Compact Food Storage

Storing food can be a frustrating effort and take up a lot of room in the kitchen. Here is a way to recycle and create instant inexpensive storage.

An empty plastic food jar with a wide mouth and screw on lid

Craft knife

Plastic food quality bag

Material to be stored

In this example I am using an empty applesauce container. The recipe for the applesauce is in a different instructable. Ensure that the jar has been well washed and well dried. If it had contained an aromatic substance in its former life, you may want to wash it out with baking soda etc as it may transfer it odor to the material being stored.

Cut off the top of the jar below the shoulder of the container. Put the bottom of the jar aside for another recycling project such as creating a waterproof paper mache vase as shown in another instructable.

Take a food storage bag of a shape that will be useful considering the shape of the items being stored. With the open top of the jar in one hand, feed the top of the plastic bag filled with the rice or whatever you are storing up through the opening. Open the top of the plastic bag and fold it back over the top of the screw threads on the jar. Evacuate as much of the air as possible and then screw the lid back on the threads of the jar.

Now when you want a spoonful of the contents, you unscrew the jar lid and reach in with a spoon.

This storage container can be useful for storing rice, bread crumbs, chocolate melts, small candies etc. They are also useful in the craft room for storing buttons etc and even zippers and other soft items. An interesting use of this idea is an old fashioned ice bag. Using a heavy duty plastic bag, fill it with crushed ice for a quick ice pack that is comfortable on the head, leg, arm etc. Using the same procedure cut the top off of a water bottle or other small opening bottle below the shoulder again, and feed the plastic bag up through and over then replace the cap for an emergency water bottle. In this case use a narrow plastic bag to limit the bulk between the cap and the screw threads.