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Our favorite is durable enough for the freezer and even the oven. Island Cooler
Cindy is a freelance writer and editor whose career began in cookbook publishing. An expert in bakeware, cookbooks, and kitchen organization for Food & Wine, she has reviewed over 25 vacuums, 23 steak knives, and dozens of baking tools, such as cookie sheets, silicone utensils, and proofing baskets.
Food & Wine / Mary Claire Lagroue
Whether it’s freezing batch cooking, refrigerating and reheating leftovers, or organizing the pantry, glass food storage containers are very versatile. Glass is durable, easy to clean, stain-resistant, and odor-resistant. Not to mention, being able to see what’s in glass containers can help you prevent food waste. While glass tends to cost more than the average plastic container alternative, you’re paying for a longer lifespan and a higher-quality product to keep your food fresh. We tested 16 glass storage container sets, considering factors like capacity, glass type, and lid design. Here's how they stacked up.
This versatile assortment of containers features airtight, leakproof seals, and they stack for easy storage.
Food debris may get stuck in the grooves in the lids, so that can require more thorough cleaning.
When you decide on a set of glass storage containers, you want it to prove its value with whatever food you throw its way. This well-made product won’t disappoint, as the containers can be put in the microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher. We found the lids easy to latch on and off, but when snapped on and locked, they keep liquids in and air out for maximum freshness. The set is dishwasher-safe, but take extra care when cleaning, as food bits can get stuck in the lid’s crevices.
We appreciate the range of sizes and shapes this set’s container comes in, and better yet, the smaller ones can be stacked inside the larger ones, so you can save some space in your kitchen cabinet. We also like their versatility. One editor who has owned a set for several years uses the containers to freeze food and even in the oven, without the lids on, of course, from baking a single fish fillet to roasting a handful of asparagus. Glasslock sells a variety of sets, but we recommend starting with this 18-piece option. Once you have an idea of the sizes and shapes you use the most, you might invest in more of these pieces.
"I bought my Glasslock 18-piece Assorted Container Set during Black Friday and loved it so much I promptly ordered a set for all my family members," says Senior Commerce Writer Jennifer Zyman. "The pieces are sturdy, don't stain or retain odors, and stack up nicely and neatly in the fridge."
Containers: 9 | Glass Type: Tempered | Lid Material: Plastic with silicone ring
Food & Wine / Mary Claire Lagroue
Food & Wine / Awa Dia
You can store all sorts of food in this sturdy set thanks to its variety of shapes and sizes, and it does a great job of keeping food fresh.
We wish the lids interlocked for more organized storage.
This storage container set checks lots of important boxes — it’s durable, comes in a useful range of shapes and sizes, and is fairly priced for how many pieces you get. Both the containers and the lids are safe for the freezer, microwave, and dishwasher, and the containers can even go in the oven up to 450°F. In other words, you’ll be able to get a lot of use out of these. We like that these containers are made with thicker glass and feel sturdy. We would even consider traveling with them. The lid has a silicone barrier that helps keep it sealed, and no water seeped out when we tested for leaks.
Containers: 10 | Glass Type: Borosilicate | Lid Material: Plastic with silicone ring
Food & Wine / Alyssa Kingham
Food & Wine / Alyssa Kingham
Pyrex has built its reputation on durable, quality glass products. The glass feels sturdy but not heavy.
While the lids proved durable and air-tight in our tests, they felt thin compared to our older Pyrex containers, so we wonder if the material will warp over time.
“You really can't go wrong with trusty Pyrex,” says Ali Rosen, the author of Modern Freezer Meals. “They stack great, have multiple colors for easier organization, and are the best value for the quality of any brand.” This set includes a variety of shapes and sizes, making it great for nesting storage, too. BPA-free plastic lids provide an almost non-slip surface to keep stacked containers from sliding, including when we transferred stacks of containers from the counter to the fridge. Keep in mind that while those lids are safe for the microwave, they shouldn’t be placed in the oven.
Containers: 9 | Glass Type: Tempered | Lid Material: Plastic
Food & Wine / Ashley Schaubroeck
Food & Wine / Ashley Schaubroeck
Food & Wine / Ashley Schaubroeck
With two compartments and smart-locking lids, these containers are great for organizing meals and transporting them to the office or school.
Because of their dividers and smaller size, these aren’t ideal for storing big batches of food. Also, the lids are not dishwasher-safe.
These glass storage containers will come in handy when you’re packing up your food for the week. For starters, they are sized for an average meal and have two compartments for separating foods and guiding portion control. They also have smart-locking, leakproof lids, which kept our food fresh for three days. When it comes time to eat what you’ve made, remove the lid and pop the container in the microwave or oven to heat up your meal. If you’re meal prepping far in advance, you can also put these containers in the freezer.
Containers: 5 | Glass Type: Borosilicate | Lid Material: Glass
Food & Wine / Joseph Manalang
Food & Wine / Joseph Manalang
Food & Wine / Joseph Manalang
These high-performing, large-capacity containers are great for family-sized leftovers and freezer meals.
While the smallest container in the set could be easily taken on the go, we found them much better for home use due to their size and weight.
If small or regular-sized food storage containers can never hold enough, consider this set of large containers, which can hold 3.4 cups, 5 cups, and 9.3 cups. If you’re batch-cooking a pot of soup, for example, you can also fill up a container and freeze it for later or pop it into the oven or microwave when it’s time to dig in (just remove the lids for reheating). In addition to batch cooking, we’d recommend these for larger families or entertaining. We wouldn’t hesitate to prep a big bowl of slaw or pasta salad, store it in the fridge, and serve it all in the same container. They pass our test for freshness, too. we used them to store romaine lettuce in the fridge for a few days, and it kept the leaves crisp and green. We also didn’t note any leaks during testing.
Containers: 3 | Glass Type: Borosilicate | Lid Material: Plastic
We selected the Glasslock 18-Piece Assorted Oven-Safe Container Set as our top pick for its durability, tight locking lids, and versatility. We also like that Glasslock containers sets in other sizes, so you can tailor your container collection to your needs.
Glass storage containers work well for a range of situations, from freezing cooked food to storing your go-to pantry items, like pasta, flour, dried beans, nuts, and spices. When choosing your glass storage containers, consider what you’ll be putting inside of them, so you can choose a set with the right material, sizes, shapes, and lids that fit as much food as you need and help keep it as fresh as possible. You may even want to consider your design aesthetic if you know the container is going to be displayed on an open shelf rather than in your pantry closet.
Not all glass is alike: Three of the most common types of glass you’ll come across are untreated soda-lime glass, tempered glass, and borosilicate glass. Untreated soda-lime glass is what your average jars, bottles, and windows are made out of. While it’s cheap, it isn’t good at withstanding thermal shock. Tempered glass, on the other hand, is glass that’s been processed with specific heating or chemical treatment, making it more shatter-resistant and able to handle a greater range of temperatures. Made with boron trioxide and silica, borosilicate glass does the best job of the three tolerating big temperature changes, but it’s usually thinner and more likely to break if you happen to drop it than tempered glass.
If you’re storing something at room temperature, then a container made of untreated glass would work fine. If you’re planning to store food that you may want to move between the freezer, fridge, and oven, then it’s best to go with something made out of tempered or borosilicate glass.
Even if the storage container itself is made of glass, it’s common for its lid to be made out of plastic, silicone, or even beeswax wrap. Some lids have vents to help prevent splatter during reheating. There are also lids with tabs that snap over the sides for airtight locking that keep food fresher and prevent leaks as well as lids with valves for vacuum sealing.
To Rosen, the lid is really the key differentiator between glass storage containers. “Some people love simplicity, while others travel to work or to family dinners with containers — and in that case, you want the most leakproof, which tends to be the airtight locking lids,” she says. “My personal favorite is the ones that are vacuum sealed because they keep the food the longest, which for me is the biggest factor.”
You can find glass storage containers of all shapes and sizes, and common capacities range from one cup all the way to eight cups. What capacity is right for you really depends on what you’re planning to put in there. For example, if you’re mainly storing food leftovers or doing meal prepping, then containers with a three- to four-cup capacity should work. Rosen recommends having a range of sizes. She says, “I also prefer squares and rectangles because I think they fit in the fridge and freezer more efficiently.”
To figure out the best glass food storage containers, we put 16 sets through a variety of tests, observing their ease of use, performance, and durability. In the first test, we checked whether the containers leaked when we filled them to their maximum capacity with water and shook them. To assess how well they kept food fresh, we used them to store peeled, pitted avocados in the fridge for three days. We also put containers in the microwave and oven, when applicable, to check their performance when cooking or reheating foods. Finally, we rated how easily we could clean the containers per their instructions, whether in the dishwasher or by hand.
Bayco 3 Compartment Glass Storage Container Set ($40 at Amazon)
This sturdy set aced our leak test, and we loved how nicely the lids lock into place. We just wish it included a variety of sizes, and the containers aren’t the easiest to store if you’re tight on space because of their built-in compartments.
Pyrex Freshlock 10-Piece Airtight Glass Food Storage Container Set ($36 at Amazon)
This leakproof set is made with thick, durable glass, and it's very versatile given its size range. The containers don’t neatly stack, however, so they take up a good amount of storage space. Plus, you have to exert some pressure to properly lock and unlock the lid tabs.
Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass Set of 9 Food Containers with Lids ($80 at Amazon)
We were impressed with how fresh food stayed when stored in these containers. We found, however, that water got trapped between the rubber seal and plastic in the lid after cleaning.
Glasslock Duo 5-Piece Tempered Glass Divided Food Storage Containers ($47 at Amazon)
This set earned our highest marks for durability. Yet, as useful as the containers are for meal prepping, we would recommend investing in a starter set with various sizes first, like our Best Overall, also from Glasslock.
OXO Good Grips Smart Seal 12-Piece Glass Container Set ($33 at Amazon)
We liked how stackable these leakproof containers are, but we found most of the containers a bit too small to store leftover portions, especially considering price.
While all of the 16 glass storage containers we tested had their merits, some just didn’t measure up to others. We were quite happy with a different set from Bayco, but the Bayco Glass Food Storage Container Set ($32 at Amazon) let us down. We had some leaks during testing, and the containers didn’t keep fruits and vegetables as fresh as other options we tested. The Anchor Hocking TrueFit Glass Baking Dish ($21 on Amazon) also failed our leak test, making it less useful as an actual storage container. Another that didn’t make the list was the Caraway Food Storage Container Set ($245 on Amazon). While we love the look of these containers, we found them too heavy to be convenient, and they’re significantly more expensive than other options on the market, making it hard to justify their value.
Glass is better than plastic for long-term use, according to Ashley Hines, the owner of Thee Tailored Life. “Plastic more readily stains, absorbs food smells, and warps,” she says. “I’ve replaced my plastic set three times, while I’ve never replaced my glassware.”
Rosen agrees. “Glass storage containers last longer and are more versatile since they can go from fridge or freezer to oven or microwave to table. They are usually a bit more expensive, but you'll get much more bang for your buck,” she says.
Yes, your glass storage containers can go in the oven and freezer — as long as they’re made from the right kind of glass. “Regular glassware (like what you drink out of) is manufactured differently than storage containers that are meant for the oven and freezer,” Rosen says. “These containers are usually made of either tempered or borosilicate glass, which are specifically made to withstand more extreme temperatures. She explains that the main thing is to check that the containers you want to buy are labeled as freezer and oven safe, and then you’ll know that you’re good to go.
Once you've purchased temperature-resistant glassware, Hines recommends reviewing the description of your glassware to confirm the range of temperatures it can handle. “Be careful about shifting the temperatures too quickly, for example, from very cold to very hot,” she adds. “That could cause the glassware to crack or shatter.”
Island Freezer If you’re planning on freezing and reheating directly in your food storage containers, then you’ll want to go with tempered or borosilicate glass, as they can withstand such temperature changes as mentioned previously. But in terms of general storage, Rosen doesn’t think there is a major difference between different types of glass for the average consumer. “I think it is more important to pick storage containers that you like — that are the right size, the right price, have the easiest lids to open and fit in whatever space you have to store them,” she says. “Those will be the factors that actually make a difference in your life.”