An easy, affordable way to store leftovers and meal prep.
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Whether you’re dreaming of a clutter-free, organized kitchen or you need a quick way to store meals in the fridge, food storage containers are a must.
Not only are they helpful when you’re trying to meal prep for the week or need a way to transport your healthy lunch without spilling your soup or salad dressing everywhere, but they can also be used to freeze extra food or reheat leftovers in the microwave. Most food storage containers have a tight seal to prevent leaks, but some are better suited for larger meals, dry foods or saving space, so we put them to the test to make sure they do their jobs properly.
Our experts and product analysts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab test all types of cookware and kitchen essentials, ranging from the best lunch bags to bring to the office to camping cooking gear. Over the years, we’ve been hands-on with over 80 food storage containers from top brands such as Rubbermaid, Pyrex and OXO. To determine our recommendations, we fill containers with tomato sauce to ensure each is leakproof, has a tight seal and doesn't stain with use. We also note how well containers perform in the freezer, microwave and dishwasher.
After checking out our reviews of the best glass and plastic containers, continue reading to the bottom of this guide to learn more about what to look for when shopping for food storage containers. Read up on the best pantry organization ideas for more ways keep your kitchen area tidy.
Brilliant for many reasons, these plastic food storage containers are completely see-through (aside from the seal), stack easily and are perfect for taking on the go since they're light and sturdy. A two-time 2021 and 2022 Kitchen Gear and Coffee Awards winner, the set features a tight seal with lids that snap closed for extra protection. Unsnapping the lid provides ventilation, which made reheating a breeze in our tests.
Our pros also microwaved spaghetti sauce to test stain resistance, and only faint marks were left behind compared to other plastic containers we tested. Not only is this set a great deal, but we love that each container comes in an assortment of sets and sizes. Some include little containers and trays which make meal-prepping and lunch-packing easy, and the set is available in glass containers if preferred.
These lock-lid containers from Snapware are stackable, help keep your refrigerator organized and are hard to beat with a price of just under $20. We were impressed by how well they performed during our shake test, only losing a small amount of water. It held up during our microwave test but we noticed stains after reheating pasta sauce, which is common with plastic containers.
In our previous testing, we also tried Snapware's Total Solution Glass line. If you're looking for containers that will keep food fresh for a long time, (say, if you're putting meals in the freezer for long-term storage), you may want to opt for those as they're less prone to staining. Just keep in mind that the locking lids are still plastic, so they may stain over time.
OXO's well-known POP containers can be closed with one hand — simply press the button down to form a tight seal. The lids are slim, easy to clean and dishwasher safe. Some also come with accessories like half-cup scoops that attach to the underside of the lid so you always have a dedicated one on hand for measuring dry goods.
This baking set comes with containers designed to perfectly fit 5-pound bags of flour and sugar, as well as a 1-pound box of brown sugar. The brown sugar container comes with a terra cotta brown sugar saver that will prevent the sugar from hardening. The POP containers stack neatly and securely, allowing you to easily keep track of necessary refills.
In our Lab, we tested the 1-quart size and loved how well it held up in the dishwasher. We also tested the 1-quart version with a stainless steel lid, and while these lids are not dishwasher safe, hand washing was a breeze and the bases can be thrown in the dishwasher.
These containers earned top scores in our test for keeping air out (and that means keeping freshness in). For under $40, these containers are a steal, featuring bases made of glass that can be used in the oven up to 425ºF. The lids are see-through and have a flexible edge that won't crack over time, and though we did see slight denting in the lids after several high-heat dishwasher cycles, we were able to pop them right back into place. The lids are textured and the lip on the side helps with opening and sealing, but they aren't the best for holding large amounts of liquid as we saw water loss during both our shake test and overnight leakage test.
Get this entire Joseph Joseph Nest Storage container set for under $25, especially if you're concerned about space and money. This line features nested containers and nested lids, so when you put them away, you only have to clear space for the largest-sized container. The lids snap onto the containers to create a tight seal, though we found leaking during our testing and wouldn't recommend them for liquids. Similar to other plastic containers we tested, these are prone to staining if used with highly pigmented foods. The larger sizes are great for batch cooking.
If you like your plastic baggies and Ziplocs, you'll love Stasher reusable bags, which will save you money in the long run. Store fruits, veggies and other snacks in the bags' thick, but flexible silicone that's transparent and comes in an assortment of colors and sizes. They seal and open easily. When we tested them at home, they kept herbs wrapped in a damp paper towel fresh for weeks, and we didn't have to shuffle everything around in our fridge to make room for them since they take up minimal space. Stasher bags are freezer-, microwave-, oven- and dishwasher-safe and can even be used in boiling water for cooking sous vide! We did notice staining during our in-Lab tomato sauce testing so keep that in mind when storing pigmented foods. They also come in other sizes and colors!
The shapes in this set stand out for their versatility and it comes with 11 containers plus their lids at a great price (especially when on sale!). The containers nest and their lids are slim for easy storage. Pyrex containers can be used in the oven, which makes them great for reheating leftovers or crisping small servings — just be sure to let them come to room temperature first to avoid thermal shock, per the brand. In our dishwasher test, we ran each 4-cup round container and 3-cup rectangular container through the dishwasher five times. While the glass was naturally unscathed, we found that the lids can become slightly deformed after multiple cycles which may lead to leaking if storing liquids.
Zwilling may be known for its cutlery, but the German knife maker has expanded into food vacuum sealing. The vacuum-seal containers are easy to use and help keep your leftovers airtight. They're also great for marinating or storing raw meat after you've opened a pack. The vacuum sealer is compact and attaches to the lid of the container to seal it with the press of a button. When you’re ready to open the container, push the silicone button on the lid to release the air. This model was a top performer during our leak tests, and once sealed properly, the lid didn't budge.
While this set only includes one large 2.11-quart container, you can purchase additional container sizes online. In our tests, we found that the containers held up very nicely when run through the dishwasher, and we were impressed by how thick and durable the glass was.
These twist-and-seal food storage containers are a favorite in the Kitchen Appliances Lab and have kept food items fresh in our pantry for months. The silicone seal helps keep air out, which is ideal for storing pasta, flour and other dry goods while the rounded edges allow for easy pouring. The whole container isn't dishwasher safe, but the top can be hand-washed. The square shape and design make stacking a breeze and range in sizes from .5 quarts to 4.2 quarts. When testing, we noticed that the twist-to-lock top and release buttons may be tricky for some people to grab and use.
We love that the Neat Stack lunch containers are not only some of the more affordable storage containers out there, but that they can be stored in your cabinets without taking up too much space. The nesting set comes with five containers in various sizes to hold anything from ½ cups of fruit to whole meals and comes with a freezer pack that can attach to the large lids to help keep your lunch cold when traveling. Each size container is color-coded and has engraved cup sizes for each, including 5-cup, 3-cup and ½-cup versions, great for portioning during meal prep. Several containers share the same lid size, so there's less fumbling for the right match. We did notice staining during our freezer to microwave test so keep that in mind when heating pigment-rich foods.
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At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we test all kinds of kitchen gear, from air fryers to chef's knives to food storage containers. In our latest food storage container test, we tested 21 container brands to evaluate performance and ease of use.
✔️ Performance: To evaluate performance, we looked at leakage and how tight the seal was. For leak testing, we filled each container with water to its maximum capacity, secured the lid, weighed the container then vigorously shook it for one minute. We then weighed the container again to determine how much water was lost. Then, we refilled each container with water and left them upside down for 24 hours to see how much they retained.
✔️ Durability: We evaluated durability by observing how well each container held up in the dishwasher as well as how it performed in the freezer and microwave. For each dishwasher-safe container, we performed over 10 hours of washing on the highest heat and water cycle to evaluate disfiguration and record any damage that occur during each cleaning cycle. For all containers that couldn’t be put in the dishwasher, we performed multiple hand-washes.
During our freezer-to-microwave testing, we used more than 25 24-ounce jars of traditional pasta sauce to see how well each container performed in the freezer and then in the microwave. We assessed staining, damage and how well they cleaned.
When shopping for food storage containers, the below features are important to keep in mind to find the best performing set for your home:
✔️ Material: Glass and plastic are two of the most common food storage options. Glass can often be used in the oven, while plastic cannot. Plastic containers are also prone to staining when storing highly pigmented foods; glass is not. The trade-off is that glass is heavier and can break, which doesn’t make it the best for taking on the go. Though most plastic is now BPA (Bisphenol A)-free, it's always wise to double-check as some food container sets may include BPA parts because, according to the FDA, "current approved uses of BPA in food containers and packaging are safe." Some consumers still prefer glass to avoid any possibility of chemical leaching and consuming BPA, which is a hormone disrupter when consumed.
✔️ Shape: Look for containers with straight edges versus flared to avoid hogging unnecessary room in your fridge and cabinets.
✔️ Lids: A lid that doesn’t seal is a dealbreaker. Some simply press down to close while others have clasps on the sides. We tend to prefer lids without clasps because they’re thinner and store more easily, but it's worth noting that the clasps offer an extra source of leak protection.
This roundup was written by Nicole Papantoniou, who runs the GH Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and oversees all content and testing related to cooking products. She started testing and developing cooking tools, gadgets, gear and appliances in 2014 (though she's been cooking since she was 12 years old). Nicole is trained in classic culinary arts and is a professional recipe developer.
A previous version of this article was written by Raena Loper, a freelance writer at GH. Raena worked closely with the experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute to gather and analyze all testing data collected for food storage containers conducted in the most recent tests.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
Raena Loper (she/her) is a fashion journalist and product analyst based in New Jersey whose work has appeared in Forbes, Good Housekeeping and O, The Oprah Magazine. Raena is a graduate from Montclair State University where she earned a degree in fashion studies as well as gender, sexuality and women's studies. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, cooking BBQ and spending time with family.
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