Plastic Containers VS. Spaghetti Sauce
 

I want to say up front that I have the special containers that can resist the tomato acid, but there are only three and they sometimes are otherwise engaged.

Once the sauce has done its evil deed, is that it? Is there anything that will get it out, or has it burned its way into the plastic?

i'm waiting to hear the solution too, if there is any. I've tried everything to clean them up.

I put mine in mason jars

Oh glass! what a novel idea. We sometimes forget we have glass!!

I use to freeze when I made spaghetti sauce. I just used the Ziploc containers because when they became so stain, I could throw them in the recycle trash bin and buy another set.

You can try spraying them with a bleach/water solution.

I think I read to spray your container with Pam type sprays before putting your tomato products in to prevent the red from staining. Worth a try since most of us use non stick sprays.

Ziploc freezer bags. They take up less room in the freezer. You can split the sides of the bag with a knife, put the block of frozen sauce in a big bowl, defrost it and heat it in the microwave. I bake my meatballs separately and portion them out. I put parchment paper on the microwave turntable and make a ring of meatballs around the bowl the sauce in is. I defrost everything and then toss the meatballs in the sauce to get everything hot.

This isn't related to spaghetti sauce, but it was on the news lately the reason Coke tastes better in glass that in cans or plastic - glass does not absorb any of the flavor so it retains all of its flavor, so it really does taste different. (I always thought it was my imagination.) But I would think it would be the same for sauces. You can freeze in glass jars, I do it for my freezer jam and also for my left over broths.

I lined the plastic bowl with Saran wrap, and place a piece over the top. Then I freeze it, take it out of the bowl and wrap it in foil, label it. When its time to thaw I remove the wrappings and place it in a glass bowl with a cover (like a Pyrex one) and let it thaw in the fridge. Then cook as usual when I am ready.

Leave them out in the sun for a day, that will bleach out tomato stains from plastic.

I don't worry about it, but I have heard that if you spray the container with cooking spray before putting in the sauce it will help.

Just an idea...try a paste of baking soda with water. It won't hurt anything or leave a residue. Freezing/storing the sauce in glass jars is probably the best idea for the future.

When my utensils & plastic get stained from tomato sauce, I use Fantastic With Bleach. I let it soak for a while (sometimes I have to do it more than once) wash it & rinse it well & most of the time, the stains come out. Worth a try. I buy my Fantastic with Bleach at WalMart. Probably bleach diluted with a bit of hot water may do the same thing. I don't buy a lot of bleach so often times I don't have any.

the chemicals in the non-stick sprays break down the plastic. I use Ziploc bags also. If you want to keep it from sticking just rub a little olive oil around the container. But if you're going to put different sauces in a plastic container just let it set out for a short time so it will loosen from the sides. I quit along time ago putting plastic/Tupperware/Rubbermaid containers in the microwave. Even if they are microwave safe. I just put them into a glass (Pyrex) to microwave.

I would put a little oil in the bag and spread it around. I've gotten to where I hate using the cooking sprays too often because of the propellents.

Like Barb, my mom used to put the plastic containers on our windowsills in the sun to bleach out the sauce stains.

I've actually switched over to only using glass containers for leftovers. I find that the plastic containers take on a weird odor after a while, which I can't stand. :)

I would be nervous about using a bleach cleaner in plastic. Who knows what it might absorb. I like the idea about lining them with plastic bags.

I can't stand the way a plastic container looks after something tomato based has stained it. I have tried bleach, etc but seems to be permanent. So I am slowly moving away from plastic to glass. I use Pyrex or Anchor Hocking containers, and use a piece of plastic wrap over the lip if I am putting something red in it.

Another reason is I used a container once to hold powder laundry detergent. No matter how many times I washed it, it always contaminated whatever I put in it with the taste and smell of laundry detergent.

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*** Chasing Hawk that is a Super Smart idea.
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I decided a couple years ago to switch to mostly glass food storage containers. I buy them on sale and use them for left overs. They can go from fridge to freezer to microwave.

I still have plastic containers for storing bulk dry goods, such as flour and sugar.

I also use Mason jars for food storage.

You can put glass containers in the freezer as long as you leave enough room for expansion. If I am using a jar, I fill to an inch below where the top narrows, so there is lots of room for expansion.

If my plastic containers get the white scratch marks or discolored I toss them. I don't use them to store wet foods.

Same thing happens with some of my plastic storage containers. Going back to glass.

Having worked in hospitals for a number of years, there were MANY doctors who would seriously lecture if they saw someone using plastic (and that was after the BPA was removed). Glass is heavier, but it really is the safest, at least that's what I've been told. Now....having said that.....you can use lemon juice or baking soda to minimize discolorization.

This may sound old fashioned, but it was learned from my mom and her mom before her. I use mason jars (wide mouth) to store soups, chili, beans, spaghetti sauce in the fridge. (Before the empty nest, I even used them for the freezer.) First of all it economizes on space. The tall jars take a lot less room than a storage dish or container. Now as the for the stained plastic containers. Sometimes a soak in a mild bleach solution will do the trick, other times not.

I read this tip somewhere. When you empty a plastic container that has tomato sauce in it..pour Dawn or any dish detergent in and use a paper towel to wipe down before you use any water. I wipe the container with a dry paper towel first then add detergent then wipe again Let sit for a while then wash. Works on my splatter lit that I use in microwave too. For some reason if you use water first it doesn't work.

I use mason or large mouth mayo jars all the time for soup. Love them. But smaller amounts of veggies, etc., I use the glass storage containers.

The hard way is to use elbow grease along with something like Comet, Ajax or some other similar ABRASIVE cleanser.
For my homemakers that are young and or just don't know; elbow grease is using your hands and and other muscles to complete the task.
Those two cleansers I mentioned contain bleach as well.
Use something like a Chore Boy Golden Fleece scrubbing cloth and wet it just enough to turn the cleanser into a paste. That way the cleansing agents don't become diluted and weakened.
You'll probably have to scrub the dish a few times to completely be rid of the stain.
Now the easy but requiring a whole lot of patience way.
Use a soap and ammonia solution; HEAVY ON THE ammonia and let it soak for however long it takes to break up the color.
Usually, I go the abrasive cleanser and elbow grease route.
It doesn't take as much time or elbow grease as it sounds.
And in the future, might I suggest that you line you plastic containers with plastic wrap BEFORE putting in the chili or spaghetti with and or the sauce.
You'll still be able to reheat in the microwave in that container and just throw away the plastic wrap when the food is gone.