Photographs by Armando Rafael Takeout Gets Upgraded.
We’ve all been there: You want to take your half-eaten like seriously delicious eggplant parm home from the restaurant but dread the Styrofoam takeout containers. What. A. Dilemma. GET Enterprises has married strong polypropylene plastic (the kind used for commercial kitchens) with iconic takeout container shapes to make Eco-Takeouts. Ditch the foam and tote these to restaurants, or make healthy meals at home and keep pasta, veggies, and side dishes separate in three deep compartments. There’s even an eco-friendly version of the Chinese food soup container! Find them at webstaurantstore.com
We love Preserve products because they take hard-to-recycle #5 plastics (think yogurt cups and Brita water filters) and turn them into recycled adorable-ness, like these apple-shaped sandwich boxes. These beauties are microwave- and dishwasher-safe and—yep, you guessed it—BPA free. Send your kids to school with PB&Js, snacks, or whatever; you get TWO for less than $7! And if you’re a Recycle bank member, you can use your points to save even more. onetwine.recyclebank.com
We just returned from India (see it in the next issue of Naturally,) where these stacked metal tins—or tiffins—were everywhere. We love the timeless and ingenious design of these portable lunch boxes: Individual metal compartments keep different types of food separate, and an integrated handle keeps them snug and easy to carry. If you can’t pick up a few when you’re in India, try amazon.com to bring global chic to your front door.
Homemade salad dressings are a cinch to make, but you gotta dirty a bowl, and a whisk, and…why bother? Try this instead: Dump oil, vinegar, and other goodness into one of these Le Parfait jam jars. Twist the perfectly Parisian embossed lid on and shake away. Double the recipe so you have extra dressing for later, since it also doubles as a storage container. We think it’s très cute. $3.95; surlatable.com
Our favorite shop for really unusual dishes and glasses is Fishs Eddy in New York City. For over 25 years, they’ve scoured the world for edgy, unique, and fun tableware you really can’t find anywhere else. Inspired by “the city that never sleeps, but always eats,” they’ve covered these handy glass containers with iconic NYC landmarks. We like to store bulk bin snacks in them, eat cereal, heat up soup…it’s endless. $6.50; fishseddy.com
Did you know that once you open a bag of flour, or a box of pasta, or a carton of cream cheese, you need to transfer the unused food to a new airtight container to prevent spoilage? For people who like less work in the kitchen, may we introduce these brilliant inventions: the Stay Fresh containers. Just drop the unused portion inside, snap the lid, and voilà! Airtight freshness. $1.99–$3.99; containerstore.com
