All hail the takeaway!
If you’re like me, you’ll know that watching cookery shows is much more enjoyable than cooking. Like getting a haircut, it’s a job best left to people who have the talent for it. Thank goodness for Takeaways. As my Nan says, food always tastes better when someone else is doing the cooking. What’s better than scooping a freshly prepared meal from its container and filling your plate with the flavours of the world? The obvious answer is, of course, eating it! But, do you ever give any thought to the humble takeaway containers that your food is stored in? They’re more than just carriers, you know. A lot of thought has gone into their design to make sure that they get the job done. That’s what makes them so good. We just take it for granted that they work. We don’t think about them. But not all containers are equal. Polypropylene is the industry standard. It doesn’t transfer chemicals to your food, won’t leak, can be recycled, and it’s great in a microwave.
Are food containers safe?
Are food containers safe? When do they become dangerous? Those aren’t questions our nearest ancestors would have asked. Back then, food was almost always eaten soon after it was prepared. But in the age of fridges and microwaves, retaining and reheating food is now something we all do. Especially with takeaway food. Who amongst us hasn’t popped leftovers into the fridge in the container it arrived in? But are we doing the right thing, or are we exposing ourselves to danger? Not if we use the right packaging and follow some simple advice. The NHS offers some excellent guidance on storing food safely. In a nutshell, don’t put leftovers in the fridge until they’ve cooled. And eat them within two days; one day if it contains rice. And make sure you buy from a takeaway that uses polypropylene packaging. It’s easy to spot. Just look for the letters PP. They’ll be embossed on the container, below the triangular symbol for recycling.
The leftovers
Of course, if you’re like me, you’ll have put your food containers to other uses. They’re great for storing screws, or anything of similar size that you care to think of. My daughter and her friends make slime. Lots of it. If it wasn’t for the food containers we keep back, she wouldn’t have anywhere to store it. And our home would be stained in many colours! My wife thinks they’re great for storing the nuts and dried fruit she always packs for picnics. In short, food containers are multi-functional. There’s no need to throw them away. They’re really very useful. All you need to do is take a container, think of something practical and add a dash of imagination. Nuff said.
