The art of keeping leftovers fresh after the Thanksgiving
holiday
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and it was with that in mind
that I undertook a monumental task recently: cleaning out my
Tupperware cupboard.
Now you may ask yourself,
”
What in the world does Tupperware (or insert other plastic
container name here) have to do with Thanksgiving?
”
For the typical Thanksgiving feast … everything.
The art of keeping leftovers fresh after the Thanksgiving holiday
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and it was with that in mind that I undertook a monumental task recently: cleaning out my Tupperware cupboard.
Now you may ask yourself, “What in the world does Tupperware (or insert other plastic container name here) have to do with Thanksgiving?”
For the typical Thanksgiving feast … everything.
You must have plasticware on hand, and copious amounts of it, for several reasons. First of all, some things are just easier to prepare ahead of time, and often you will want to store them in a plastic container rather than your fancy china. Fancy china has a way of getting chipped and Tupperware doesn’t.
Secondly, you need plenty of containers wherein to store your leftovers, come Thanksgiving day. Let’s face it, as good as a turkey dinner is, the leftovers are even better.
And it’s not like you have one or two things to store, but more like 10 or 11 — turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, whatever vegetable everyone in the family can stand, cranberry sauce, salad, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum. (Not to mention the three kinds of dessert.)
Last but not least, inevitably there will be someone (or someones) who want to take home a few slices or turkey, or pie, or what have you, so that they can have a little leftover delight themselves. So you’ll want to send them home with their leftovers in a plastic container.
See what I mean? Plastic ware is instrumental to the modern American Thanksgiving.
Yet there I was with a cupboard jammed full of Tupperware (and similar items from other manufacturers) and I needed to sort it out.
For day-to-day use, I don’t need a ton of plastic containers. There’s only me and one son left at home, and I use a container or two a week for this and that. So it really seemed silly to have 70 or 80 pieces of plastic rattling around in the cupboard without a purpose.
In addition, my older son at college needed a few containers, so it was a perfect opportunity to downsize my own supply and give Son No. 1 what he needed.
Why is there so much plasticware, you ask? Honestly … I dunno.
Despite my best efforts, plastic ware seems to multiply when kept in dark places. At the same time, lids apparently disappear, grow, or shrink strangely. It’s a mystery akin to what happens to missing socks in the dryer. Maybe, somehow, they somehow transform themselves into Tupperware.
Yet I knew that I also needed to keep enough items on hand to satisfy the many requirements of the upcoming holiday season. It was a delicate balancing act.
You would think the process could be made considerably easier by simply throwing away the items that don’t have matching lids. Well, certainly, a logical mind would come to that conclusion.
But in my case, it didn’t quite work.
Much of the plasticware — mostly well used but serviceable — just seemed, well, too good to throw away. Even without lids.
In the end, I managed to recycle some, throw away a few cheapies, and put the actual excess lidless Tupperware in my donation box. A nice thing about Tupperware is you can always buy lids for it, if you want to, through your friendly neighborhood Tupperware dealer.
Now I have what I think is a sufficient amount with which to greet the holiday season and still fit where it’s supposed to fit, without spilling out when I open the cupboard door.
Will it be enough? I won’t really know until we get to Thanksgiving.
Lack of Tupperware is not a tragedy, but it could make storing leftovers a little problematic. Wish me luck.
