Practical Ways To Make Your Holiday Leftovers Last As Long As Possible
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Chances are, if you're reading this, you're in the middle of preparing to cook and/or host a delicious holiday meal. We applaud you for all your hard work in making this festive time one to remember, especially considering how this is all happening in the middle of last-minute holiday shopping for your friends, family, partners, coworkers, and more ... the nice list truly goes on and on. All that to say, we get how stressful this particular period of the holidays can be now that there are less than 10 days until Christmas is here.
To help alleviate some of that, we've started looking ahead to what happens in the aftermath of holiday feasts — namely, the mountain of leftovers that you're left to deal with once all the toasts have been made, presents have been opened, and guests have come and gone. If you're struggling to figure out how you're going to get through the challenge of storing and finishing all that meticulously-prepared food before they're left dying on the pass and inevitably spoil, we've got you covered. We've rounded up the best, most practical finds from Amazon that will help you keep your leftovers tasting and looking fresh as possible, from shopper-approved storage containers with 68,200+ five-star reviews to genius gadgets & small tools that are as cute as they are functional.
You deserve nothing but the best of the best, à la carte. Let's get shopping so you can get cooking!
One of the most popular, tried-and-true methods for making food last is by vacuum sealing it. This FoodSaver vacuum sealer machine enables you to easily preserve food that can last up to three years in the freezer for up to three years, according to the brand. It has 4,600+ five-star reviews on Amazon, and it features a user-friendly control panel that lets you dispense & rewind bag material, shows sealing progress, and more.
If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option to seal and preserve your food, this manual heat sealer machine is just the nifty kitchen gadget you need. Available in three colors and three sizes, the sealer is designed to quickly and evenly seal your bags of food in just seconds. You can also adjust the temperature of the sealer with just a turn of hte dial.
Whether you're looking to store leftover soups, sauces, broths, or other dishes, these silicone freezer trays will ensure that the whole process is free of mess and hassle. The silicone molds are oven-safe up to 415°F, are machine-washable, and are marked with convenient measurement lines for accurate pouring. Did we mention that they're also amazing for meal prepping?
Alternatively, you could save space in your freezer by flattening your liquid food into thin, stackable shapes using this genius freezer food block maker. It stands vertically to hold bags open for mess-free filling and compact freezing, and the silicone bands are designed to expand as food freezes in the mold, making them easy to remove when the frozen block is ready for storage.
If you don't need to freeze your leftovers, you can store them in these BPA-free plastic food containers, which have 61,800+ five-star Amazon reviews. The set includes two extra-tall containers, four large containers, four medium containers, and four small contianers, each of which comes with a matching lid. The containers are compatible with the kitchen, pantry, microwave, and refrigerator, and they're designed with a four-hinge locking, airtight seal system that keeps food preserved and fresh.
Another great solution for efficiently sorting out and storing your leftovers is to portion them out for meal prep. This set of five food storage containers feature two compartments that make prepping a full entree and side dish easy as pie. Not to mention, they have 68,200+ five-star Amazon reviews and are 100% leak-proof and airtight, according to the brand.
Mason jars are another great option for portioning and storing food, but it's important to make sure that they're airtight and fully closed. That's where this super nifty electric mason jar vacuum sealer comes in. The kit includes an electric sealer with two sizes of mouth seals (standard & wide mouth) to easily remove the air from your mason jars with just the press of a button.
The Blueapple produce saver will help keep your leftover fruits & veggies in their best condition for as long as possible. Each apple-shaped saver contains an active ingredient packet inside that can last up to three months, and you can stock up on refills here. Specifically, the packet absorbs ethylene gas to slow down the ripening process and exend the life of your produce naturally.
If you decided to save your leftover wine instead of finishing the bottle (no judgment here either way!), this wine saver pump kit will help you keep your wine fresh for up to 10 days. Just insert one of the four included stoppers into the bottle, place the pump over the top of the stopper & pump until you feel strong air resistance (about 15-20 times), and you're good to go!
From dinner rolls to sourdough to rye & more, if your holiday feast left you with leftover bread, make sure it stays fresh with this expandable bread keeper. The container can expand up to 11 inches to accommodate almost any sized loaf, and it's designed with adjustable air vents to allow just the right amount of air into the storage space. It even comes with its own bread cutting board for convenient slicing!
This silicone storage bag is super cool for a number of reasons. It's able to stand on its own, can hold up to 56 fl. oz., and is safe for the dishwasher, microwave, oven (up to 425°F), freezer, and more. It's durable, too meaning you can store foods with sharp points or edges inside without worrying about the bag ripping like a regular plsatic storage bag might.
True to their name, these Food Huggers silicone sleeves "hug" your food to keep it fresh and airtight. The round silicone sleeves stretch to fit common fruit and vegetable halves large, medium, and small. They're even great for sealing cans that don't have their own lids.
This cow deodorizer is as functional as it is cute, and it's the perfect little buddy to keep in your fridge or freezer to eliminate odor. Just fill the reusable container with baking soda and place it in your refrigerator to absorb odors for up to 30 days.
For any leftovers that you aren't planning to eat, put them in this countertop compost bin with over 15,400 five-star reviews on Amazon. It's compact yet spacious enough to hold days' worth of compostable organic waste; but no need to worry about odors, because it comes with an airtight lid and replaceable, activated-charcoal filter for full odor elimination. It's made of high-grade stainless steel that's durable, scratch-resistant, and rust-resistant.
Finally, if you'd rather give your holiday leftovers away to your friends, family, and neighbors rather than go through the entire process of storing them all away, these festive foil containers are perfect for spreading holiday cheer in the yummiest way possible. The set comes with 36 aluminum containers that feature three unique holiday designs (12 of each).
If you're looking to do some more culinary-inspired shopping, check out our roundup of the 20 best celeb-approved holiday gift ideas for foodies, with picks from Paris Hilton, Cameron Diaz & more!
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