How is it that the free Tupperware from restaurants always ends up being better than the stuff I spend real money on? I started keeping the plastic containers my takeout comes in, just so I’d have extras on hand. Now those cheap containers have completely taken over my cabinet. They stack cleaner, the lids actually stay on, and I don’t stress when one disappears or breaks.
Meanwhile the “real” Tupperware set I bought is missing lids, its stained from pasta sauce, and somehow takes up twice the space. I didn’t mean for this to turn into a frugal habit, it just happened on its own. Has anyone else noticed this?
How Is The Free Tupperware From Restaurants Better Than The Ones I Pay For At The Store?
byu/James_B84Saves inFrugal
Posted by James_B84Saves
15 Comments
Deli containers are excellent. You can buy them new cheap
We use both, Rubbermaid long term lasts nicely. The takeout stuff breaks down over time, and I’m not confident about it not leaching into my food either. But it is nice to have the takeout containers handy so I can leave them at work, give them away with leftovers (i.e. when our kids visit), or use them for things like cookies for coworkers.
What drives me absolutely NUTS are the nice glass containers by a couple of companies we’ve all heard of with a rep for making excellent glass products who can’t seem to make a good lid to go with with them. I probably have ten really nice glass vessels with shitty plastic tops with numerous cracks in the edges… you can’t trust them to not leak. Sometimes you can find adequate replacement lids, sometimes you can’t or they are stupid expensive.
you are 100% right about especially the chinese restaurant soup takeout containers. They seal extraordinarily well. Because they were designed to transport hot soup from place to place!
Restaurants want cheap, rugged and ugly cookware. Regular consumers put more value on aesthetics and often don’t realize the cheap and rugged options exist.
Buy from a restaurant supply store.
I bought the soup ones off Amazon, unbelievably useful
You can buy the same restaurant ones as well
I use glass jars that otherwise would go to the trash bin. no money spent on it, better for the planet and my wallet, no leaching of plastic!
I use glass and BPA free deli containers. Deli containers are fantastic because they all use the same size lids. They come in 8 ounce 16 ounce and 32 ounce and I use them constantly in the freezer, in the refrigerator for dry goods – everything. Restaurants also use deli containers and they are reusable and washable. You can get them from restaurants, supply stores or order them on Amazon.
Restaurants are not giving out Tupperware. You can’t usually buy it in stores. Tupperware is a brand name of storage containers that is sold through their dealers. The containers you get from Restaurants are cheap and can be reused for a while.
I love the containers from the closest Chinese restaurant. They’re black so spaghetti stains don’t show, the lids stay on and there’s ample room for any lunch. This is a great frugal habit!
I save the Cool whip containers they are well made
First and foremost Tupperware is a brand name so you are not getting it free from restaurants.
And no, I don’t use the name brand Kleenex to ask for a tissue.
If you want throw away plastic to store your food, free is all the same. They are considered single use plastic which has limitations.
If you want multiple use plastic to store your food then spend the money. These also have concerns but they are not as problematic as single use plastics.
Is it the ones that are all the same size circle, just different heights, and all have the same lids? I wanted to have a pantry organized with the OXO Pop containers but I just needed so many of them that I knew even the big pack from Costco was just not enough so I returned them. But those circular containers that takeout soups come in ended up being my pantry organizational tool that is free, functional, and aesthetic. I decant dry goods into them or even stick the opened package into them, pop on the lid, and label with some masking tape and a sharpie. They stack so well into columns that it’s so easy to see what all I have. As items run low, I just pour them into a smaller size of the same container and use the same label. And of course when they’re empty, they stack well into each other to take up less space, and because the lids are all the same, they don’t need to be organized a certain way. If they get too gross or stained, I have a million others that were also free so I don’t feel bad throwing the stained one into the recycling bin. They’re so useful!
Restaurant supply stores sell this stuff dirt cheap. Far better than a lot of junk in regular stores.
I have real Tupperware that I’ve had for over 30 years and it’s practically indestructible. It was pricey at the time but given the quality, totally worth it. I don’t think you’ve bought real Tupperware since it’s not sold at stores.
And there’s no way any restaurant would ever use real Tupperware as takeout containers. Do yourself a favor and get some real Tupperware and you won’t have to worry about replacing it for a very long time.
When you say “real” Tupperware, do you mean brand Tupperware or more generally containers for food storage?