AWESOME FILES: The Ball Jar

Are you still putting your leftovers in Tupperware or old plastic takeout containers? Well, you are not alone and that just mystifies me. When I see someone putting their short ribs into a scratched container that they got when they ordered Chinese food ten years ago, I want to tell them about Ball jars...and how they are ballin'

You see, plastic isn't all its cracked up to be. It scratches, possibly getting plastic into your food and leaving a nice little home for bacteria. Many plastics also leech cancer-causing toxins, especially when put in the dish washer or god forbid, the microwave. Tupperware is probably the safest, but some contain the dreaded BPA and have they really done studies on long-term use? 

I always hated how difficult it was to get grease off of plastic containers anyway and I eat plenty of grease. 

Luckily, one day out of the blue I was given a large amount of small wide-mouthed Ball mason jars. I started putting everything in them and they are awesome! They don't scratch and you can easily put them in the dishwasher. We can all agree that glass is just about the safest thing you can put things in. 

But don't they shatter if you even look at them the wrong way? Nope, I have the visual acuity of a naked mole rat and the grace of a hippo and I have carried them on the subway, on horses, and pretty much everywhere and I have never broken one ever. 

Anyway, I think jars are awesome and I scavenge them greedily, trying to stay ahead of my main competitors: the sugar-loving canning crew. I have bought some awesome ones too, mainly large ones from the dollar store that now proudly hold lard and bone stock.