mason jar salads

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jadior
jadior Posts: 191 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This may be a dumb question, but where do I buy the mason jars and do they come in different sizes? I've seen a few recipes for these and they look like they'd be very convenient for lunch.
Thanks in advance

Replies

  • kbolton322
    kbolton322 Posts: 358 Member
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    Walmart sells them.... and yes they have them in all different sizes
  • emhelligso
    emhelligso Posts: 1
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    I've been taking them to work this week and am loving them! The only thing is that they are pretty heavy so if you take more than one a day it is an extra bicep curl for you ;) you can pick them up at any grocery store, usually near the baking/canning supplies. There are reusable tops for them too that are nice if you don't want to deal with the two metal piece ones.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Target- amazon- bed bath and beyond, michele's- joanne fabrics

    Get the wide mouth ones- I have some narrow mouth ones- and I honestly can't imagine eating a salad out of them (I usually have chili/soup- and even that's at stretch)
  • jadezia
    jadezia Posts: 45 Member
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    Just make sure you can pour the salad out into a bowl when you finally eat them. Its nearly impossible to mix everything up while its still in the jar. My office keeps bowls in our kitchen so its not a big deal for me, but if your workplace doesn't, definitely bring a bowl!
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    They don't make mason jars big enough for my salads.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I don't get this... don't get me wrong, I love a good mason jar, but why not just bring Tupperware? Don't you have to dump your salad out of the jar to eat it anyway?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,979 Member
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    tincanonastring wrote: »
    They don't make mason jars big enough for my salads.
    Coolers, they work well, and a place for beer too.

  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    AlisonH729 wrote: »
    I don't get this... don't get me wrong, I love a good mason jar, but why not just bring Tupperware? Don't you have to dump your salad our of the jar to eat it anyway?

    +1 I get that the mason jar thing looks cute, but it's much easier to pre-cut a bunch of veggies and salad base, keep them in bags (or tupperware) in your fridge, and throw what you want for the day into a tupperware bowl to go.
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
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    No, things actually last a lot longer in glass. So it's not just that they look pretty. I recently ate a salad that had been in the fridge for 2 weeks and it was still fine.

    Also, don't be tempted to buy giant jars. It's important that you pack the ingredients in tightly - that's why it works. A half litre jar is perfect. I make four or five salads at a time and they last really well.

    And yes, don't expect to be able to eat the salad out of the jar.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited March 2015
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    So then Pyrex.

    ETA: I know mason jars are cheaper I just hate washing extra dishes.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    The thing with mason jars is that the way it is loaded (layered) keeps the salads fresher for longer. So, I can (and do) make 10 salads at a time, complete with dressing and lots of different (wet and not wet) veggies, and they last for around 10 days before they start to get gross.

    You do not, however need to use mason jars exclusively. You can use any jar you have as long as it is glass and tall/narrow (to keep the dressing from the veggies and items that will get soggy).
  • jadior
    jadior Posts: 191 Member
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    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    No, things actually last a lot longer in glass. So it's not just that they look pretty. I recently ate a salad that had been in the fridge for 2 weeks and it was still fine.

    Also, don't be tempted to buy giant jars. It's important that you pack the ingredients in tightly - that's why it works. A half litre jar is perfect. I make four or five salads at a time and they last really well.

    And yes, don't expect to be able to eat the salad out of the jar.

    perfect, thank you!!
  • jadior
    jadior Posts: 191 Member
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    If you make salads in the jar, you layer it so things don't get soggy if you want to make ahead. Nothing worse than soggy salad in my opinion. Obviously if I were home and able to make my salad right then and there, I wouldn't bother with the jar.
  • luv_lea
    luv_lea Posts: 1,094 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I priced mason jars at my local Wal-Mart and they were like 10 for $10? I didn't need that many mason jars though. So I just bought a cheap pack of 4 Tupperware containers for a couple dollars, and they work just as good as a mason jar does (I compared to the 1 mason jar I do own.)

    Edited to say: I've never tried keeping a pre-prepped salad for longer than a week though.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    No, things actually last a lot longer in glass. So it's not just that they look pretty. I recently ate a salad that had been in the fridge for 2 weeks and it was still fine.

    Also, don't be tempted to buy giant jars. It's important that you pack the ingredients in tightly - that's why it works. A half litre jar is perfect. I make four or five salads at a time and they last really well.

    And yes, don't expect to be able to eat the salad out of the jar.

    You are seriously underestimating the size of my salads! There's no way it fits in a half-liter jar, no matter how tightly you pack it.

    Also, I destroy salads with great prejudice, so there's no danger of anything lasting 2 weeks in my fridge.

    OP - To each their own, and if the mason jars work for you, rock those bad boys out. My only thought is that you want whatever solution you come up with to be sustainable, just like we try to make the changes to our diet sustainable. For me, any benefit to be gained using mason jars would be completely outweighed by the extra effort of apportioning out the ingredients into all the jars, the loss of storage space in the fridge, and the extra dishes.
  • jadior
    jadior Posts: 191 Member
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    Makes sense, tincanonastring :)

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