What are the Best Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics in the Kitchen? | Gear Heads 

Ball canning jars are wonderful for storage too!

Tip for washing plastic bags: turn it inside out, stick you hand inside, add a dot of detergent and "wash your hands". Works a treat!

The fact that Lisa is still using an actual iPod above her microwave for music in the kitchen is what really impressed me. 👍👍

Instead of plastic wrap or beeswax wrap on a bowl, just put a plate over top and plop it into the fridge. I do it all the time and if works perfectly. Or just buy bowls that come with lids (ceramic to match the pot). You have to look out for them but they’re out there.

I think this topic needs to be revisited regularly because there are always new products coming onto the market and newer concerns. For instance, right now, I'm all concerned about microplastics so bpa-free or not, I would still rather go for glass all the way. Also, I wish someone would come up with an easier way to wash/clean these wax/ silicon/ reusable grocery bags.

I've used some glass straws made from a Pyrex type of glass. Zero chips or breaks in years of use.

I use canning jars. Glass retains no odor, does not stain, dishwasher safe, you can see contents, works for wet or dry items. Lids do not leak, lids previously used for canning work for storage. Comes in 1/2c, 1c, 2c, 4c sizes & some sizes can even nest in larger jars for space saving. They are convenient for portion control, premade servings and gift giving. They are cheap & last. When broken they can be recycled. Bonus, only 2 lid sizes, and 1 piece lids are available. And can be used for canning!

Yes! Please more sustainability content please :D

I love the old school iPod in the background

I have beeswax-infused cloth that I bought from a local crafter. She never explained that they seal with hand heat! (I've been using rubber bands to seal and hold them in place.) Thanks for the tip!

Glass straws are great! They don’t chip. I get borosilicate glass (which most are), so they’re sturdy. I also like that they’re clear, so you can be sure that they’re clean. You can even get ones with little decorative glass animals, flowers, and geometric designs.

Baggies are only single use if you choose to throw them out. Glad she mentioned that. I wash and reuse them until they fall apart. Eventually a little hole may appear. I have taped over them and kept using. I do my best with not being wasteful, but I'm not interested in purchasing expensive, specialized products. I feel somewhat suspicious, like this is another category of stuff for people with money to burn. A victory for marketing. It seems like more unnecessary consumerism, which people who are into recycling and reusing are generally trying to avoid. Even though I wash my baggies, I do not require a $24 baggie drying tree. Lol. I'm fine using those lesser-quality yogurt containers, etc. I even take them to work. I have no pride. 🤷‍♀️

It is amazing how many of these kitchen tests produce an OXO winner!

I love my glass straws more than any others. It's nice that you can see all the way through for cleanliness. I put mine in the dishwasher too.

Since most the avocados I use are in combination with using limes, I just rub the cut avocado surface with lime juice and it stays perfectly green, no oxidation. I keep the pit in the cut avocado half, and store the avocado is glass container with snap lids.

Loved this! I have the silicone covers like yours and have mesh bags for produce. I have had the wooden bag dryer for years. My parents grew up in the Depression and I learned to wash out plastic bags, glass jars and tin foil at a young age. We need to get back to that thinking.

For avocados I leave the pit in and cover with the empty side that I scooped out. It works great. Generally I’m eating the second half the next day, so I don’t know how long that would work.

Love this. Now use these products and options in your cooking demos...spread the word.

* The Pyrex nesting multi-bowl set with matching lids is an excellent alternative to the disposable plastic covers. One of ATK's best ever recommendations; I've used them for two years now and they're great. * Store your stainless straws in the freezer and they won't become moldy. Works great for Camelbak bladders too.

The Rubbermaid brilliance comes in glass as well! I have both (found the glass set at target, which still use the same plastic lids, so it's all interchangeable)

Since the day you guys did the Rubbermaid Brilliance episode, I have bought them for myself and everyone I know. They are the best "tupperware" on the planet, thank you so much for doing the legwork to convince me to buy it. It's worth every penny. And I'm Canadian and they are super expensive here, but worth it.

I love the reusable silicone lids that she said were too difficult to stretch over a bowl. They don't fit every size but are excellent on the ones they do fit. I rarely us cling wrap anymore.

Glass straws are great. I’ve had mine for around 8 years. No breaking, Or chipping at all.

Awesome information Ladies! Plastics are a serious environmental problem that we all need to take responsibility for. You’ve inspired me to start TODAY!👍🏼

I've been doing the washing out the larger bag's thing for years but I'm cheap and can get at least four or five uses out of them and I have my own reusable shopping bags .

been watching on and off for a while and I think you guys are really hitting your stride in terms of tone and target audience and just seeming so much more relaxed in front of the cameras, I’m happy for y’all

That was excellent work on a very important topic. I put a bunch of these on my shopping list. This at-home format isn't easy, but this was so well done. Keep these coming!

Please more videos like this, I want to produce less waste!

Love that there's racks now to dry plastic bags for us hippies! Yay!! But those plastic produce bags from the store? They make really good proofing bags for my breads. And I also use them to keep bugs off my drying herbs when I get some from the Food Bank. I will have to get some of the reusable bags when I start needing them, but for now I still use the plastic bags we were getting last year from the school lunches. Those were so sturdy.

So glad to finally see this kind of content from ATK- we’ve been alarmed at all the one-time-use stuff we’ve seen over the years... keep it up!!

That kitchen that Hannah is filming in is just gorgeous!

Next gen ATK talent. They inspire confidence.

Glass straws are the best. You should try them. I've had a set for six years; no breaks, no chips.

I really like the glass storage containers that have the lids without the gaskets. They work great and are the easiest to clean.

I actually LIKE the stretchy pull-around silicone bowl covers -- I find that if I match the cover to the bowl they are *not* difficult to put on AND they seal more securely (IMHO). I still LOVE LOVE LOVE these videos, but I'm thrilled I bought the covers that work for me before I saw this one.

Ladies, you are reading my mind! I was wondering how not to use so much plastic in the kitchen, thank you for this video.

Flinging around pineapples in bags! LOL! Seriously, I wanna work in the Test Kitchen.

The stretchy silicone disks are perfect for tucking directly on the surface of puddings and sauces, to prevent a thick skin from forming. They're also good for using as a tight wrap for cut avocados, apples, proving dough. Actually, they're really helpful.

BTW: for a cheap, homemade plastic bag dryer, chopsticks stuck into an unloved coffee mug works great.

About time. Finally you have covered this issue. I think single-use plastic needs to be banned. We survived many thousands of years without it just fine. Try just using canning jars with lids for leftovers. They don't leak.

While reducing single-use plastics that end up in landfills (or elsewhere) is an admirable effort, it's worth noting that more often than not, the number of times these replacement products can be used before they themselves need replacement is not an improvement when comparing the comparative amount of resource consumption needed to produce them in the first place. Just food for thought.

Or you can save the glass jars food came in and use it again.

I have the stretchy bowl covers. I love love them, not hard to stretch at all. Only problem I have is choosing the right side but that’s me, I have trouble the correct size with choosing any storage item.

The Rubbermaid Brilliance collection is now available in glass, so y'all should compare that with the others

to cover use wax paper w/ foil on top - throw away the wax paper after use but reuse the foil topper time and again

I do not have any rolls of saran wrap, aluminum, or ziplock bags. I just reuse plastic containers. When I do take out food, I would also bring my own containers. My plan is to transition to glass containers when the plastic containers I have fall apart. I will then recycle them.

Thank you so much for this video. I’ve been trying to limit single use plastics, but the inconvenience and ineffectiveness of so many solutions had me frustrated. Think this will be a big help. (Btw, the ad that came up at the beginning of the video was for US Plastics! You need to have a discussion with those algorithms.)

These were great reviews. I have a number of the Brilliance containers and love them. I never worry about throwing them in my backpack and leaking. In addition, they are clear so you can see what is in them. I’m hoping they come out with a soup size (round). I also reuse zip bags if they were not used for meat. The best way to recycle is to never use it to begin with.

Very helpful, thanks. Two more item types to add to your list: 1. TRAVEL SET OF STAINLESS STEEL SILVERWARE: For eating your lunch away from home. Some brands are made for camping and some come from East Asian countries and will include chopsticks. There is a wide variety. I recommend going for as nearly full-sized as possible, making sure the spoon is deep enough for soup (or substitute a soup spoon from home), checking that the knife is serrated, and including the chopsticks. Some come with a stainless steel drinking straw and even a brush for cleaning its inside. The set comes in a pouch, which can be made from a variety of materials. Mine is silicone. You will need to have a plan of how to either clean or wrap the dirty utensils after use, so you don’t get the pouch dirty while carrying them home. 2. RESTAURANT-STYLE COTTON KITCHEN TOWELS: These are washable, absorbent, soft and pleasing, and replace many, many paper towels and napkins. I don’t recommend the ones with the waffle-like texture and certainly not terrycloth. Also called tea towels. They launder well and wear like iron. Mine are listed at Amazon at about $20 for thirteen of them, are white 2-ply cotton with a woven stripe that comes in different colors, and are described thus: “Liliane Collection Red Dish (13 Pack) -Commercial Grade Absorbent 100% 2-ply Cotton Kitchen (14"x27") Classic White Tea Towels Side Stripes, 14" x 27", 13 Count.” (This is the description for the towels with a red stripe, and they also come with a stripe in green, blue or yellow.) I wouldn’t use them for something terribly gross or strongly staining, but that should be obvious; there are other tools for that, like a cleaning brush. On first washing/drying, they do get somewhat smaller, but it seems to be more from sort of puckering a bit than just shrinkage; they become soft and lush. I have a big stack of these in my kitchen, folded and ready, and use quite a few every day.

Yes please make more about sustainability in the kitchen! I would be interested in more content about reusables, food waste, composting, plant-based alternatives.

I mostly dig that old school iPod stereo!

Thank you so very much for this!!!!!

I have the Rubbermaid containers. I love them! I don’t use straws at all, I just can’t see the point. Why can’t we drink with our lips? And I use and reuse everything, from the aluminum foil to the zip locking plastic bags, which I wash over and over until they get a hole and can’t be used any more. I even use the grocery store’s bags in my trash cans or to pick up and dispose of my pets’ droppings. You can say I’m a baby boomer, but I also come from a country with a strong tradition to reuse everything: the tin milk can is used for everything until it starts to rust, and then it becomes a plant pot. Lol.

I use a plate to cover my bowl in the fridge

I've been re-using plastic bags for years. Recently went to my grocery store with a set of mesh bags and the check out guy was trying to dissuade me from using them! He told me that the bags add weight and I should use plastic. I told them that I didn't care since they didn't have recycling for those. I went back yesterday and saw a bin for bags!😊

I save cereal bags to store pre-chopped veggies and roasts that are cut for stew meat or smaller roasts (cooking for 2 now). They also work very well for pounding meat, or for coating meat with seasonings. Sometimes food comes in plastic ziplock type bags from the grocery store. I clean these and label them with freezer tape listing the contents (rice, freeze dried fruit, dried fruit, granola, croutons, & shredded cheese come in these bags). Anything I put raw meat in is one time use. I also save produce bags from the store to use the next time I visit, sometimes they don’t even need to be rinsed to be reused.

I'd be interested to see a comparison between the silicone lids and using a dinner plate as a makeshift lid. The convenience of the dinner plate might outweigh the hassle of buying a specialty product, if the relative looseness of the seal is not too bad.

I didnt think i’d fall in love more with america’s test kitchen...but yes.

Loved this video, I would love to see more videos like this. I’m always looking for ways to use less plastic in my home

Thank you for this video and for caring for the environment. We got a set of the silicone covers that have a lip and they work great for us. The set has different sizes and we haven’t had issues using them. I have small hands and am able to stretch the lid over the containers. We just need to make sure to keep the container’s surface dry so that the silicone doesn’t slip. We also got a set of handmade mesh bags from a seller on Etsy. They came in another bag that I keep in my purse and take out the sizes I need when grocery shopping. I love not having to deal with plastic.

Another good episode and noticed that Hanna moved. She's in a nice, though vintage kitchen now, like it. The cabinet design reminds me of my last apartment, though mine were painted white at some point but had the light wood finish originally. The ONLY thing was, the base cabinets did not go all the way to the floor and had legs for support and when I left the place in 2016, the base cabinets were getting out of square and it showed in doors rubbing together as when closed, you just saw the cut as they were all frameless. Then again, it WAS built in 1960 and out of reinforced concrete slabs, so a mid century gem of sorts.

When storing an avocado I always keep the pit in. It seems to slow the browning process vs storing it w/o the pit.

You gals are absolutely AWESOME!! Solid information and extensive testing results... thank you for your contributions to important subjects as these!

This is a real service to us all - thank you 😍

I recently bought a dutch oven from Misen that came with a silicone lid. I actually prefer that lid to the cast iron lid. It seals absolutely tight, does great in the oven or stovetop, and is very easy to clean.

Thank you this was very much needed.

Thank you for the thorough work you do.

Wow! Thanks for the testing and reviews. Such meaningful information!

Love the sustainable products!

Wow i love the testing you guys put these items through

So, so _so_ happy you covered this! Wish I could find an alternative to trashcan liners that I like. I have the Rubbermaid Brilliance storage containers---and can also attest, they're great. Sealing is amazing, they stack brilliantly in the icebox, they clean well/don't smell, and mine still look new after 6 months, so...

Thanks for the suggestions! I just bought the straw set!

A topic I have needed all the way from the storage to the straws to the bags to the bag dryer stand. Thank you so much!

Reusable mesh produce have are actually very common in Belgium, the stores gave them with your purchases for a while

Surfside sips makes the absolute best glass straws. They are extremely durable and come in a lot of fun designs

A rubber band helps with bees wraps. Canning jars! They are cheap, sturdy, easily washed and sterilized, come in multiple sizes. I sewed some simple cotton bags for groceries. Dried beans, rice, produce - potatoes, fruit, etc transport easily.

Thank you for the work that you do. I'm reducing my plastic usage and found this video along with the recommended products to be fantastic! 👍🏾

Love my Rubbermaid brilliance. Bought them after watching the first video you made on them. Thanks

The Rubbermaid Brilliance line comes with sizes great for pantry storage/dry goods like flours and sugars and such. The seal is great!

I love this! I already have all of these products but I must disagree with Hannah when she said the stretchable silicone lids were awful. I have both the flat lids (identical to Hannah's) and the stretchable ones and find they each do better at certain things. I use the stretchable to fit over cut melons and cans because the flat lids lose their seal if the edge bumps up agains something in the fridge.

Love my Lock & Lock glass storage containers -- variety of sizes and colors. Perfect for all my banchan and leftovers. ❤

thank you so much for finally making this video. ATK is a BIG influencer. When you teach, people learn!

We use the Rubbermaid Brilliance as well and they are fantastic! Great review again from ATK :)

forget straws... sippy cups. Not entirely size efficient but some of the items, I use a mason jar to store in the freezer. Like coffee beans, and I vacuum out the air with the mason jar attachment. Seems to keep it well for a long time.

For barely used plastic zip bags I label them and store them in the freezer and use them to store similar items. Like bread or veggies, etc.

Thank you, ladies!!

Hannah: Did your testers try the Abeego in the freezer? For those of us cooking-for-one-or-two who buy bulk items like trays of chicken thighs/breasts and then individually wrap each one and freeze them, separately, with plastic wrap. This is done both to keep food costs down by buying in bulk and also to not have to re-heat/defrost a large chunk of meat every time you only need one thigh for, like, a curry or stir-fry.

I own the Rubbermaid Brilliance plastic storage tubs. I love them.

I actually have a stack of old containers that Hillshire Farms meats came in. No, they don't microwave and are too light weight for a dishwasher, but I love them. They stack 4 hlgh without tipping over, they don't leak (no gaskets to wash), they're never smelly or stained. We take them camping, and to restaurants to bring home leftovers. Did I mention the word "old"? I have used these almost daily in my fridge and I have had them since the early seventies. A couple of the red lids are becoming brittle, but I would say they were great performers for storage. Hillshire has switched over to a different shape container, square and flatter, which aren't anywhere near as useful.

Loved this video! Thank you for the info!!!

Loved this video and all the tips, I've been waiting to splurge on those Rubbermaid Brilliance containers though.

Thank you for this!

This was great. Thank you.

BRAVO Amer Test Kitchen - this is SO important. Live now as if there is no plastic wrap - like most of the world continues to do. I gifted ALL of my extended family members with BEES WAX wraps for Christmas - that I made myself. Made from bees wax, pine resin {

6:20 I definitely keep silicone straws around for kiddos. I saw a news article about a little boy who hurt his throat pretty badly from a stainless steel straw. I can see how that could happen, especially with fidgety small kids ages 3-6. So I keep the stainless for the grownups and silicone for the kids.

Really helpful, thanks 😊

Love Lisa!

amazing video!

Thank you Ladies!

Since I discovered Lisa and Hannah (during covid) I've watched them going back for years!!! I won't buy anything now without first checking with them!