You may not know this about me but I’m a bit of an organizing fanatic. Whether it’s keeping the aesthetic of this website clean and user-friendly, or storing leftovers in my refrigerator, I like my surroundings to be very orderly.
One of my favorite organizing tools is glass mason jars. I’ve been a mason jar devotee since the early 1990’s when I took my Ayurvedic training in New York City. Back then we were taught the principles of healthy cooking and food storage and those have stayed with me over the years. I’m still a total enthusiast when it come to glass. The first thing they often say when they walk in my kitchen is, “Why do you have so many glass jars?!” Here you’ll find out why glass is better than plastic!
1. Glass is Healthier than Plastic
I avoid plastic as much as possible for a number of reasons. First, plastic is made of petrochemicals that are full of toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) known as xeno-estrogens. These chemicals can leach into your food and then your body.
2. Glass is Cheaper
Plastic containers cost a pretty penny. Glass on the other hand is cheaper and a better investment. This sturdy material lasts much longer than plastic. If you don’t want to buy glass jars, you can collect them. It still blows my mind that every time we finish a jar of almond butter or coconut oil, a beautiful piece of glass remains. Save for a year and you’ll have an entire matching set!
3. Easy to Organize
Glass containers are super easy to organize. Your struggle to find matching lids for plastic containers will be a thing of the past when you switch to glass.
4. Easy to Clean
Because of its solid and sturdy surface glass is a breeze to clean. You won’t scrub away at glass until it deteriorates and leaches into your food!
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5. Won’t Melt in Dishwasher
Unlike plastic, glass can be safely washed at high temperatures.
6. Doesn’t Stain
Glass doesn’t stain. Unlike plastic, this sturdy material does not absorb oils and spices. I love that I can drink a Golden Turmeric Latte out of a mason jar, then place it in the dishwasher, and pull it out looking brand new!
7. No Flavor Trespassing
Plastic is not a durable substance. Its pliability makes it absorb and retain odor. I wouldn’t want to store my Mustard Lime Chicken in a plastic container. The plastic would smell like the savory mustard and chili in this recipe no matter how much I washed it. Who needs lingering food odors in their storage containers? Everything tastes better in glass.
8. Mystery Food in the Back of the Fridge? No Thanks!
I like to see what’s in my fridge. Visibility makes that space so much easier to maintain. Who wants mystery foods concealed by plastic hiding out in the back of the fridge, turning into a science experiment?! Not me.
9. Saves Space
Glass is fantastic when it comes to using vertical storage space. Tall mason jars fill my fridge shelves and pantry taking up less horizontal real estate by occupying the vertical spaces in our fridge, pantry, and cabinets.
10. Glass is Beautiful
Yes, glass is beautiful. Glass is gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing. Our fridge looks like a work of art when I’m done cleaning it out and organizing it.
Buy Glass for Your Kitchen
These are my favorite jars for storage!
And here are some great pieces that can go from fridge to oven to table!
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives, I first published it in 2008.
Alexis says
I do the same thing!
Elana says
Alexis, great minds think alike ;-)
Janabelle says
Don’t toss the plastic containers out. Recycle them into your craft room, use it for your nuts and bolts. Kids small toys. Remember reuse recycle reduce.
Elana says
Janabelle, thanks for your comment! Given that I started using glass around 1990 I don’t have any leftover plastic to reuse. I store all of our crafts and hardware items in mason jars or leftover food jars from olives, nut butters, and coconut oil, etc. :-)
eden says
Thanks to whoever tweeted this “back edition” of your blog. I agree, also for cheapskate reasons. Wee jam jars make a great way to pack a small amount of homemade salad dressing in a brown bag lunch. Medium sized peanut butter jars have a new life when I send home leftovers after a dinner party. etc. etc.
Elana says
Eden, those wee jam jars are my favorite! They’re not only adorable, they’re incredibly useful as well :-)
~M says
I have plenty of the 1 pint and 1 quart wide mouth jars. It looks like the lid of the 1/2 gallon jars are the same size, too. My question is whether you have any glass jars that have wide enough mouths to let you scoop with a 1/2 cup or 1 cup measuring scoop from the jar. I can’t quite fit my measuring scoops into my 1 quart jars. Thanks!
~M says
For example, do you have a link to the jar where you store your almond flour from this video tutorial?
https://elanaspantry.com/video-tutorials-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Thanks!
Jennifer says
I am here, searching for the same thing, all these years later. I currently use mason jars, but find the mouths aren’t wide enough. I want an airtight, glass jar that has a wide enough mouth from which I can easily scoop. Has anyone found anything?
Elana says
Jennifer,
Here is a link to the one gallon jar I use:
http://amzn.to/2D5o1S4.
Enjoy!
Elana
Karen says
I got my wide mouth gallon jars from a friend who owns a bar. I don’t drink, and most of the things they get in gallons come in plastic, but there are some that come in glass so ask around. Free and easy and I made a new friend…..
Elana says
Karen, that’s wonderful!
Susan says
We use glass jars for so many things…making flavored vinegars, making tinctures with herbs, drinking glasses (and can make custom sleeves to soak up the condensation, protect the glass, and keep the beverage cool). I also use it to store dried herbs. And of course…we do use them for the standard canning reasons (o: Ball jars also make a great “recipe” gift….you can layer the ingredients for cookies, brownies, etc. and seal the jar and attach a recipe…so cute! Another idea I have not used yet…but I mean to…is portioning out my grains for breads in batch size (when I grind my grains fresh, measure the grains, along with the seeds, etc. jars by one batch size so when it is time to make the bread I just dump in the jar and get started with little measuring.
Elana says
Susan, thanks for your awesome comment with so many ideas. I have a write up on using glass jars for homemade cookie mix, which makes an incredible gift, here:
https://elanaspantry.com/cookie-mix-in-a-jar/
Enjoy!
Elana
Sassybigbuttbeauty says
Elana, I am loving your blog with all your recipes. Everything I’ve tried has been simple and delicious!
I see you buy your Mason Jars at McGuckins. Are they a good deal there? I prefer to support local business, but I’m actually down in Westminster so, sometimes, ordering online works better.
I really appreciate you putting all the work into your blog. Thanks from one Boulder Rockin’ Mom to another.
Kim
Elana says
Sassy, thanks for your comment! I buy all my mason jars online now since they’re so much cheaper :-)
K&S says
Just curious…my boyfriend and I have discussed using mason jars (for more than just the fact that I love them because they remind me of the farm) and our only thing that we’ve heard negative about it is that after a while the metal tops can make your foods taste metallic. Have you ever had an issue like this? Do you switch out your lids after a period of time?
By the way, LOVE your recipes, just haven’t written yet :) About to try the yummy butternut squash soup recipe…and my boyfriend FREAKED when he heard me read him the split pea soup with smoked paprika recipe (being relatively new vegetarians it’s nice to find some yummy and fun recipes for different veggies).
Thanks!!
~K&S
Elana says
K&S, I don’t fill the jars to the top, and when the lids get worn I buy new ones. So glad you and your boyfriend are enjoying my recipes!
Caro says
Oh sorry… forgot about the ziplock/greens storage thing…
I only use cloth napkins in our house, and I’ve found that a thin cloth napkin in place of paper does a great job keeping greens dry. I also found large glass tupperware type baking trays (the lids are plastic though but I make sure food does not touch). I think Anchor makes them. And, they are square, so you can maximize space in fridges.
This solves 2 issues… food touching plastic and it’s reusable many times over, all for the price of a box of large ziplock bags.
Sorry for the bad grammar, but it’s late at night… time for bed!!!
Elana says
Caro, same with us! We only use cloth napkins, and since I keep dozens of rags in our kitchen we have eliminated paper towel usage :-)
Caro says
I love the glass idea. I’ve started using glass jars for everything too. My husband just grabs a jar out of the freezer and heads to work with his favourite stews/chilis.
We just moved into a very small space, so for a while we weren’t sure what to do with the ones that we were not storing food in, however, while we were moving in I dropped the box of our drinking glasses. So I improvised and served water in our mason jars to all our heavy lifters (friends who helped us move) and it just stuck! While they do not contain food in them we use them to drink out of, and when I run out of drinking glasses, I know I should start eating out of our pantry & freezer for meals :)
Elana says
Caro, thanks for your comment! I’m drinking water out of a mason jar as I type this :-)
Enya says
Emily- you could try freezing the fruit individually first. I put the fruit whole in the case of smaller fruit like blueberries & strawberries or cut up in the case of larger fruit on a sheet pan and cover this with foil. Put the whole thing in the freezer and transfer it to the glass jars when the fruit has frozen. The key is not to freeze the fruit or veggies in a big blob. Make sure that each piece is barely touching other pieces.
Elana says
Thanks for the tips Enya!