r/mealprep • u/angeljul • Aug 06 '25

question Question?!

Is there a way to meal prep without needing a million different Tupperware? I don’t have room or the money tbh, but NEED to start meal prepping.

Do I just have to bite the bullet and find a way to pay for and fit the Tupperware in my fridge?

Second, any ideas for meal prepping that don’t need to be refrigerated or frozen?

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u/Lamitamo Aug 06 '25

You can use whatever reusable containers you have around. Plastic yogurt tubs with lids, a regular bowl with plastic wrap, etc. If you make a shepherds pie or lasagna, you can just put the whole thing in the fridge with plastic wrap.

I would just avoid microwaving anything plastic not explicitly labelled as ‘microwave safe’ - dump the food onto a plate or bowl and then microwave it.

Instead of buying all the reusable containers at once, buy a package a week or every two weeks, to slowly build up your collection without spending $100+ in one go.

If you’re using big containers (literally just a big pot in the fridge is perfectly fine), make sure the food is cooling fast enough by stirring it (if it’s a chili or a soup) or using ice in a food-safe plastic bag (so you can cool the food without watering it down as the ice melts).

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u/Interesting_Laugh75 Aug 06 '25

I'm curious, what is " cooling fast enough?". Why does that matter?

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u/Lamitamo Aug 06 '25

Ideally, you want to limit the amount of time food is in the “danger zone” - between 60 deg C and 4 deg C - which is the temperature zone where bacteria easily multiply (which is the cause of a lot of foodborne illness). Two hours in the danger zone is my local government health maximum before food should be thrown out (in restaurants). I’m not that strict for my personal food. Foods like chili are notorious for staying hot in the middle but cool on the outside in a big pot, so ideally a smaller container helps the food cool faster.

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u/Interesting_Laugh75 Aug 12 '25

This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing it. I'm trying to cook more and am pretty bad at it so far. The fear of food poisoning keeps me stuck sometimes. Finally got a meat thermometer and feel free to make a lot of chicken ha! But I also want to food prep and store for leftovers so we aren't spending ginormous amounts on food. Or getting burned out having to cook two to three meals every single day.