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If you’ve found yourself with a small arsenal of plastic take-out containers accrued over the years, we have good news: Thanksgiving is the perfect time to put your stockpile to good use and to get them out of your house once and for all.
Figuring out what to do with your leftovers is a challenge every Thanksgiving. For some, it can be more daunting than cooking dinner in the first place. Once everyone’s full of mashed potatoes and turkey and the baking dishes resemble a prehistoric excavation scene, you’re left with the insurmountable task of packing everything up. While sending leftovers home with your guests is undoubtedly a win, you probably don’t want to use your own precious, high-quality food storage containers. You don’t want to ask your guests to bring their own, either, at risk of seeming like a high-maintenance host. This is where all those nights you spend scrubbing hamburger grease from the crevices of a black plastic take-out container become worth it.
As Epicurious commerce producer Alaina Chou discovered in her reporting, it is generally safe to reuse plastic take-out containers for food storage. However, using them over and over again is not the best idea. Since you don’t want to make them your everyday food storage solution, they’re an ideal vessel for impromptu Thanksgiving gift bags. Even if you haven’t been hoarding take-out containers in anticipation of this moment, buying a fresh pack is pretty inexpensive—and you won’t be upset if they never make their way back to you.
