Costco Has The Only Thing You Need To Declutter Your Mismatched Food Containers

Having a kitchen cupboard that is a disaster zone is sort of a rite of passage for adults. Despite your best efforts to keep things neat and organized, there are always food containers with missing lids, extra lids that don't fit any container you've ever owned, containers that you just can't seem to remove stains from, and that one jumbo container you inherited from an in-law after Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. 

This hodgepodge of food vessels takes up precious space and is not very practical when there is food that needs to be stored. Knowing when to throw away your plastic storage containers or repurpose them is key, and Costco has a great 32-piece set for $79.99 that garnered 4.6 stars on the retailer's website. Here's more about the highly rated food storage containers that will make you wish you had tossed the old ones sooner.

The set contains 18 pastel-colored containers in a range of sizes, each with its own airtight lid. The vintage-inspired containers are BPA-free, dishwasher safe (although you should always avoid putting plastic containers on the bottom rack), stackable, and can be nested inside one another when not in use. So instead of a toppling mountain of mismatched bowls, you have an aesthetically pleasing tower that can also be left on display without an ounce of embarrassment. One minor drawback to the design of this set is that the lids and sides of the containers are opaque, which means you won't be able to tell what's inside from a quick glance. If you're refrigerating several dishes at once, that could make things a little more complicated. 

A simple hack inspired by restaurants and commercial kitchens is to keep a roll of tape and a marker nearby for proper labeling. Writing the name of the dish on a piece of tape (instead of directly on the container) is easier than having to lift half a dozen lids to peek inside. Your future self will thank you for adding the date the food was made to the label as well. Labels also help with cleanup because the tape can be discarded before you send the containers through the dishwasher or wash them by hand.