Takealongs? More like Leavebehinds!
Written: Jul 08 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy-lift tab on lids, not expensive, do seem to keep things inside fresh.
Cons: Lid is difficult to work with, seal doesn't hold well, plastic taste to some foods.
The Bottom Line: I can't recommend these--I found them to be a pain to work with, easily jarred open, and they imparted a strong plastic taste to my fruit and veggies.
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| Trawma's Full Review: Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Sandwich Size |
Once again, I’m trying to get “healthier.” As usual, that means watching what I eat and paying attention to portions. In hopes of encouraging myself to eat more reasonable and good-for-me snacks, my last shopping trip found me perusing the resealable containers aisle at my local Walmart. It was my son that brought the Rubbermaid Takealongs to my attention.
“Aunt Teri uses those!”
Well, seeing as Aunt Teri has a house I’d love to have and a kitchen I find quite lovely, what better recommendation could there be?
Hmmm.
I picked up three four-packs with the idea of pre-packing each with grapes, carrot sticks, and strawberries. Stack them up in the fridge and voila! Insta-snacks! Unlike some others, these do not snap together, but I’ve been finding the snap-together lids a bit of a hassle with other containers, so that was something of a bonus for me.
My first realization? The picture on the front of the packaging is a total crock—it shows a big, fat, happy sandwich inside one of these containers. A sandwich that would have to be pushed down a bit in order to seal things up. That’s not how things go with Rubbermaid Takealongs. They allow for almost no “overfill,” i.e., if one small thing (say a strawberry) is taller than the edge, getting the lid to seal is nearly impossible. Even with nothing taller than the edge, these things are not any fun to seal. I thought it was just me, but my husband also struggled with them—three edges “seal,” the fourth pops up. Again and again.
The problem (for us, anyway) is the lids—they’re too soft, too flexible, too spineless. They feel positively spongy when compared to the relative hardness of the container itself. There’s no definitive SNAP to signal success in sealing.
Speaking of sealing, while these lids do (once attached) seem to keep things inside nicely fresh (strawberries plump and fresh looking after 7 days!), they don’t have much of a grip on the container when jarred or dropped. A drop of two feet to carpeted floor found the contents scattered far and wide. Yes, happy dog, she got fruity treats! Not so happy me. My husband found the same to be true when he dropped his work bag in the morning, but didn’t discover until afternoon that his sandwich had made good its escape and was scattered about amongst his work things.
Dreams dashed. Yes, we do get rather excited when we purchase new things that we believe are going to somehow declutter or better organize our fridge and our lives. These Rubbermaid Takealongs should have been perfect for us—microwavable, top-rack safe in the dishwasher, freezable, and the perfect size for sandwiches or fruit snacks. And if it weren’t for the loser lids (which do have a fancy lift-tab on one corner to ease opening; a small plus in a sea of minuses), they would be perfect.
Except.
I’ve been sitting here munching 7 day packed carrot sticks and fruit while writing this, and both my son and I are noticing a definite plastic taste. Strong enough that after one grape and half a strawberry, he’s done. Two carrot sticks and I’m finished. They all look and feel marvelous, but they taste like plastic. My husband had no such complaints with his sandwiches (the containers for which he now tapes shut), so perhaps it’s just a length of time thing. Maybe 7 days is just too long to store fruit in these (which were run through the dishwasher before use).
And that’s about all I have to say about Rubbermaid Takealongs. I’ve only used the sandwich size, but I can’t imagine any other size working any better. Tomorrow night is shopping night, and it will once again find me in the resealable containers aisle, looking for something better.
Recommended:
No
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