Durables
Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 121
Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.
Glass-based airtight containers
Storing food in plastic containers is an imperfect solution. Not only is there the likelihood of the plastic deteriorating and contaminating the food, but it also tends to stain and retain the taste and smell of whatever was last stored in it.
After years of frustration with plastic containers I recently picked up a kit of SnapWare Glasslock, a glass-based alternative to plastic food storage containers. As their name implies, the glass containers come with a rigid plastic top that snaps shut with four hinges. This coupled with a durable silicone seal renders the containers leak-proof (something I definitely couldn’t do with my old plastic ones). I have biked with one filled with soup and arrived at my destination without a drop missing, and I didn’t have to waste another bowl in order to microwave it.
The biggest downsides to this container solution are the expense and added weight. Plastic containers are cheap, near-disposable, and almost weightless. But I’ll happily tote the extra ounce or two of glass if it means I don’t have to worry about plastics leaching into my now unspilled soup.
The containers themselves are freezer-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe, but are not recommended for the oven. I have read many accounts of people successfully using them in the oven, but I do not believe they are made with the same borosilicate they use in Pyrex, so it is at your own risk.
The 18-piece set is enough for my partner and me, but may not be enough for a family of more than two or three (given how fast some people go through containers). I bought my set at a Costco warehouse where they are sold for quite a bit cheaper than elsewhere. I believe the Container Store has a near identical solution for comparable prices. Finally, for those not concerned about using plastics, SnapWare recently released a near identical product with BPA-free plastic. — Oliver Hulland
Best container system. I love this stuff. We use it nightly. Closes with a satisfying and very secure snap. Stackable in the frig. Near indestructible. We bought another set. — KK
Heavy-duty sheet pans
After screwing around with grocery-store sheet pans for years, I went to a restaurant supply store and bought three plain metal sheet pans (technically “half-sheet” at 13×18, but true “full-sheets” are only used in commercial ovens). I’ve used them for over three years now, and am totally convinced that they are awesome.
Here’s why people buy grocery store sheet pans: they’re cheap, non-stick coated, and easily found at the grocery store. And here’s what’s wrong with them. They are flimsy metal, so they warp in the oven if you use them at high temperatures (over, say, 425F). They come in non-standard size, so you can never be sure that a cooling rack will fit into them. And their fancy-schmancy non-stick coating means that you baby them.
Here’s why plain old restaurant-grade sheet pans are awesome:
They’re not much more expensive than the cheap stuff you buy in the grocery store. Going from a $7 grocery-store pan to a $12 restaurant-grade pan is a significant percentage markup, but it’s only $5. If you have a restaurant supply store near you, you may be able to get the restaurant-grade pans for basically the same price as the grocery-store pans.
They are heavy metal, which means that you can toss them into a 500 degree (F) oven to bake bread on them and not worry about warping. And they don’t have any non-stick coating to worry about. I have used my sheet pans for everything from crafting trays to putting them under gardening flats when starting seedlings. No matter how nasty and dirty they get, I know that I can just take a steel wool pad to them and they’ll come back to like-new.
You might think the lack of a non-stick coating is a minus, but seriously, you just spray the pan with non-stick or use baking parchment or silicon mats. It’s not that hard. Every baker I know backs up “nonstick” pans with non-stick spray or parchment anyway, so it’s not like there’s any change in your cooking process. — Joshua Bardwell
Stainless steel tier lunch box
As the name suggests, the tiered tiffin carrier is comprised of stackable tiers of storage which can be laid out for all to enjoy. When you are done, you just stack ’em back up, lock the clasps, grab the handle and go. They are made out of a high quality stainless steel which makes them very sturdy yet quite light, and so easy to clean.
I am using the 4-tier tiffin, which holds enough food for my two kids, yet is small and light enough to carry everywhere. I also have a few 2-tiers which my kids take to school. Recently, I began taking my tiffins to pick-up my take-out orders. This beats using disposable items provided by the restaurant . My favorite take-out places are quite happy to oblige and love the concept.
Not all tiffins are the same. In my quest to find a stainless steel lunchbox, I tried a no-name brand tiffin sold through Amazon. It is poorly-designed, made from a poor quality stainless steel and it’s massive. This new one I have is a perfect size (6.75 x 4.25 inches) and you can see the quality in the steel and workmanship. It’s also less than half the price of fancier tiffins like the pyramid, which I’ll admit looks pretty neat. — Meeta Dhillon
Even-cooking pans
In 2008, Williams-Sonoma released a line of exclusive All-Clad flared roasters. They are expensive, but well worth it if you use your oven a lot. The unique design makes for very even cooking, especially if you don’t have a convection oven. The lower sides give good heat exposure, so you get excellent browning on the underside of roasts. The aluminum core provides outstanding heat distribution.
Last year, I cooked a 27-pound Thanksgiving turkey in the extra large roaster, and I’ve since used this pan for all kinds of dishes. Since it’s basically a very large saute pan, it works great on the stove as well. I’ve used it to cook a huge portion of mac & cheese (mixing the roux/bechamel right into the pan on the stove). I also use it regularly for large batches of braised lamb shanks and short ribs. The roaster’s low and wide design encourages a lot of reduction of the braising liquid, which yields a more flavorful sauce.
Warning: The extra large size is unwieldy. Before buying, make sure it can fit in your oven and sink. Although the curved design makes it very easy to clean with a brush, this size barely squeezes into my sink. Though it’s a bit of a beast to handle, it’s nevertheless indispensable if you need the capacity.
If the large version also seems a bit much, there’s now an even smaller and cheaper version for roasting chickens. This has quickly become my standard everyday pan for most things. It also comes with a suspension arm for cooking a chicken elevated.
Regardless of which size is right for you, these are great roasting pans. The images are pretty deceptive with respect to the size differences and just how big they actually are. It’s worth a trip to the store to see which size is best for you. — Adam Fields
Reusable non-grease baking sheet
For years professionals have baked their goods on inert silicone-impregnated mats. These simple, inexpensive, oven-proof, non-stick sheets slide into baking trays and are now quite common in households like ours. Instead of consuming rolls of aluminum foil or parchment paper, you just lay everything out on these reusable durable mats, and bake. The nicely-browned goods slide off with no effort and no added grease. There’s less burn on the bottom, too. Multiple mats can feed one expensive baking tray for serious cookie production. Clean-up is a simple rinse. As an added bonus, they make great kneading boards. The mats also roll up for easy storage. We’ve used several of the five brands available. So far, they all seem similar. Silpat was the original, but SiliconeZone is the least expensive I’ve seen. — KK
Multipurpose bamboo vessel
Nothing in my entire house so perfectly combines utility, simplicity, sustainability, beautiful design and tradition as my set of inexpensive, generic bamboo steamers.
I use the two-tiered, six-inch set daily for steaming small servings of fresh vegetables (over boiling water in a cheap wok–another cool tool). Potatoes steam to mashable softness in about 12 minutes.
The big twelve-inch set accommodates a whole batch of steamed buns, masses of vegetables, or even a plate of leftovers to be gently reheated–and it’s fantastic for carrying pies and cookies to parties, and so much more attractive than plastic ware.
These common everyday items of Asian cookery are craft works of real beauty, with their woven-bamboo lids, their curved and stitched side walls, and their beautifully slatted and fitted bottoms. They darken as cooking heat caramelizes the sugars in the bamboo, but they last a long, long time (I’ve been using mine daily for four years with no sign of failure), and when they do finally give up the ghost, I can burn or compost them, and easily afford a replacement. — Elissa Vigil
01/20/25
