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Shopping for plastic food containers for your fridge? If you are going to buy plastic food storage containers, it is important to recognize that not all plastic bins are equal to the task of storing your food safely and keeping it fresh. So what is important to look for when you are going to buy plastic food containers online?

• Use only food-safe plastic containers. To be food-safe, a plastic bin needs to be BPA-free.

• Make sure that your plastic food storage bins are microwave-safe. You can find this in the product description online, and you will also see it marked on the bottom of most plastic containers. Can you use non-microwave-safe plastic containers? Sure, but do not put them in the microwave to reheat your food. Actually, even with microwave-safe plastic containers, it is usually best to avoid this.

• Check to be sure that the plastic containers you are thinking of purchasing for food storage have lids which seal completely.

• It is a good idea to shop for plastic containers that are recyclable. One nice thing about plastic bins is that you can re-purpose them all over your house, so even if you stop using them for food storage, you probably can find some other use for them. But eventually, your bins may end up being thrown out. You want them to be recycled into something new, not end up rotting in a landfill someday.

• Choose plastic food containers which are clear, not opaque. Thankfully this is a given with most plastic food bins on the market, but obviously it is a big deal to be able to see what is inside your containers at a glance.

• If you will be washing your plastic bins in the dishwasher, choose only containers which are dishwasher-safe.

• If you can, try and buy all your plastic food storage containers from the same supplier. Why? You want to try and get a set of food bins which are stackable. That way when they are not in use, they will leave a lot more room free in your kitchen cabinets.

• Consider ease-of-use too, especially if you are shopping for plastic food bins which younger children may sometimes use (for their school lunches or to reheat leftovers when they get home for example). Make sure that the lids are easy to seal and unseal.

• If you can, try to learn how sturdy the plastic bins are before you purchase them. Gauging this online can be harder than it is offline, but it is important to make sure you buy products which are not going to warp over time and lose the ability to seal properly.

You now have a good idea what to look for when you are shopping for plastic food containers, whether you are shopping online or offline. High-quality plastic food containers are not much more expensive than low-quality bins, but they will last a lot longer and be much safer to use.