Because when you have glass, you don’t need plastic. A SMALL GLASS LIQUID MEASURING CUP WAS INSIDE when I opened my stocking this year’s Christmas morning. Some other things fell out too, but I had eyes only for that measuring cup. Santa knows what turns my crank. You see, I am somewhat obsessed with liquid measuring cups. I have multiple cups in various sizes, and I use them every day.
But there’s more to it than that; I love glass tools. There’s something about the material that I love. It’s durable and long-lasting. It’s see-through, which makes it fantastic for storage and measuring. It’s portable and sealable (in certain forms); you always know when it’s clean. And it can do so much of what plastic used to do before I started eliminating it from my kitchen wherever possible. As I added the newest little cup to my collection, I realized that three of my most useful kitchen tools were all made of glass. These are workhorses of versatility, capable of performing multiple tasks and thus eliminating superfluous containers.
1. Liquid measuring cups
I don’t think anyone can have enough of these. I mix marinades, salad dressings, or liquid ingredients for baked goods, I do it directly in the liquid measuring cup, so I don’t have to dirty additional cups and bowls. If a recipe calls for melted butter or warmed milk, I pop the container into the microwave and add the other ingredients.
Some of my measuring cups have lids, making them perfect for storing food in the fridge without transferring it to another container. I rely on the spout to freeze the strained stock into jars.
2. Glass jars
I have a whole cupboard full of these beauties in varying sizes. I collect them wherever I find them – the bigger, the better. I’m particularly pleased with the giant pickle jars (pictured above) that my friend Sarah discovered on top of a recycling bin last week. (See? Both Sarah and Santa get me…)
These are used for zero-waste grocery shopping, storing pantry items, and stashing leftovers in the fridge where they’ll be seen and eaten. I can transport coffee, smoothies, salad dressings, and soups with screw-top lids wherever I go. When I can’t find a large glass to pour my post-workout protein shake, I grab a 16-oz mason jar instead.
The wide-mouth ones get used for freezing liquids, and all of them get conscripted for canning duty come summer – jam, tomatoes, and pickles. They’re even used for dinosaur storage, which Sarah teased me about mercilessly, but that’s life without Ziplocs.
3. Small glass bowls
These were a random purchase one day a decade ago when I needed ramekins to make crême brûlée, but they’ve turned out to be incredibly useful. I have a stack of eight, each with a tight-fitting plastic lid, and I use them always. Made by Anchor Hocking, they only have a half-cup of volume, but they are so convenient for holding small quantities of food – extra chopped garlic or onion, grated ginger, half a lemon, separated egg yolk or white, you name it.
I use them to transport snacks and send food to kids’ lunches. They serve as a dish to hold dirty spoons and small cup measures while cooking. Once in a while, I use them for their original purpose, making single-portion desserts.
All this is to say, never underestimate the power of glass. You don’t have to worry about it off-gassing in the dishwasher. Its recyclability rate is among the best. It doesn’t break as often as you think, and you can always see what you’re doing and storing. Who needs plastic when you’ve got the glass?
