
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The lids suck. They’re pricey, hard to find in some sizes, at least affordably, and don’t actually seal very well. But, it was still worth it to me to buy a few.
For what I bought them for – many pounds of veggie prep (I’ve been making pickles!!) – they’re working out better than bowls. Since they have relatively straight sides, they hold a lot more than glass or stainless steel prep bowls.
I will likely also use them for grilling food prep and transport too, as I currently lack any good way for taking meat out to the grill for cooking.
So what does this have to do with tools? Well, Woodpeckers has come out with a new sharpening system, and in their promo video, they’re using a hodgepodge of different containers for water baths.
Why do they have 4 different containers for the 4 different waterstones? That helps to avoid cross-contamination. Rinsing the stones in a sink, at least after prepping of the stone requires a pre-use soak, or using a spray bottle is another option, but that can be messy or inconvenient.
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I have searched long and hard to find the *perfect* improvised trays for using my waterstones. I have a couple of options, but I’m still not perfectly satisfied with them.
If I were setting up a tool sharpening station, these Rubbermaid containers might do the job. That made me wonder if there were any other tool-related applications that readers might have that these containers would be perfect for.
The Rubbermaid food containers are a little pricey, but there are other brands too. I had to buy two more this weekend, because I appropriated one of the 4 quart container for workshop use.
I’ve used a variety of plastic storage containers over the years, and for all kinds of uses. What I like about the Rubbermaid containers is that they’re easy to clean. Because they’re designed to be used in food prep, they’re designed to be cleaned frequently.
The handles are a little stubby, which is good for maximizing storage efficiency, but bad for transporting contents. I’ve learned not to fill them up all the way with liquid, even if using the loosely-fit lids.
They’re a different shape than many other food storage, parts storage, and general goods storage containers.
The 4 quart is priced between $7 and $8, and I bought the 6 quart when it was around $8. Amazon’s current price of $19 is unreasonable.
Restaurant supply stores have these containers for even less, but you have to pay shipping.
Right now, I only have four containers, two 4 quart and two 6 quart. I only appropriated one of the smaller ones for workshop use right now, but it’s pretty convenient for all kinds of things, and so I might eventually get more – if the price is right. There are some less expensive brands, but I like the wider footprint of the Rubbermaid containers.
Buy Now(4 quart container via Amazon)
The white polyethylene storage container is rated for -20°F to 150°F, and measures 9.13″ long x 8.13″ wide x 4.38″ tall. The polycarbonate version has a wider temperature range, but I liked the BPA-aspect of the polyethylene container. I intended to use them for veggie prep but also temporary fermented pickle and brine storage as well, before moving to glass storage, and know HDPE to be appropriate. I’d have no problem with polycarbonate for cold prep.
I’ll let you know how well they work out for meat prep. But, that of course won’t be the one I’ve taken from the kitchen to the workshop.
P.S. What might be better for marinating meat, or taking meat out to the grill? A plastic or stainless steel pan?
Kilroy
With regards to the restaurant supply stores, while online would be the most convenient option, almost every area has at least a few retail restaurant supply outlets if you seek them out. IKEA and The Container Store would be other B&M options that might be worth a look.
I’d be a little leery about marinating meat in a non-disposable plastic container, just because the scratches that some plastics get have a reputation for hiding nasties, and because I’m always a little nervous when running plastic through the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle. I normally marinate in disposable gallon Zip-Loc bags (being sure to keep the seal on top, lest the bags leak through the seal) or in glass baking pans (9×13, etc).
It may not make for a pretty shop, but reusing basic food containers like deli and margarine containers or pickle jars is a common tactic for organizing small parts like screws, driver bits, etc, and there are entire lists devoted to how creative people have become in this area.
Stuart
Good points!
Transporting to the grill, and holding until ready is what I’m mainly after. There are “prep trays,” but $20 to $30 for small pieces of plastic seems wasteful, especially for uni-taskers. Ikea has some potentially good pieces, like a $10 stainless roasting pan, but things like that are hard to stack or nest for off-season storage.
Last year I ended up using large dinner plates, but it was less than ideal in regard to space efficiency and ease-of-transport.
Baby food jars are great for reuse. My father had the lids screwed to a shelf, and the jars attached from underneath. Things like that are good for casual use, but when you need 40 different containers? It gets unwieldy, and things like removable bins or Akro Mils containers add great utility, and at pretty reasonable costs if you shop carefully.
I tend to strive for “perfect” storage solutions, similarly to how I can be a stickler for using the right tool for every task.
David Zeller
We use Corningware French White bakeware for most of our marinating and transporting. We mostly use the oval one that are something like 3 and 6 inches tall, with straight sides. They use the same glass lids. They are pretty enough to put on a table during the holidays or a family bbq, too.
They don’t stack particularly well, and they’re not square, but they’re good kitchen multitaskers, and a set of like 20 including lids can be found for 75 to 90 bucks.
Johann
Stuart – I just use half sheet pans when I need to take stuff to the grill. Lots of real estate, can easily foil them (raw meat out on foil, remove foil and cooked meat back on pan), they stack well, use them for roasting in the oven….. And I guess you can bake a cake in them also!
Not good for marinating because of the low walls, but they are my go-to for a ton of stuff in the kitchen and grill and smoker.
Wayne R.
As an aside, the Rubbermaid “4-Compartment Cutlery Bin” is likewise great for keeping larger piles of small(er) parts organized & mobile.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00030L4Q6
There are lots of commercial-grade food handling things that are pretty handy outside of kitchens…
Nathan
I was going to say if you live near a major metro area – look for a local restraunt supply store – or get in good with a local restraunt in your area.
I mean worst case – they order crap all the time – maybe they’ll hook you up by adding to their order for some cash moneys. Or you can use their unsuitables.
Specific to your questions. I often cart out to the grill on a metal baking trays – I think they are AL and I got them from Sams. Too big to fit well in the dishywashy – but then being polished AL I don’t want to put them in there.
Or I use plates. IE hamburgers – get on a plate stacked with wax paper. Where as dry rubbed chops – on the AL tray. No I don’t really know why I started doing that.
Stuart
There was one near where we used to live, but from what I remember my wife looking up, they were not open to the public.
There are some online suppliers, but for home or personal use quantities, shipping fees increased the price too high compared to Amazon and even Home Depot (where I eventually found compatible lids).
I’ve been thinking about hotel pans. Maybe one for raw meat, one for cooked, and lids for both.
My parents used to use foil pans and sometimes plates, but I can never find a good source of inexpensive pans. It seems the trend has changed, and foil pans are now more of a “special use” kind of thing.
Scott
Our local dollar store sells large foil plans for, well, a buck. About 25% the price of the local grocery store.
Russ B
Costco carries bulk packs of the foil pans – I use them for bbq, smoking (soaking wood chips and extinguishing), transporting food, etc. They come in full and half sizes.
Nathan
I would use something more solid that foil pans. and with foil pans if oyu use one you have to nearly wash it anyway to recycle them.
I will say I use then in the garage though. I keep 2 in there at all times – the larger turkey variety. Why – fluid catchers for when I do something that isn’t oils for oil container. Usually coolant.
IE diff oil, transmission oil, and motor oil – into the big oil pan and dumped into jugs for recycling.
Coolant – no. cleaners – no. It mucks up the oil recycling. but captured in the foil pan – I can fold it to pour into jugs for discard – and wad thepan up if I don’t want to use it.
Farid
Kitchen tools are still tools in my book.
If I am marinating something or hauling to the grill, I like to use stainless steel bowls or glass pans. I like to be able to place in the dishwasher on high heat to sanitize, especially with poultry. If the sun is out, the surface on my grill gets really hot and I worry about anything plastic sitting there (plus the rotisserie holes in the lid act as a hot jet that melts anything nearby!).
I agree with you regarding the storage efficiency and often thought about the food prep trays. The vertical sides allow them to hold more food and they would fit in the fridge better. I used to worry about scratches and contamination, but if they are food safe and can be washed on hot. After all, they are used by restaurants. Still, I prefer stainless, so next time the need arises, I’ll pick up a couple of of steam table deep trays at the restaurant supply stores (similar to these https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-2-size-standard-weight-anti-jam-stainless-steel-steam-table-hotel-pan-6-deep/4070269.html).
Come to think of it, the large restaurant supply stores in my area also sell used products and might be a good source of low cost metal and plastics bins for tool storage.
I have a very large and deep stainless bowl that is great for marinating a large amounts of meat. Not the easiest things to store, but I have found it to be very useful for rapidly cooling down large pots of soup before transferring into the fridge , so it’s no longer a uni-tasker! (I just fill it up with cold water and Ice and place the pot inside of it)
James
Most importantly, where’s the pickle recipe?? 😉
Stuart
If there’s demand, I can consider it. But fermentation is more of a process than a simple recipe.
For just the recipe, my now-standard can be simplified to 10-12 cucumbers, 1/2 to 1 head of garlic, 1-4 jalapenos, 1-2 lbs carrots, less than 1 celery bunch, some dill, per gallon of crock. I have a 1 gallon and a 3 gallon.
I use 3.5% salt ratio for ~33 grams pickling salt per quart filtered water.
8 days is average, and a few more if it handles it well due to being colder.
I’m still experimenting. My first goal was to recreate a resemblance of the pickles and fermented veggies my grandfather used to make. My second goal is to recreate the jalapeno pineapple pickles a regional farmer’s market and fair vendor used to make before they closed.
My last small batch had 12 cucumbers, 2 small bunches of carrots, a few stalks of celery, a lot of garlic, some dill, and 4 jalapenos. It’s spicy with some lingering heat, but isn’t bitter.
My ferments take longer than my grandfather’s, but I also use different containers and in a different environment.
I have tried smaller vessels, but my experiments with quart mason jars and special lids did not come out well. I think those are better suited for sauerkraut than whole pickles or veggies.
ktash
Uh-oh, Toolguyd, Dealguyd, now Pickleguyd? One of our favorites is Pickled Watermelon Rind. Sweet and spicy, so not for everyone. A money-saver, too. Very easy to make. I lost the recipe so can’t post it here 😀
Stuart
I did register pickleguyd today…
I used to have ideas about maintaining a few sites closely aligned with my interests, but I simply don’t have the time. But if it might be of limited scope and effort, maybe…
As for pickled watermelon rind, I’ll have to keep that in mind. I don’t like watermelon, but that’s more about its texture than its sweetness or flavor.
Nathan
maybe kitchentoolguyd
I like it. I too think of kitchen implements as tools but I can already hear the comments talking about kitchen knives. LOL.
but sure. which pressure cooker, or how to sharpen a vegetable peeler (buy a new one but whatever)
Etc etc.
david brock
just looking back at an old post and couldn’t find anything at the site for pickleguyd.com……..
Stuart
I have the domain, didn’t create anything for it yet, as I haven’t been able to spare the time.
I can try to answer any question you might have in the meantime.
TonyT
BTW, pickled vegetables are very common in a number of cultures. The two I’m most familiar with are Sichaun (Szechuan) cuisine and, of course, Korean were you get something like 10 pickled items to go with your dinner.
Drew M
We use the Cambro bins for (bulk) food storage as they have a plastic lid with a rubber seal that works reasonably well.
Here’s just one of these lids….
https://www.katom.com/144-SFC6SCPP190.html
They’re such nice containers and actually fairly reasonably priced that I’ve thought about getting more to use elsewhere in the house.
Back when, I looked at Tupperware and Rubbermaid and I’m glad I went with Cambro because they’re just better and I seriously doubt they’ll EVER be discontinued.
Drew M
For sharpening, I made a board that I put across the kitchen sink and I just let the faucet slowly drip fresh, clean water onto my waterstone. My board has some water breaks and stops on the underside so it doesn’t move. Sure, it annoys the wife, but it works for now until I have a proper sink in my workshop. At which point, I’ll probably just make a new board to use there with that sink.
Gman
I keep a spray bottle with a 50/50 vinegar and water mix by the sink. Plastic, cutting boards, or anything that can leach raw meat juice gets sprayed after it is washed in the sink. Rinse after it sits on it for 39 seconds and you have killed all germs and bacteria.
ktash
Even better is to use the vinegar 50/50 spray, followed by a 50/50 peroxide spray. Don’t mix the two in one bottle. Need to be separate. There’s good research that this works better than almost anything else.
Nathan
also research that says a good wood cutting board is more hygienic than any plastic even washed.
I use one made of oak an one out of bamboo. And for oil I use olive oil. I know I know according to some cutting board makers I should have died by now because olive oil goes rancid right. Yet go to italy and greece and spain and you see people using cutting boards made of olive wood that never gets treated.
Tom
For marinating, I often just just glass (pyrex) baking dishes with lids (they don’t have a tight seal but they cover it adequately to put in the fridge overnight).
As for food storage, costco has pyrex snapware that goes on sale frequently. If you want bigger, or plastic, we have one random polycarbonate container made for foodservice kitchens that kicks butt. It’s made by Carlisle and looks identical to the rubbermaid ones from your article – looks like they’re available on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carlisle-StorPlus-Stackable-Container-Capacity/dp/B06XTRH4BV/
Stuart
I also ordered Carlisle 4 and 6 qt containers yesterday. The 4 qt look deeper, which could be better for carrots and celery. Or holding ice?
But I haven’t received it yet and didn’t want to comment about its quality or potential quality yet. I’d also like to try Cambro if or when I need something else.
Peter Antonvich
I’m a fan of the glass types with plastic lid things for marinating the glass doesn’t stain or feel greasy after a few years like plastic … it feels food safer to use glass even if the lid is plastic.
we have three different brands – the cheapest we have are the Aldi glass ones (archer I think) the issue with having different brands is getting the right lid – and stacking the glass – lol – on the aldi lids they aren’t likely to last as long but I’m guessing we’ll get a few years out of them.
Garrick
I like using vertically sided containers. Much more efficient, and easier to stack things in (such as brownies, or wood shims) . If the whole depth doesn’t get used the smaller floor space of sloped sided containers is very wasteful. The sloped sided containers that stack together are usually less expensive because of shipping volume costs, but not as useful in a kitchen or workshop, or a backpacking gear cabinet.
bobad
I have a large set of nesting stainless steel mixing bowls I use for everything, including solvent cleaning. I also have a large set of Kitchen Aid nesting mixing bowls that we use for kitchen only. We love those, they are some kind of very hard, stiff, slick plastic that reminds me of phenolic resin or maybe “Melmac”. We use all our other bowls just for casseroles and serving.
Koko The Talking Ape
I wouldn’t use these for storage, but for things like carrying meat out to the grill (or marinating the meat before you grill it), maybe something like stainless steel steam table pans would work, the kind you see at buffet tables at restaurants, like this one:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-2-size-standard-weight-anti-jam-stainless-steel-steam-table-hotel-pan-6-deep/4070269.html
They come in a variety of sizes and depths, also perforated. The flanges are not particularly comfortable, but they extend around the entire pan, so they are easy to grab. And stainless steel is durable, relatively easy to sterilize, and recyclable. You can get them used at some restaurant supply stores.
I researched them for possible use as cat litter pans. 🙂