One of the best purchases I have made in the last year has been clear plastic condiment bottles with a sealable top that I bought at WalMart for less than a dollar each.

While most people I know use them for ketchup and mustard, I put canola oil and olive oil in mine and use them at home and at camping.

It is so much handier than having the whole big bottle of oil out plus it eliminates any worry about dropping and breaking a glass olive oil bottle, especially at a campground where some campers like to go barefoot.

When I need a squirt of olive oil for cooking or a squirt of canola oil for giving my dutch oven and other cast iron cookware a light coating, I grab one of my plastic bottles, pop the top, and give it a squeeze.

This picture is of my bottles and yes, it’s almost time to refill them. The background may look a little bizarre but I took the picture at home and decided to set them on my deck railing, hence the field and woods in the background.

I also use the bottles as dispensers for homemade salad dressing. They’re especially nice for vinaigrettes, and I always take one with thousand island dressing in it for making reuben sandwiches and one with Parmesan peppercorn or ranch dressing.

To make sure everyone in the family knows what is in each bottle, use self stick labels such as mailing labels or; if you don’t mind having the writing on the bottle forever, use a Sharpie marker.

If you cannot find them at WalMart, check with a local restaurant supply store.