I like the rubbermaid brand, because they have lasted well. I also have separate ones for produce, from their keep fresh line, that are good for stretching vegetables. One thing cooking fresh is managing fresh ingredients.
For my cabinet, and I also don't have a ton of space, more in the new kitchen, tend to differentiate between fresh ingredient Tupperware and portions to freeze and take with me to work.
So I have about four to six tupperware I use regularly that are the durable expensive kind, and once a month I buy a six pack of the cheap disposable soup sized gladware ones for work.
I'm cooking for two now, mostly (unless Beloved Wife gets called away on a lawyerin' trip), so it easier to manage portions. The problem cooking for two, and more so for one, is that it is most cost efficient to buy in more quantity than you need.
So, Produce, one big of the fresh keeper type (the ones with vents and suspended bottoms), that I use to keep spinach or lettuce or other roughage. 2 medium of the same, large enough to hold a decent bunch of broccoli, two leeks, scallions, cauliflower, etc...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubberma...75035&wl11=online&wl12=48947443&wl13=&veh=sem
This set seems to work. I have two of the medium and one large without the smaller one, but you get the idea.
Meat and leftover you need one big Tupperware that is big enough to hold the remains of a chicken carcass. Generally if I cook a full chicken, I take the breasts one night for dinner, and use the wing meats and thighs another for pot pie, then use the carcass for stock. I generally don't want to do that all in one night, so I like a big bin that I can stick a carcass in after, say I take the breasts off.
I'd go again for two medium just to hold extra ingredients that you didn't get around to using. Maybe even a small one, I have a small Tupperware that I use for cheese once I've unwrapped it.
OK that is for fresh stuff, and I generally have them in use most of the time. I usually make recipes that yield 4-6 portions, so there are leftovers.
Those go into these:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Glad-Foo...30562&wl11=online&wl12=14894226&wl13=&veh=sem
This will hold a decent lunch portion of a stew, or a entree/side combo, maybe with another one for salad. I like them as I can load them up, they go in the freezer. They are not as durable, you can use them five or six times, and dishwasher them before they start to get a little techy. However, they aren't that much, and you don't have to worry about bringing them home from work, also they get to nasty, just chuck them. I like these because they are a standard size, so extra portions get divided up to these and frozen. My wife and I have a couple cheaper insulated bags, and those ice pack things? So we know that we can just if we are in a rush leaving for work (and we both work weird inconsistent hours) grab one and a fork and spoon, and good to go.
Also stack nicely and don't take up a ton of freezer space. they last an average of between three and ten uses before they have to be replaced, get them at the dollar store (off brand not gladware) try to reuse them, but not something we feel bad about leaving at work.
I also buy the cheap insulated lunch bags at the dollar store, I'm pretty good, but my wife loses one a month or so. Better to buy a $2.99 and a buch for the ice pack than something nicer.
So I'll take my groceries, put the produce into the keep fresh rubbermaids, and those are worth the extra money, as they reduce spoilage. Meat either gets used right away, or wrapped in freezer paper if I get a good bulk deal and frozen. I always take my stuff out of the grocery packaging right away.
After cooking, I either make up complete meals (either a stew, chilli, or a side/entree double) in disposables keep one unfrozen for the next day, freeze the others, or put bulk meat (like the leftovers of a whole bird or rump roast) into a larger Tupperware to use again in a day or so. The other medium tupperware is for fresh ingredients that I didn't use all up, or sometimes sauce or stock. Mostly that goes into Ball jars, and gets pressure canned if it is true excess.
Our system has worked rather well, I think I have reduced my fresh food waste from about a quarter to about 5 percent. Mainly I lose fresh herbs, even in a Ball jar with a bit of water, I sometimes don't get to all of a bunch of parsley, cilantro or basil before it starts to get a little rubbery.
So I'd say one big and two medium produce keep fresh. One fairly large and two medium regular Tupperware, maybe a small one for cheese, and a rotating 6-12 disposables available to freeze leftovers for lunches, which I standardize to the 24 oz soup/salad as it seems to have enough for a lunch and works OK with an entree/side or a portion of a stew, soup, or chilli.
TBS
Do you have any recommendation on specific brand of the containers to buy on Amazon?
I want to keep the number of containers as minimum as possible to make things neater
Should I focus on only large containers or containers of different sizes is a better ideas ?
I am thinking if getting a lot of small / very small containers is a better storage and handling skills in the kitchen...