As you all know by now, I sell Tupperware. At first I didn't know much about it, other than it has been around for many, many years, everyone loves it, and people have pieces that are handed down from grandmother, to mother, to daughter. A lasting legacy of time spent in the kitchen, preparing nourishing meals for those we love.
I remember going to grandma's house when I was a child. The first place we went was into her kitchen to see what she was cooking. When I close my eyes and think back, I can see the salt and pepper shakers sitting on her kitchen table, waiting to be used by her hungry family. I remember walking over to stand next to her to peek over her shoulder to see what smelled so good. She was mixing up a pie crust to be made into apple pie in a huge Tupperware bowl. After it was baked, it would be stored in her round Tupperware container. It was all we could do to keep out grubby mits out of it! If we weren't there for a meal, grandma would mix up a pitcher of lemonade, and a snack of cookies, or other homemade treats out of what were her favorite "everything" bowls. Do you have fond memories of your grandmother or mother baking or cooking, and can remember her using Tupperware products?
Well, now it's my turn to begin making memories with my own daughter in the kitchen. I want to have Tupperware that we used together to pass down to her when she gets older and moves out on her own. I'm beginning now to build my collection.
When I signed up with Tupperware, I bought a 'starter kit' so that I could begin to familiarize myself with what they had to offer. Things certainly have changed since grandma's baking days! They have really come out with some amazing pieces! I looked at everything, studied it, and learned about it. I did some parties with it, but as I was talking about it, I realized that I really didn't have enough experience with it to tell people how great it was, or how it worked for me in my own kitchen. I relied on what others told me about how it worked for them. Sure, their testimonies were glowing, but I wanted to know first-hand how great these pieces are, and how they help you save time and money. I decided to dig into my kit and help myself! I want to tell everyone about my favorite pieces so far, how I used them, and how you can get them for yourself!
My favorites by far! The Heat 'N Serve Oval and the Saucy Silicone Spatula go great together! Below, I showed how I used it to reheat my favorite Paula Deen Macaroni and Cheese recipe (I added the ham cubes on my own. Yum! Frozen peas would be good too if that suits your taste). I baked the macaroni and cheese in my oven using my glass casserole dish. I knew I would need that dish again the next day, so I put the leftover macaroni and cheese in the Heat 'N Serve Oval, and put it in the refrigerator. The next day at lunch I took it out, popped it into the microwave and reheated it for about two minutes. The reheating time is much less than in a different kind of dish because it uses steam, and it heats your food evenly and quickly. No burned spots are left behind on your food. I am totally sold on this piece. I have used it time and time again for many, many different kinds of meals, and each time the food comes out heated perfectly!
Oh, and a word about that spatula...it's the thickest, most hard working spatula I've ever had in my hands! It has a very thick handle, and the stirring part is made of silicone, and can handle temperatures of up to 400 degrees! I can tell it's going to last for many, many years!
My next favorite set are the FridgeSmarts. I have labeled each one so that you can see what they are. Those white ovals you see on each one are vents to let the air pass through the food inside if it needs it. They click open or closed, depending on the food that is stored inside. Each piece (except the small size; that comes with paper instructions inside) has a chart that is lasered in between two layers of the plastic so that it will never come off, that tells you if you need to open one vent or two, or keep both vents closed, depending on what food you have stored inside. The first one I used was the small one on top for strawberries. I wish I had kept track of how long they lasted, but it was much, much longer than keeping them in the container they came in from the store. Next I tried baby carrots in it. You know how carrots either get dried and cracked, or mushy after a while? Well, I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, but they stayed just the same as the day I put them in there! They stayed crispy and crunchy until they were all gone. I'm the only one who eats them, so they lasted quite a while. I was impressed, but I had to put it to the toughest test I could think of, and that's lettuce! Iceberg lettuce, that after a week (if you're lucky to have it stay fresh even that long) goes limp and brown and mushy in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator. Below is the head of lettuce I bought and stored in the FridgeSmart Large Round. I put a sticky note on the top with the date that I put it in there, so that I would know for sure how long it would last. As you can see from the photo below, it's been 17 days and counting! Yes, 17 days for a head of iceberg lettuce! Wow!!! Now I'm impressed! The lettuce is still crisp and I only saw one or two small brown spots on it. That's it! I can't believe it. I took the wrapper off the lettuce (everything goes into the FridgeSmart containers naked), read the label to see what vents I had to open or close (lettuce needs one vent open, and one closed) and put it in the refrigerator. It's that easy, and more than two weeks later I still have crispy, fresh lettuce for an impromtu salad at dinner! Amazing! (Note: it has taken me a couple of days to get this post edited, and I just checked on the lettuce and 21 days later it's still good! For goodness sakes! What will it take to get this lettuce to go bad?! I'm going to have a salad with it tonight with our ravioli and bread sticks for supper).
Another one of my favorites thus far is my
Access Mates Container. These are mostly used to store potatoes and onions, but can be used for many other things. Pet food with a scoop inside would be good in here, or whatever else you can think of. The panel on the front is called a Veg-Out panel, which you'd use for things that need circulation like your potatoes and onions (but not in the same container together. You'll need one for each), and another lid that is solid and closes the same way, for things that don't need air circulation, like the pet food for instance. I am finding it incredibly convenient to have somewhere easy to keep my potatoes where I can simply open the lid and reach in, grab what I need, then close it again until next time. I really appreciate having this storage option in my kitchen pantry. Not only is it convenient, but it looks nice too. It comes with a blue lid, or passion red. Whatever you choose.
I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my favorite Tupperware pieces. I have bought a few new things to try, and I will report back to you on how I used them, and how you can enjoy them in your kitchen as well. For now though, try a few of the pieces that I have recommended for yourselves. You'll love them! Let me know what you liked about what you bought, and what you used them for. I'd love to hear from you!
Happy cooking *Ü*
