A word of advice from my team: If a food storage container claims to be either leakproof, stainproof, or shatterproof, take it with a grain of salt. We’ve tested over a dozen different plastic, glass, and silicone storage sets over the years and have found that many of these brands’ boastful claims fall short of their promises when actually put to the test.
I’m not expecting invincibility here, but if something is gonna claim to be anything-proof, it should be able to withstand a modest amount of stress-testing. While many failed to meet our expectations, my team has managed to find some genuinely resilient containers for storing leftovers, packing lunches, and batching meal prep.
The best glass food storage containers: Snapware
The best plastic food storage containers: Joseph Joseph Nest Lock
The best silicone food storage containers: Anyday Anydeli Containers
Below you’ll find our favorite food storage containers by category. We chose a plastic winner, a glass winner, and a silicone winner, since each material has its own strengths and weaknesses. Keep scrolling to learn more about our top picks and how we tested them.
New in this update: We added an additional category for silicone storage containers, and we removed older picks that have since been discontinued.
What I loved: The plastic latching lids are truly airtight; both the round and rectangular containers have four latches each and they don’t allow any liquids to escape, even when shaken vigorously. A fixed silicone gasket on the lid makes them easy to hand-wash (though they’re dishwasher-safe too), they’re stackable when full, and they nest for easy storage when not in use.
What I’d leave: The plastic lids did absorb some color and aroma from our stain soup, but nothing persisted after a rub-a-dub-dub with a sponge and some dish soap. Many people might not know that the Pyrex glass manufactured today is not the same as the vintage stuff. Older Pyrex is made of borosilicate glass, while the Pyrex of today is soda lime glass. The latter is much less resistant to thermal shock, but is more resistant to impact force. Some people argue that the quality is lower, I’d say that since you aren’t cooking in the food storage containers themselves, the need borosilicate isn’t very strong. Still, something worth noting.
What I loved: These colorful plastic lids did
What I loved: These colorful plastic lids did not leak, even when I dropped them repeatedly from counter height onto a tiled kitchen floor. In fact, these were the only plastic containers we tested that remained completely closed no matter how many times we dropped them. Over and over and over again. The containers themselves nest together nicely from largest to smallest on top, creating a lovely chromatic gradient. Overall, these are both nice-looking and tough.
What I’d leave: The plastic did seem to hold onto a tiny bit of discoloration from the stain soup we made for testing. And if you want multiple pieces in the same sizes, three 4-cup containers for example, this might not be the set for you.
What I loved: My team really fell in love with these containers because they copy the form factor of classic deli containers. However, instead of being made of cheap, flimsy plastic, they are resilient, dishwasher- and microwave-safe silicone. While silicone storage containers aren’t known for their super tight seals, I was impressed by how much squeezing and shaking these could withstand without leaking. I wouldn’t keep one in a bag full of stuff all day long, but they can easily handle a commute without making a mess. The internal stainless steel rim gives them a nice sturdy structure, and the volumetric measurements on the side make them great for meal prepping.
What I’d leave: Unlike conventional deli containers, these don’t stack neatly inside each other, which means they take up more storage space when not in use. Silicone is also notorious for holding on to stains and smells, but that’s a fundamental problem with the material, and not unique to these containers.
In addition to evaluating quality and other factors (more on that below), we performed a series of three tests on at least one piece from every food storage container set:
Wilder Davies: I’ve been testing gear for Bon Appétit and Epicurious for over 6 years, having used and evaluated hundreds upon hundreds of kitchen products. I’ve tried and failed many a meal-prepping venture, and have endured more than one mid-transit lunch leak.
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Source: www.bonappetit.com
