Tag Archives: food storage

Food preservation unit concept should keep food fresh and lower energy consumption

Posted on by

Most households cannot live without a refrigerator as most of their food is stored there. The problem of course is that it consumes a lot of electricity and even contributes to 30% of annual food waste since you sometimes forget you have this particular food stored there. There are product designers looking into creating food preservation units that will have less energy consumption and also reduce food waste.

Designer Name: Matéo Robin

Totem is one such food preservation unit that is able to integrate both modern and ancestral technologies. The inspiration actually comes from the Zeer pot which is what they used back in the day to keep food fresh by using evaporative cooling. This piece of furniture also uses that old school technology in certain parts due to its double clay walls. It is able to cut energy consumption in half, which is important for those who want lower electricity bills.

What’s also great about the Totem is that there are different compartments and segments to place different food. There’s a compartment for fruits and vegetables, for tubers, and for food that need ethylene like apples, bananas, and tomatoes. There’s the freezer compartment as well that has a vacuum between two walls to reduce heat loss. It also uses various materials and textures for those different storage zones.

The prototype of this food preservation unit looks like a typical kitchen cabinet that has different kinds of storage materials. The fact that this will potentially lower electricity bills is of course very attractive. Now as to whether food will actually still stay fresh and delicious, that is the question.

The post Food preservation unit concept should keep food fresh and lower energy consumption first appeared on Yanko Design.

These Modern Food Containers keep food fresh using traditional preservatives like bay leaves and rice

Posted on by

In the quest for a sustainable and innovative solution for preserving pantry essentials, Twist emerges as a beacon, seamlessly blending age-old culinary wisdom with modern convenience. This ingenious food storage system takes inspiration from diverse cultures, such as the Indian, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian, where preservation methods have evolved over centuries. With a commitment to sustainability and a focus on versatility, Twist is set to revolutionize the way we protect and store our precious ingredients.

Designer: Elanur Aslan

Twist pays homage to the rich culinary traditions of various cultures by incorporating time-tested preservation techniques. Throughout history, communities worldwide have devised ingenious methods to shield their food from insects and excess moisture. Twist takes cues from these traditions, ensuring that the essence of heritage is preserved along with the pantry essentials.

At the core of its container lies a hidden chamber within its lid, strategically designed to accommodate natural preservatives like bay leaves, garlic, and rice. The ancient use of bay leaves, in protecting legumes and grains from pests and moisture serves as a key inspiration. Additionally, the method of placing rice alongside small-grain foods to prevent clumping due to moisture finds a modern application in the design of Twist, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation.

This canister simplifies the preservation process with its user-friendly design. A quick twist opens the chamber, allowing you to add your preferred preservative. Another twist in the opposite direction securely seals the jar, safeguarding its contents from insects and moisture. Say goodbye to concerns about unwanted guests or moisture ruining your stored goods – Twist ensures your pantry staples remain fresh and intact.

This storage container takes a firm stance on sustainability, making conscious choices in its materials. The cover of this innovative food storage solution is crafted from PLA, a plant-derived polymer, while the body is made of fully recyclable glass. PLA, derived from sugar cane, is not only renewable but also biodegradable, significantly reducing the environmental impact. Twist not only offers an environmentally friendly product but also contributes to a greener, more sustainable future for our planet.

Understanding the diverse storage needs in every kitchen, it comes in three different size options. Whether you’re safeguarding delicate strands of spaghetti or ensuring your salt stays perfectly dry, Twist adapts effortlessly to accommodate a wide array of products. Versatility is key in the kitchen, and Twist is designed with that principle in mind.

Twist is more than a food storage solution; it’s a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, where heritage meets freshness, and tradition meets the future. With its commitment to sustainability, user-friendly design, and versatile sizing options, Twist is poised to become an essential tool in kitchens worldwide, preserving not just ingredients but also the rich cultural tapestry of culinary practices.

The post These Modern Food Containers keep food fresh using traditional preservatives like bay leaves and rice first appeared on Yanko Design.

This beautiful food container lets you use the lid as a plate without feeling awkward

Posted on by

It’s not unusual for people to cook more food than they can finish in one sitting. That’s especially true for single-person households that have to save money by having leftovers they can eat the next day or so. Storage for these leftovers, however, sometimes becomes just a second thought, at least until you stare at your fridge or start preparing your meal using them. Food storage isn’t just about keeping food fresh and edible, though that is definitely a primary concern. Keeping them presentable is also a key factor that could affect your appetite, and this “two-way” container design concept helps store food the way you would eat them on a plate by officially making the dish cap serve as a plate as well.

Designer: Haechan Ryu

It might sound strange at first, but it’s actually not uncommon for people to use a food container’s lid as an ad hoc plate, both for reheating food as well as eating from it. This often happens when you store food in a deep dish, like a bowl, and then have to transfer it to a plate for serving. The back-and-forth moving of food from different containers and plates not only involves more work but also risks losing some of the flavors in the process.

Roll is an attempt to preserve not only the flavors of food but also their presentation. It eschews the traditional square or rectangular shape of food containers in favor of something round. Admittedly, it might not be the most space-efficient shape, especially when you’re stocking a lot of food in the fridge. It is, however, more presentable and visually interesting, and the single-person households these containers are designed for usually don’t store as much food as large families anyway.

What makes Roll different from bowl food containers (which do exist, of course) is that it wholeheartedly embraces the culture of using the lid or dish cap as a plate. That’s why the cap itself was made to look presentable, using soft and clean tones like ivory, sky blue, and terracotta. The idea is that you set the freshly cooked food on the lid itself and then later just cover it with the glass bowl when it’s time to put it away. The next time you want to eat it, you don’t have to rearrange the food again to make it presentable. Simply take off the cover and dig in!

Roll takes the food container concept upside-down, literally, by making it usable, whether as a bowl with a round lid or a plate with a bowl cover. It definitely saves a bit of work and time and helps keep even leftovers looking scrumptious, something that you might have sorely missed if you’ve been living by yourself for a long time.

The post This beautiful food container lets you use the lid as a plate without feeling awkward first appeared on Yanko Design.

This food storage concept features an intuitive control design so we can always keep our leftovers!

Posted on by

ODNY.BOX is a food storage concept with an intuitive control dial and a minimal aesthetic for users to store any type of leftover, from hot baked cookies to cold Greek yogurt.

What would life be like without leftovers? There’d be no post-Thanksgiving triple-decker sandwiches, no cold pizza, sadly baked ziti for breakfast would have to go too, and no more half-soggy, half-crunchy nachos. In a few words, life would be a slow death without leftovers.

Okay maybe not, but I’d need a second to bounce back. Outfitted with an intuitive layout and glossy aesthetic, ODNY.BOX is a food storage concept from Yoonji Park designed so we’ll never have to consider what life would be like without leftovers.

Inspired by the bulbous shape that water makes when it drops on flat surfaces, the glass lid of ODNY.BOX comes together as half of a globe and almost curls under the platform where food is kept to ensure sealed storage. The seasons have an effect not only on the food we eat but also on how that food is kept for tomorrow. During the winter months, the hot food we order or cook at home is subject to cold temperatures, while during the warmer months, perishables like produce are the first to go bad.

Park aimed to build ODNY.BOX with an intuitive control panel so that a plate of lasagna could be just as easily stored as a bowl of fresh fruit. Comprising just one single dial, the control on ODNY.BOX gives you three options for storage: room temperature, cool, and warm. When users would like to store food items like bananas or breakfast croissants, turning the dial to its room temperature setting would suffice. Then, when a bowl of ice cream or a side of french fries needs some storage, users can adjust the dial to its cold or hot settings, respectively.

The inner platform where food is stored also detaches from the base to function as a free tray for transporting plates of food or just keeping dishes steady on a flat surface. The overall design of ODNY.BOX is clean and minimal, considering even a micro organizer for the product’s wire to tuck into and stay out of the way.

Designer: Yoonji Park

This vacuum pump merges the functionality of ziplock bags with a hard casing to reduce your leftover food wastage!

Posted on by

Storing leftovers in airtight zip-lock bags is a trick hard to follow. While mastering the dance of rolling your food tight and simultaneously sliding its bag closed might teach you patience, the prospect of leftovers always seems to circle back for seconds, and they’re just aren’t enough bags in the kitchen. Zhuhai Kelitong Electronic Co. Ltd., the company that brought us electric wine openers, has recently been recognized by iF Design for its new set of vacuum-sealed containers and automatic vacuum pump that render zip-lock bags a thing of the past.

Designed to provide food containers with high-vacuum storage to curb bacterial growth, Zhuhai’s vacuum storage system boasts that it can keep your leftovers sealed for three to five times longer than the standard food storage container. The hard plastic containers come with pre-delineated food zones that help users separate their food items and with a vacuum-sealed lid that works as the base for the accompanying pump. Zhuhai designed the vacuum pump to be automatic so that once it’s placed on top of a container’s lid and activated, the pump immediately begins pulling out the excess air inside of the container until it reaches a high-vacuum degree of -0.03 Mpa.

Each food storage container is constructed using FDA-approved Tritan materials, which means that the plastic used is BPA-free and can safely be reheated in microwave ovens. The designers built the food containers to be 70% lighter than common glassware containers so that once the containers have been vacuum-sealed, they can just as easily go into the lunch box and be transported anywhere. Once the container is ready for use again, the lid comes easily apart from the container so that each component can be properly cleaned and prepared for its next use.

Designer: Zhuhai Kelitong Electronic Co. Ltd.

Coming in three parts, each vacuum pump and lid attach to different containers.

Once the vacuum pump is activated, then excess air that could lead to bacterial growth is sucked up from the container.

An automatic vacuum pump works by draining in the container’s excess air until a vacuum degree of -0.03 Mpa is reached.

Each food storage container can be easily disassembled and put back together for cleaning and storing.

Designed to be 70% lighter than average glass food storage containers, these containers from Zhuhai are perfect to bring for lunch.

This sustainable storage container + shopping bag reduces your consumption emissions and food waste!

Posted on by




Open your refrigerator – how many plastic containers do you see? Now open that cabinet where you store your shopping bags – do you really need that many plastic bags? We often store in our takeout boxes/plastic containers and keep those plastic bags in hopes to reuse someday because we forget to carry our cloth bags to the store. Most of these little habits are formed because it is convenient and cheap but we do them without thinking about the effects of its continued use on our environment. To solve both problems with one design, Gabriel Steinmann created P0 (pronounced pio like the letter and number) which stands for ‘project zero’  – a storage and shopping solution for food that aims to reduce consumption emissions.

P0 helps us to switch to and maintain a plant-based diet and reduce the amount of food waste. The design blends organic and sustainable materials with an earthy aesthetic to invoke warmth and a more personal relationship with the items we use. Its ceramic body and textile lining help encourage a deeper appreciation for the food we consume and make us more aware of how much food we actually need to minimize wasting it. It is also a practical and attractive utensil in your kitchen – “a symbol of change, of becoming a little bit more human,” as rightly described by Steinmann.

The jury at iF Design Awards gave PO the ‘iF Design Talent Award 2020’ because it raises awareness and facilitates sustainable food consumption using a very beautifully designed functional product. “The design will appeal to early adopters who will become ambassadors for this product. The whole process is well thought-out and the combination of the different materials is aesthetically pleasing and endorses the entire concept. The possibility of customization makes it even more personal and inspires others to change their food consumption habits,” added the jury.

This self-sufficient, parametric, adaptable storage-and shopping solution is something I would really love to see taking over the world and make that sustainable switch in our lifestyle convenient enough to ditch the plastic containers and shopping bags.

Designer: Gabriel Steinmann

This terracotta container provides a natural & energy-efficient way to store produce!

Posted on by

The trend of growing microgreens and herbs at home has come with its own set of pros and cons – people are starting to grow their own food to be more green but the food storage solutions are starting to get more complex and not green. DUNSTA was designed to bring the age-old tradition of storing fresh produce in a natural way while being aligned with your modern lifestyle. It uses evaporative cooling to create an environment similar to that of the root cellar, but for an urban living arrangement – so your fruits and vegetables will stay crispy and fresh longer without needing electricity!

Terracotta is baked clay, it is natural, high-quality, and maintenance-friendly material that is sustainably made as it doesn’t exploit natural resources like trees or need a high carbon footprint generating things like electricity during its production. Terracotta has distinct red and orange hues due to its iron content and is a porous form of clay. It is preferred in design because the manufacturing process is very simple, sustainable, and eco-friendly – it does not include any harmful chemicals and therefore is the perfect choice to store your food in. DUNSTA keeps the environment inside cool with a base layer of sand and a little channel on the top where you can add water. Once covered with the lid, your produce will remain fresh without the need for plastic wraps or containers.

While terracotta is eco-friendly it is important to remember that it is not biodegradable. This means nothing will happen to the DUNSTA even after multiple centuries because it will not degenerate into the soil as clay does so you can also use it as a sustainable time capsule!

Designer: Alexandra Fransson

This smart food storage device regulates temperature to keep your meals fresh in any climate!

Posted on by

I lived in various different climatic settings and one thing that is a persistent small problem causing large amounts of waste is storing food. If it is a tropical climate and you leave the food outside it will go bad due to the heat and if you are in somewhere cold and dry then you have to reheat your food in the microwave multiple times which is bad for your health. So how do we cover and store our food to reduce waste and effort? This conceptual device called The Mother’s Heart has the answers…yes, just like our mothers in the kitchen.

There is a Korean practice of covering food with a cloth (Sang bo) which has been a tradition for centuries and has worked well – a ramie or silk fabric covering keeps it ventilated in the summers while a thicker fabric keeps it insulated in the winters. Inspired by this, the Mother’s Heart was designed to keep food fresh and retain its original nutrient quality. It is a simple device that is crafted like a dome food covering and an accompanying base plate. The covering has a dial on top and that lets you adjust the settings based on the food you’ve cooked. You can select between refrigeration or warmth and there is a timer feature that lets you select for how long you want to keep it running. The bottom heating coil can maintain an internal temperature of 60 Celcius or higher to store food like noodles and curry. The upper cooling fan can keep the temperature below 5 Celcius to store dishes like salads or sandwiches.

“When I came home and lift up the cloth to have my meal, I could feel my mother’s warmth in the warmth of the rice. This design is inspired by sang bo so that mothers can still give their children fresh meals infused with their love,” elaborates Seojoung as he recalls the nostalgia that led him to create the award-winning Mother’s Heart. This is not only a convenient device for mothers but also anyone who works and cooks their own meals. It has the ability to help us reduce food waste and consume radiation-free meals. While meal-prep is great, there is nothing like a freshly cooked meal after you finish your chores – no one likes a wilted lettuce salad or a microwaved mac-n-cheese.

Designer: Yu Seojoung

This 3D printed sustainable clay range is an indigenous storage solution that reduces food waste!

Posted on by

All over the world, we face the challenge of waste generation and management. Most people think that plastic is the biggest culprit but you would be surprised to know that food waste the largest waste contributor worldwide. To put it into context, food is responsible for 44% while plastic is responsible for 12% – that is a problem we need to fix and designer Lea Randebrock is taking a step in the right direction with her Clay Pantry collection.

About 1/4th of the food waste, which is generated in industrialized countries goes back to the actions of consumers and the busy lifestyles of western countries in combination with a lack of knowledge. Old-timey solutions like root-cellars made it possible to store produce throughout winter but now we have cheap food that is quick to cook and always available which has been taken for granted. People are not only detached from their environment but also from the food they consume and Clay Pantry wants to change that approach through its organic design. It provides a suitable space for fruits and vegetables which make up for the highest waste count. Inspired by traditional storing methods, this collection was created to be used within our modern lifestyle settings – the best of both worlds. The furniture-container collection includes the Root Stool, Fruit Shelf, Tempered Box, and Watering Jug which are all crafted around the behavior and actions of watering plants. “By watering the objects like plants, the focus goes effortlessly to the objects and the content,” describes Randebrock who has been a student of furniture design and is inspired by indigenous materials.

Clay has been used since ancient times as a storage solution for food and drinks, having grown up in India it is a big part of the culture and in fact, water stored in clay pots is always cooler (and sweeter!). The cooling effect is due to the porosity of earthenware which has natural cooling properties when soaked with water. Clay Pantry optimizes this property to give you a range of storage containers for small, urban homes. The Root Stool provides dry and dark storage space and the Tempered Box was created for produce that needs humid and cool conditions. The Fruit Shelf and Water Jug are self-explanatory. Clay Pantry’s modular nature makes it a perfect fit for compact apartments and for those looking for an eco-friendly storage solution for their produce.

“In the situation followed by the challenging spring of 2020, I believe it is more important than ever to include empathy in our society. Any aspects of everyday life are challenged and need to be redesigned and restructured. While this is a challenging time, this is a chance to question the status quo. As a designer, I hope to contribute in a positive way to a Post-Corona society,” says Randebrock, a student of the Royal College of Arts. She has used a traditional food storage method but brought it to life using 3D printing – the best of both worlds is embodied in this collection that serves us and our environment.

Designer: Lea Randebrock

clay pantry

clay pantry 1

clay pantry 2

Make meal prep hassle-free again with this space-saving cutting board!

Posted on by

One of the biggest lifestyle changes for me was meal prep, it eliminates the fuss of deciding what to cook every day and made grocery shopping so much easier. One of the best parts was I didn’t have to order out when I was at work and it made me realize how quickly “But it is just $12!” adds up when you practically do it every other day. Seems like everyone was riding this meal prep wave till we were hit with WFH and that sudden change the pandemic brought on derailed the most disciplined people. For me, I stopped meal prep because I was adjusting to working from home and doing chores at the same time. So I started snacking throughout the day instead of cooking a meal because who wants to clean after a perpetual Monday (that is what it feels like in quarantine)? Enter TidyBoard! It is not wearing a cape but it is here to make your life easier and get your good eating habits back on track!

TidyBoard was designed to encourage healthy eating and turn it into a sustainable lifestyle change instead of a trend (looking at you, juice cleanse!). It streamlines your prep with strategically placed strainers, catches, and containers on the end of the cutting board so there is more to eat and less to clean. It keeps food and scraps separate and allows you to strain hands-free. When you are done with the chopping and cutting, one swipe of your hand will clear it all. TidyBoard is constructed from bamboo which is antibacterial and durable enough to last for years making the wear and tear worth the effort. Bamboo also makes it lightweight and eco-friendly. “The TidyBoard was mindfully influenced by math and physics. Our board is engineered as a lever to stay steady even with a heavy load in the containers,” says the team.

The product is calculatingly made to optimize your counter space and the collapsible containers make it super easy to prep and store. It can hang off the edge of your sink which actually makes you use less of your countertop for prep and you don’t have to worry about losing precious produce or fresh pasta to your sink! The cutting board acts as a lever to help hold the weight of the catch – it can hold up to 9 lbs of food in its container while hanging off your counter (do you even lift?). The BPA-free Food Grade silicone containers are made collapsible to save 50% of drawer/cabinet space which makes it perfect for small kitchens or homes that don’t have a lot of storage. The large catch and containers have volumetric and measuring marks to aid you in your prep so that you are never short on a meal because of wrong calculations! The collapsible strainers are nestled into the end of the board for cleaning or straining hands-free. The kit includes snap-on lids so you can store them in the containers right after prep. The lids also have a vent which makes it easy to microwave so you can store and eat from the same container.

Gordon Ramsey will be very pleased with your kitchen work ethic because TidyBoard keeps it clean and clutter-free. Say goodbye to chaotic cooking and welcome spick and span prep…something Monica Geller would say and we would absolutely agree with her! So prep ingredients without any stress, strain pasta, store cuttings, soak fruits and veggies, compost scraps, and serve up a whole cheese platter too if you feel like! It is hard enough to sanitize everything all the time, work from home, do all chores, so the last thing you should have to worry about is your meals and cleaning up after you cook. Bon appetit!

Designer: TidyBoard

Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $99 (20% off). Hurry, only 3/3620 left, under 48 hours to go! Raised over $568,325!

tb3

tb2

tb5

tb1

tb4

Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $99 (20% off). Hurry, only 3/3620 left, under 48 hours to go! Raised over $568,325!