What is stainless steel?
Answer: a bit of a metal powerhouse (and in our opinion the best material for food storage!). It's completely and infinitely recyclable, super strong and lasts a really long time, making it the perfect choice in terms of its green credentials. It’s also inert, hygienic and doesn’t leach compounds (unlike plastic).
All of these factors combine to make it an incredible material for just about anything, but especially for food storage, water bottles and washing up bowls!
We wrote this guide to help you look after your products so that they can live out their full life potential before they get recycled.
How (and how often) should I wash my stainless steel products?
As with any food or drink storage, you should ideally wash your stainless steel lunch boxes and water bottles after every use.
Good news is that you can just stick it in the dishwasher or wash by hand in the sink and it should come up squeaky clean! You won't have any stains (hence the name) unlike plastic counterparts which never quite return to their pre-use state and start to deteriorate really quite quickly. Best to wash the steel caps by hand though (they only take a minute).
If you’re using a leakproof product, take the seal out and clean and dry them separately too to make sure that no nasties are lurking underneath. It's best to wash the seals by hand if possible
Can I freeze stainless steel?
For lunchboxes, yes! Just make sure you leave a gap between the food and the lid as it will expand.
We don’t recommend freezing your stainless steel drinks bottles though -see our blog on metal bottle care.
I guess you could freeze your metal washing up bowl if you wanted? Although good luck finding a freezer big enough!
Can I reheat food in stainless steel?
Yes! The best way to reheat food in a stainless steel storage product is to pop it in the oven with the lid off. Easy!
You can also heat it directly on the stove or even over a campfire! Be aware though that cooking over naked flames could tarnish steel, not that it makes any difference to performance, it just might look a little blackened.
The number one rule of heating stainless steel? DO NOT PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE! This is not only for the safety and longevity of the product, but also for your own safety.
What about when I need to throw my stainless steel product away?
The longer you keep and look after your stainless steel bottle, lunchbox, canister or washing up bowl, the lower their environmental footprint, so we encourage everyone to love and use them for years and years until they really can’t be used any more.
Lost a cap? Don’t chuck the whole product away! You can buy spare seals, caps and more on our website!
If you follow all of the tips above, your stainless steel products will live a long, happy and useful lives before they get recycled to start their new lives elsewhere.
Steel can be recycled in household recycling but silicone needs a specialist - so send it back to us for recycling and we’ll deal with that for you.
Got more questions? Visit ourFAQs or contact:info@elephantbox.co.uk
