I use ice cubes to clean plastic containers, simply shake & shake!
2 Likes
Tip on lids (or “seals” as they are correctly known in the biz), they need to be “eased”.
Most agents/demonstrators don’t get trained with that info anymore, its in the documentation you will receive with the products but chances are you wont see it. I was lucky to be trained by an old school demonstrator 
When you first get the containers, you soak the lids in hot water until they soften, and then apply them to the containers and let them cool. This makes them much easier to apply throughout their lifetime, prevents cracking and extends their life.
Also, discolouration from things like tomatoes and carrots can often be fixed by rubbing with vegetable oil. Works better on harder plastics like polycarbs over softer, and you have no chance with the flexible freezer products.
6 Likes
I find this a puzzle. If they are so high risk how is it that eggs are not refrigerated in shops? You can keep fresh eggs unrefrigerated for weeks. How can getting slightly warmer than the core temperature of the fridge (depending on how often or how long you open the door) be a problem?
1 Like
Great tip. A lot of our newer small Decor Tellfresh containers are a nightmare to get the lids on so I will try this.
1 Like
Eggs are in the 'fridge section at my local Woolies, Coles and IGA … I’d read previously that constant temperature is best, and to avoid variation - some more info from ‘Eggs Australia’ here, in more detail here, and some more from the US FDA here. SA Health has some more here.
‘Eggs Canada’ specifically calls out the door storage thing …
The summary appears to be, for best results keep them in the 'fridge. All the way in, don’t leave them swinging - if you want to leave them on the kitchen bench then be aware of your YMT !! 
4 Likes
All our local supermarkets keep the eggs in refridgerated displays.
Only butcher shops and markets display them in the open.
2 Likes
The two F&V stores we use most often also have the eggs in the open air.
The bit about not keeping milk and eggs on the fridge door undoes everything the fridge manufacturers have been promoting for decades. Those cute little egg holder trays that slot into their own space on the door and bottle shelves sized perfectly for one or two litre milk containers!
We keep our eggs on the door, although still in the carton with the lid closed. That probably mitigates the condensation and temperature change risk talked about in the previous links. Milk etc has such a large mass, and capacity to stay cool, it would seem unlikely being on the door is a high risk? Another opportunity for the Choice fridge testers to shine?
If the latest science requires us to change life long habits, what does that leave to keep on the fridge door shelves? Beer and wine hopefully are safe choices!
3 Likes
In Queensland, our local Woollies did, but in Tassie, the local Woollies doesn’t. Maybe in Tassie the stores are colder than those in Queensland…which could be why as in Tassie the stores need to be warmed, while in Queensland they need to be cooled…to minimise electricity usage, the stores wouldn’t be cooled or warmed to the same temperature.
2 Likes
Two relevant links, one from @draughtrider inlined, and another comparing the EU and US
https://www.australianeggs.org.au/news/to-refrigerate-or-not-to-refrigerate-eggs/
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-europeans-dont-refrigerate-eggs-2014-12?r=US&IR=T
5 Likes
Hi everyone, thanks for your input into this topic. The plastic food container reviews are now live, and there is an accompanying plastic food container buying guide and info about how we test them.
6 Likes
We’ve compared a cheap Kmart plastic container vs the more expensive Tupperware, take a look at what we found:
6 Likes
I stopped buying Tupperware after all 3 of their expensive containers, designed to be used in the fridge, were no longer of any use because the lids had shrunk in the fridge. I never got replacements because I couldn’t find out how, 40 years ago, as the agent was no longer an agent. Those days of pre-Google!
Nowadays at second hand shops I frequently see collapsible Tupperware silicone bowls. They are impossible for me [with arthritis] to open, but always look suspiciously brand new.
5 Likes
Thats where I keep them, I dispose of those stupid door containers as soon as I get a new fridge, if it has one. Best in their own cartons right in the fridge, especially if you don’t eat them very quickly.
2 Likes
We started buying Sistema plastic food storage containers when some of our Decor Tellfresh containers needed replacing as they were easier to close and open and sealed better.
However, Sistema mysteriously reversed their design so that the locking clips were affixed to the lid instead of the body.
The new design is much harder to lock closed correctly and one of the locking flaps will open come away from the lid when trying to open them.
My wife and I are unimpressed.
Perhaps the Kiwis are not conversant with the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Or perhaps it was what a Kiwi who worked for me decades ago meant when he regularly said “If anyone can, a Kiwi can”.
3 Likes
I have several of Decor’s Tellfast containers, most of which I have owned for a long time, and all have served me well. I recently dropped two containers while taking them out of the freezer, and the lids cracked. I inquired about replacing them, and Decor sent replacement lids free of charge. Much appreciated, great after sales service!
5 Likes
Welcome to the community @Eugenie. Your post has been moved to an exisiting like themed topic where other users experiences have been shared.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Certainly a great outcome to be able to obtain new lids, and all the more that they were at no cost to you.
Is there anything in particular you do to attribute the good life of your Tellfast containers. We’ve several and they seem to be very durable?
We now now longer place plastic storage containers in the microwave despite being labelled microwave safe. It seems all too easy for the contents to become hot enough for the plastics to be affected. Especially if one just hits the sensor reheat button as the easy solution to using the MW.
3 Likes
