Food Storage Containers I Recommend
Today I’m writing about the food storage containers I recommend. I have always said, to buy right the first time, it will always save you money in the long run. When it comes to something like food storage containers, you want to make sure you’re buying quality. Setting money aside for emergency preparation is a real commitment, but it will be worth it.
While everyone prefers certain brands, these are food storage containers that I recommend. Dealing with food means you need to make sure the food stays safe! The right containers can make all of the difference. You’ll find comfort and confidence in having food in your pantry and other storage areas. Please keep in mind that you need “food grade” buckets.
Food Storage Containers
1. 5-gallon Buckets with Gamma Lids
These are great for things like rice, sugar, flour, wheat, beans, and pasta. Since these are items you need to store anyway, grabbing these Buckets with Gamma Lids is a smart idea! I really like having the buckets with lids because it makes it easier to get to what you need! Although most storage containers have lids, I think these lids are easiest to get on and off. Stacking them is also simple and makes your use of space so much more efficient.
2. Rubbermaid Commercial Containers
These are 8-quart Rubbermaid Containers that I use to store cereal, sugar, flour, rice, and pasta, just about everything else I use often. They are so well-built, and some I know I’ve had for well over 15 years and they still look like new. I have over 100 of these filled with a variety of things. So, I would recommend grabbing these commercial containers for your food storage because they are awesome to have on hand.
You make one big purchase, or you can buy them a smaller group at a time. Once you step up and buy them you can have them for years. They also work great if you decide to store other things besides food. I love versatile food storage items.
3. OXO Containers
I use to live in the desert and cockroaches were everywhere, outside anyway. Yes, I had to pay to have them sprayed professionally because I didn’t want them in my house. All of my food storage is in hard containers, no bags, ever. I like these because they work for smaller items and are easy to open and close.
OXO Containers are great no matter where you live and what weather and pest challenges you have. It will keep the bugs out and keep anything inside of the containers good! An investment in the containers you use is not a bad thing!
4. Mason Quart Jars
I think most of us have a stash of these, but it’s a good reminder to pick up some from time to time. There has been a shortage of these over the past year or two, and there is still a shortage of the lids. If you have a FoodSaver with a special jar adaptor, you can put your dehydrated food in the jars. I store the food I dehydrate in them for one year.
Quart Wide-Mouth Mason Jars are fairly cheap right now at Walmart. I remember a time during the pandemic when no one could find Mason Jars. Now you can find them everywhere again! Don’t be caught without buying extras because they are so handy and a great storage option. Although I have some smallmouth jars and even some pint-size, I do prefer the wide-mouth option since I find it easier to fill them, and also to remove the contents as needed.
5. JarBoxes
I was asked to review one of these when the owner first started making them. She now is selling them everywhere, I’m so proud of her. She was an avid canner but wanted something to protect the filled and empty canning jars. The company now makes containers for pint and quart-size jars. They stack on top of each other and you can secure them to a wall if need be. If you’d like to try something new and really keep your jars organized, then I’d suggest buying a few of these JarBoxes! They are so easy to use and a great investment in organizing your food.
6. Refrigerator Containers
I store my garden greens in these. Lettuce Keepers are great for making sure your lettuce stays crisp! There is nothing worse than buying or growing lettuce and then having it go bad. If you’d like to save your lettuce and make sure it stays nice and crispy, then these lettuce keepers are for you.
I use a lot of lettuce in the kitchen for salads and in recipes I make. When I open my fridge and the lettuce is still good, this makes me so happy! No one likes wasting money, so it makes sense to have something like this on hand in my home.
7. Refrigerator Organizers
Here’s the deal, if we organize our refrigerator so we can see the food we have then we will have less waste. Make it so you can see the food you have purchased and rotate as needed. My Favorite Organizers, I use these for drawers in the kitchen, hallways, and bedroom dressers as well. They’re so versatile.
Most people don’t think about refrigerators when they think of organizing. Stop wasting money on your spoiled food and grab these containers. It’s so nice when you can SEE what you have in your fridge. These organizers will actually save you money, which is what I love!
8. Two-gallon buckets with Gamma Lids
The ones in the picture with the lettering are my smaller two-gallon buckets with lettering I use in my upper kitchen cabinets. They are not as heavy for me to lift and I refill them from my five-gallon buckets. The only place I can find them is from Pleasant Hill Grain. Two-gallon buckets and Two-Gallon Gamma Lids.
Some people may think it’s overkill to label the buckets, but I like to quickly see which bucket I need, and also how much is still available for use. I really hate to run out of critical items I need all the time, so seeing what each bucket contains sure helps.
Totes by Matt
Matt was kind enough to send me images of his food storage in the large totes. Here is one more way to store our food storage that we package ourselves. Matt found these Commander Commercial Grade 27-gallon totes at Lowes and Walmart. I like how they stack securely inside one another.
This is the top of the totes.
This shows the inside of the tote with the Mylar packages.
This shows them stacked.
Final Word
I hope you enjoyed my post today about the food storage containers I recommend. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to store food, organize it, and keep it that way. I get it, I really do. Start with a few containers and add to them over time as needs and finances change.
Before long, you’ll have just about everything you need to keep your food safe from pests, humidity, etc. I love organizing and keeping my food storage safe. If you’re going to invest in storing food, then it only makes sense to invest in proper food storage containers. Stay safe my friends. May God Bless this world, Linda
When I started out I was going to put everything I 5gl buckets. As time has gone on I’m looking at weight because several of my family can’t handle the sugar, honey and salt etc.
On the flip side my freeze dried can be in a much larger container so they’ve been going in the black totes with yellow lids “commander” 27gl. From Lowes or Walmart.
I’m gonna check out those jar boxes.
Hi Matt, I agree about the weight of the 5-gallon buckets. I was glad when I found the 2-gallon buckets. I will have to check out the “Commander” 27 gallon totes! The JarBoxes are pricey but if you shop around you can find some on sale. I used to buy them on clearance at Walmart for $5.00, I think because no one knew what they were for!! LOL! Linda
Liinda,
Great post. It should help us with organizing better. I need to check out the jarboxes and also get some of the 2 gallon buckets with gamma lids. I have 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids and can handle them with no problem. But the 2 gallon would be easier for Pat to handle. Sam’s had 27 gallon totes with yellow lids and they were great except that they had a very strong plastic odor. It wound up getting broken when I had to make a sudden stop with some heavy stuff in it and I have not checked them out again. Someone said that the newer ones were much better on odor. I will check them out.
Have a great weekend!
Hi Harry, thank you, my friend. The reason I wanted to post this today is that I think some people have not heard of 2-gallon buckets and some of the other items I use. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming and people start buying just anything to store their food storage and end up not liking what they chose the first time. I’m a gray-white-haired lady who is over the top in organizing stuff. I have colored-coded buckets for everything. But I also like just the white ones in the pantry. Have a great weekend! Linda
I’m glad to find a good way to keep my Prepping Purchases safe from Moisture, Bugs and Mice.
Hi Loretta, thank you! I hope these ideas help you. Linda
Winco has always been a good source for the 2 gallon buckets and gamba lids. If you happen to have a winco, check them out.
Hi Della, thank you for the tip on Winco! Linda
I haven’t seen any 2 or 2-1/2 gallon containers. 🙁 I do have 5 gallon ones. I don’t pick them up. I just open the lid and get out what I need. They are way too heavy for me to pick up. The same with my 5 gallon water bottles. We get our son to switch out the empty for a full one.
Hi Deborah, this is why I wrote the post, there are so many options for everyone. I have to have the 2 -gallon ones. Mark fills them from the 5 -gallon ones. The 5-gallon water containers are so heavy. I totally agree, but they are great to store water. Linda
Thanks for this post Linda. I haven’t heard of the 2-gallon buckets and will need to check on them. I have the 5-gallon and I can handle those, but the 2-gallon would work nice in my pantry – on the bottom shelf of course! Husband has those black totes like Matt has and uses them to store garden seeds, etc. I hadn’t thought of using them for food storage. Thanks Matt and Linda for all of the ideas!
Hi Paula, thank you, my friend! I love our group here because we can share ideas and learn from one another. You will love the 2-gallon buckets with Gamma Lids. Linda
I don’t have anything as good as those you have written about. I do have extra large Tupperware Modular Mates. They hold 23 cups, and the air tight lids are good against moisture and bugs….. their lifetime guarantee and the fact that I got them at garage sales, from people who went to Tupperware parties, but seldom if ever use them, makes them my go to. They stack great in my pantry.
My husband is willing to look into Matt’s Commander containers YEAH!!
Hi Chris, oh my gosh, I LOVE Tupperware products! Plus, you got them at garage sales, I LOVE IT! It’s funny you mentioned Tupperware, I mention Tupperware-Type containers in my post all the time. I had no idea they were still in business and going strong. Someone in my last neighborhood had a Tupperware party. I was shocked, I hadn’t heard of Tupperware for years. This young mother was trying to bring in extra income so went. Well, I went, and I had forgotten how much I love their quality. Plus, only two of us came to the party so I was glad I went. Life is good! Linda
Linda:
I like the idea of the 5 gallon bucket but having to buy the lids also? That just blows my mind. I can get buckets from stores for free and they have lids with them.
Hi Jackie, oh, I LOVE Free, so I would get those. I have really bad arthritis so I need the Gamma Lids, I don’t have a choice. They are the only ones I can open by myself. If you can get free, I would get those for sure. Linda
Linda,
I got most of my 5 gallon and two gallon buckets, and their lids for free from bakeries at our local grocery stores. I’m sure the gamma lids are easier to open but I have a bung tool that makes doing so pretty easy–and I can still pry the lids off with my bare hands if I need to.
I also have quite a bit of food stored in mason jars–water too.
Hi Ray, I love FREE buckets, we all used to use those buckets where you had to pry off the lid! I still have my bung tool, it’s bright yellow! I hope I never have to use it but I won’t give it up! LOL! Food and water in mason jars are awesome! Linda
Look for “Food Grade” 5 gallon buckets for storing food. I got about fifteen buckets for free from a lady that ran a Chinese restaurant. Just ask around. They were marked Kikoman Soy Sauce, and they sure stunk, but soapy water fixed that. I think the food grade buckets are sturdier than the cheapo buckets at Lowe’s, or Home Depot. I had mixed luck with Gamma lids. They are available in a few different colors if you wanted to code them by color, but the red, and blue lids cracked across the middle of the lid, so keep that in mind. HTH
Hi Mark, thanks for the reminder on “food grade”, I assume people know that but they may not. Thank you! I have well over 200 buckets with every color and not one Gamma Lid has cracked. I’m sorry you had that experience. Linda
I just introduced my DIL to vacuum sealing dry goods. The first 27 gal totes I bought her at Sam’s club had no odor. The totes I bought at Sam’s club last week did. I wiped with vinegar and let em air dry in the sunshine for an afternoon. That really helped!
Our Tractor Supply had the Commander totes in several sizes. I got 2 of the 27 gal totes & snagged the last 3 square 5 gallon totes they had! This is the first year I’ve seen the Commander totes at Tractor Supply.
Taking a week off at Easter to clean out our back bedroom, get rid of the furniture stored in it & reorganize it with shelves. We’ll add the security window film to the windows while we’re working on that room. If there’s time we’ll tackle the middle room & do the same.
God bless each and every one of you for sharing your experiences & expertise!
Hi BDN, this is so awesome to hear all the things you are working on. It’s good to know Tractor Supply sells the Commander Totes! Using shelves to organize things is a HUGE help. Thanks for the tip on the vinegar. Linda
Do you have any recommendations (besides mason jars) for the freezer?
Hi Katrina, let me give you some links of the ones I use. It all depends on what you are freezing. 1. https://amzn.to/3OvSA7D.
2. https://amzn.to/4333ztx. 3. https://amzn.to/3OyWYTc
I have to purchase things that are easy for my hands to open and close, these are awesome. Linda