Canister · stoneware with cork lid
The cork seals; the stoneware keeps the light out
Glass jars are cheaper and they are the wrong container for coffee, chilli flakes or anything else that loses its colour on a sunny shelf, because light does more damage to those than air does. Stoneware is opaque and it is heavy enough not to skate across a worktop when you pull the lid. The lid is a solid cork plug with a silicone ring seated in a groove; press it home and the jar is airtight, and you can hear it. Three sizes, and the useful ones to know are that 1.4 L takes a kilo of flour and 0.7 L takes a 500 g bag of coffee beans with room to get a scoop in. The body goes in the dishwasher. The lid does not — cork boiled in detergent goes crumbly at the edge within a few cycles. Wash it under the tap, stand it up to dry, and re-seat the ring before you push it back in.
