Neoflamã‚â® Clocã¢â€žâ¢ 18-piece Food Storage Set in Clear Review

The research

• Why you should trust us
• Who should become this
• Choosing between glass and plastic containers
• How nosotros picked and tested
• Our glass pick: Pyrex But Store 18-Piece Set
• Our pick: Snapware Full Solution 20-Piece Food Storage Set
• Runner-up: Glasslock eighteen-Piece Container Set
• Budget pick: Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers
• Care and maintenance
• Notable competition
• The contest
• Sources

Why you lot should trust us

To detect the best food-storage options, we've talked with several experts over the years about materials science and what makes a cracking container, including Nancy Hopkins, senior deputy nutrient and entertaining editor for Improve Homes & Gardens; Faith Durand, and then executive editor and now editor-in-master for Kitchn; and Michele Thomas, and so executive editor at the International Culinary Eye. Additionally, we reached out to drinking glass experts including Jane Cook, PhD, and so chief scientist at the Corning Museum of Drinking glass in Corning, New York, and William C. LaCourse, PhD, a professor in the Glass Applied science Science section at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.

We've updated this guide afterward years of using these container sets in our exam kitchen and in our own homes, storing leftovers in the fridge or packing lunches for our commutes. Anna Perling, who performed testing for and wrote our latest update, is a kitchen staff author who has spent more than than iv years reviewing food-storage vessels, from travel mugs to food thermoses to lunch boxes. Her reporting built on senior staff writer Michael Sullivan'due south deep swoop into the science of glass and thorough durability testing over the class of several months. Ganda Suthivarakom, who wrote our original guide, spent dozens of hours researching and testing (and filling, shaking, storing, freezing, microwaving, washing, and dropping) nutrient containers.

Who should get this

At that place are a few reasons to upgrade your containers, especially if you employ plastic yogurt or takeout tubs. Kickoff, you tin't see through yogurt containers, so once the lid is on, you can easily forget what you have in there (and let it rot). Second, they aren't leakproof, which means that transporting them to work for lunch can be a messy affair. Third, such plastic containers are not FDA-approved for repeat food storage or microwaving. By upgrading to more-durable glass or plastic nutrient-storage containers, you tin be confident that they'll last longer and go along your food fresher (nonetheless, because the lids are commonly plastic, you may still need to replace the ones that come up with glass containers before the containers themselves requite out). And if your electric current containers are chipped or warped, that'south another sign information technology may exist time to supervene upon them. They won't seal properly, and a chip or cleft volition act similar a snag in a pair of stockings—the crack tin run and crusade more damage down the line.

Yous may also desire additional containers if you're getting into meal prep (that is, portioning individual meals into separate containers to eat throughout the week). Our plastic recommendations are specially great for meal prep considering they're less expensive and light enough to carry to work. If you already own a glass or plastic container set merely desire something you can bring to potlucks and picnics, you may too desire to purchase a set of cheap plastic containers you won't mind leaving backside.

Choosing between glass and plastic containers

Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Wondering which material to go? Here's our breakup.

Choose i of our glass picks if any of the following apply:

• You lot don't listen heavier containers that can shatter.
• You're using the containers mostly for storage at dwelling.
• Y'all shop foods that tend to stain or olfactory property.
• You lot prefer oven-safe containers (though you should however double-check whether a container tin can go in a preheated or common cold oven).

Choose one of our plastic picks if whatsoever of the following apply:

• You want something that is less likely to shatter.
• You lot want a cheaper option that you lot can exit behind at potlucks or stock up on for repast prep.
• Your family members tend to lose containers.
• Yous want something lighter to carry around.

Ultimately, the choice between plastic and glass is a personal ane that's based on lifestyle. Of the experts we interviewed, some preferred glass, some preferred plastic, and one even preferred zip-top plastic bags for leftovers. They chose what worked best for themselves and their families, and yous can as well.

A note on tempered vs. other types of glass

Containers are made from unlike types of drinking glass, which will affect their durability, price, and how they'll break if you drop them. Most glass nutrient-storage containers, including the Pyrex and Glasslock sets we recommend, are made of tempered glass, a blazon of rut-treated soda-lime drinking glass. Tempered glass is ideal for cooking and storing food considering information technology's very durable. Information technology can survive being dropped on the flooring, and information technology'southward able to withstand dramatic temperature changes without cracking. Tempered drinking glass does have 1 downside, yet: On rare occasions, it can shatter unexpectedly (this may seem spontaneous, but information technology'due south usually a consequence of thermal shock or repeated stress on the glass). That being said, tempered glass is frequently referred to as "prophylactic glass" because when it does break, it crumbles into cube-shaped pieces that are easy to sweep up, as opposed to long, thin shards that can more easily cut you. (This is why tempered glass is used for side and rear windows in cars and drinking glass shower doors.) To sympathize more on how and why this seemingly random breakage occurs, you lot can check out our blog post on the subject.

Some food-storage containers are made from borosilicate glass because it's even more resistant to thermal shock, or sudden changes in temperature, than tempered glass. However, it's more expensive, and information technology's also more brittle than tempered glass—which means it may suspension more easily if you hitting it against the counter or drop information technology on the floor. You may also observe containers fabricated from heat-strengthened glass, which is twice every bit strong as untreated drinking glass yet non as stiff as tempered glass. So compared with tempered drinking glass, heat-strengthened glass is not equally resistant to sudden changes of temperature or as durable if you drop information technology. You lot're unlikely to find not-estrus-treated soda-lime glass containers because they are neither oven- nor freezer-prophylactic.

How nosotros picked and tested

In reporting this guide, we talked with five experts, ranging from cookbook editors to glass scientists: Nancy Hopkins, senior deputy food and entertaining editor for Better Homes & Gardens; Faith Durand, then executive editor and at present editor-in-chief for Kitchn; Michele Thomas, then executive editor at the International Culinary Center (and now a sommelier, vino educator, and writer); Jane Cook, PhD, then chief scientist at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York; and William C. LaCourse, PhD, a professor in the Drinking glass Applied science Science department at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.

We also consulted reviews from Good Housekeeping, The Strategist, Reviewed, and The Spruce Eats. Finally, we looked for best-selling sets from Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wayfair, Target, IKEA, Williams-Sonoma, Food52, and The Container Store. For each of these, we combed through owner reviews. We also polled our staff for long-term-testing feedback and read the comments on this guide.

Subsequently years of enquiry and testing, we know that whether you're choosing glass or plastic, a skilful container should meet the post-obit criteria:

• Closed and leakproof: "You lot want something that'southward really airtight with a expert seal, if it's something you lot program to continue for a flake," Nancy Hopkins, senior deputy food and entertaining editor for Better Homes & Gardens, told us. Non only will a expert seal help nutrient concluding longer, but leakproof structure is too of import for transporting liquids. We've institute that round containers are unremarkably more than leakproof than square or rectangular containers. Many of the models we tested have a gasket seal around the lip and plastic hinges that snap shut, and so you know the container is sealed properly.
• Stain-resistant: Resistance to stains and odors is central—you don't want to smell or run across yesterday's pasta and red sauce on your container. Plastic containers are more probable to stain than glass, merely we've found that some are more stain-resistant than others.
• Like shooting fish in a barrel to clean: Nosotros wanted containers that could go in the dishwasher. For easier cleanup, we preferred containers that had sealing lids with removable gaskets considering you can remove and wash them separately (this also prevents mold buildup). And we avoided lids that had microwave vents; they're but another piece to de-crud, and you're amend off removing the latches and resting the chapeau on acme of the container in the microwave (or non using the lid at all, as some manufacturers suggest).
• Like shooting fish in a barrel to stack and store: Containers that tin nest or stack neatly volition be easier to store and nicer to look at. And the shapes and sizes will bear upon how easy it is to store containers—foursquare or rectangular containers volition maximize fridge or freezer infinite. We tried to pick sets with a adept range from large to modest, with accent on rectangular or square space-saving shapes. Nosotros didn't eliminate round shapes, though, because they tin be good for liquid foods. We too preferred glass and plastic sets that had interchangeable lids amidst containers, so finding the right lid will be a fiddling easier.
• Heat-safe: We wanted containers that could go in the microwave, so that eliminated stainless steel. For drinking glass containers, we also preferred options that were preheated-oven–condom or oven-condom so y'all can warm food in the aforementioned container.
• Translucent: The containers should exist clear or piece of cake to see through, so you lot know what is inside without having to open them. So nosotros avoided ceramic containers (they can besides break hands).
• Affordable: Plastic or glass storage containers range from well-nigh $3 to $x apiece. Containers in a set are generally less expensive per piece. Although cost was a gene when we made our pick, we too considered that glass containers will last a long fourth dimension. Continue in mind that most manufacturers include both the containers and the lids in the total set count. So if a ready is sold as fourteen pieces or sixteen pieces, you're actually getting just seven or eight containers.

Our 2021 tests built on our testing from previous years. We tested for leaks by filling containers with h2o and shaking them, before and subsequently they had run through the dishwasher. To examination how the containers would hold onto smells and stains, we filled them with love apple sauce, placed them in the refrigerator for v days and the freezer for two weeks, and reheated the sauce in the microwave for 2 minutes. Before reheating, we likewise checked the frozen tomato sauce for freezer-burn patterns, which indicate how tightly a container seals. And we submerged all of the lids in a big bowl of tomato sauce for 48 hours and then ran them through the dishwasher, as an boosted stain and smell examination. Usability is important in a container. We considered how easy each set's containers were to open and close, how well they stacked, and how well their shapes and sizes would work with different types of foods.

Previously, we froze quarter-pound portions of ground beef for two weeks to look at freezer-burn patterns. And, nigh fun of all, we conducted a driblet exam from waist height for all of the containers (including glass ones) to see whether they would break or if the lids would pop off. In an attempt to simulate a non-bouncy kitchen floor, we did these drop tests on a piece of wood placed over cement.

In 2018, we also subjected the glass sets to farthermost thermal stresses (which is something nosotros strongly practise non recommend trying at dwelling house): We pulled the containers from the freezer and filled them with boiling h2o; nosotros took containers that had been in a 350 ºF oven for 10 minutes and filled them with water ice water; we used the containers to reheat common cold beef stew and lycopersicon esculentum sauce in the microwave for iii minutes; and, finally, nosotros froze beef stew in the containers and put them directly into a 350 °F oven for 10 minutes. Since most of our picks have remained consistent over the years, we didn't repeat any drib or thermal daze tests in 2021.

Our drinking glass choice: Pyrex Simply Shop eighteen-Slice Prepare

Photograph: Michael Murtaugh

Our selection

The archetype, streamlined Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set is the all-time glass container set nosotros've tested. Made from tempered glass, these sturdy containers survived multiple counter-height drops onto wood without breaking. Dissimilar other glass containers we tested, the Pyrex containers have a smoothen rim that's less likely to chip over time, and they await nice enough to use for serving. Though non all of the lids are watertight, they're faster and easier to seal than the lids of our runner-upwardly selection, the Glasslock containers (which require more strength to clip closed). And because each shape of Pyrex hat is a different colour, they're easy to match to their corresponding containers. The lids will probable wearable down faster than the containers themselves (especially if y'all run them through the dishwasher), but you can easily get replacements from Pyrex. This gear up stacks neatly and is safe to use in a microwave, freezer, preheated oven, and dishwasher.

We go on to be impressed by the durability of the Pyrex ready: Later on years of employ in our dwelling kitchens, our containers haven't chipped or cracked. We've heard this from a number of Wirecutter staffers. One person told united states, "They've held up remarkably well over the final two to three years of regular use." Some other said: "I use them all the time, they've held up extremely well for years now. [I] dishwash them, peak or bottom rack, wherever they'll fit." And yet another colleague told us, "I'd say I've had nigh of them for more than five years. Never had the glass part break."

These containers were also impressive in our initial drop tests. They survived drop after drop onto a woods lath placed over a cement flooring. At one point, a container missed the lath entirely and bounced off the cement without breaking. The containers likewise passed our thermal stress tests: They were yet intact afterward nosotros transferred them directly from a 350 °F oven to the freezer and vice versa (we strongly urge you not to try this experiment at home). The Pyrex containers are fairly heavy, simply that's true of all the glass models we tested (for lighter containers, we recommend plastic options).

Instead of locking on with clips, the flexible Pyrex lids press on, and they don't require as much force to put on or take off. They're easier to seal than the similar Ballast Hocking lids we tested and than Glasslock'due south locking ones. The lids come up in dissimilar colors that correlate to differently sized containers, providing a visual cue to help friction match them together more easily. The lids are airtight, and we didn't encounter any signs of freezer burn on our love apple sauce. Even though the circular containers nosotros tested didn't leak in our tests, we would hesitate to throw them into a backpack with a reckoner. We also plant that the rectangular containers leaked from the corners. However, since yous tin simply choose to shop soups and stews in the round containers, we're willing to forgive this minor drawback.

We recommend storing soupier foods in the circular Pyrex containers; the rectangular ones leaked from the corners in our tests. Photograph: Michael Murtaugh

In our tomato-sauce tests, we could detect a slight aroma on the Pyrex lids after running them through the dishwasher, but the smell wasn't as strong as the one left behind on some of the other containers we tested, like the silicone-rimmed Pyrex Ultimate containers. Pyrex'southward plastic lids are obviously not oven-safe, and if you're using a dishwasher to clean the lids, they should be placed simply on the tiptop rack.

The Pyrex set includes nine glass containers (with matching lids), and they range in size from i to seven cups. The containers nest well, or y'all can stack the sealed containers on top of each other. The polish, clean lines of the Pyrex pieces besides wait nice on a table, if you lot're serving straight from the containers afterwards reheating.

If you're looking for fewer containers, the Pyrex Simply Store line is also bachelor as a 14-piece set (with seven containers and accompanying lids). You lot can purchase replacement tops on Pyrex's website.

Pyrex offers a two-year warranty on the Simply Store containers, meaning the company will replace lacking pieces from the set as long every bit they haven't been subjected to misuse or abuse. Also, according to the company, Pyrex will replace any glass product that breaks due to oven heat. If this happens, but be sure to go along the damaged detail, since you may exist asked to return it. Contact the Pyrex Customer Care Middle for returns or replacements.

Flaws only not dealbreakers

Like the other glass containers we tested, the Pyrex set we looked at had a number of visible flaws in the glass. These flaws aren't noticeable unless y'all're looking for them, but they can potentially weaken the glass and make it more prone to shattering, so it'southward something to know before you lot buy.

Once more, not all of the containers in this prepare are leakproof, so nosotros don't recommend using them to transport meals to piece of work or school. Though the round containers didn't leak any water in our tests, we'd still practice caution if y'all intend to employ them to transport liquids. Our runner-upwards pick, the Glasslock set up, is all-time if y'all're looking for an entirely leakproof drinking glass option.

All tempered glassware runs the risk of spontaneously shattering. It'due south rare, simply the Pyrex containers are no exception. Glass is a brittle material and needs to be treated with care.

Nosotros've noticed some mixed feedback over how long the Pyrex lids tin can concluding. We've plant that the lids can crack even when washed on the top rack after many years (about five). Several Amazon reviewers have complained that the lids can cleft or warp fifty-fifty later on just a few uses, simply Wirecutter staffers reported that their Pyrex lids stayed intact fifty-fifty after two to three years. Pyrex does sell replacement lids if you demand them. You may be able to prolong the life of your lids by mitt-washing them, although it may be inconvenient to do and so.

Our pick: Snapware Total Solution 20-Piece Food Storage Set

Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Our selection

Out of all the plastic sets we tested, we recommend the Snapware Total Solution 20-Piece Food Storage Set. This plastic prepare doesn't offer the same durability equally the glass Pyrex set nosotros recommend—we've noticed that plastic containers may scratch, stain, or warp over time, while drinking glass ones do non. But the plastic, locking Snapware set up is cheaper, lighter, and more convenient for transporting food than our glass picks. Snapware is owned by the same visitor as Pyrex, and similarly, it offers replaceable lids and a long warranty. These sets have held up well over time in our home kitchens, likewise. For those reasons, we call back the Snapware prepare is the best choice from our picks if you want to prep your meal ahead and grab your container from the fridge on your mode out the door.

The lids in the Snapware Full Solution set are easy to snap closed (dissimilar those in the Snapware Airtight gear up, which were hard to latch and repeatedly popped open, or the Rubbermaid Brilliance lids, which sprang shut violently, similar a mousetrap). With the Snapware containers, there's also a small tab at the edge to leverage when you lot're pulling the chapeau off, though you lot may not demand information technology (these lids didn't suction as much as ones like the Rubbermaid Brilliance). Yet, the Snapware Full Solution containers and lids provided a tight seal, which prevented whatever signs of freezer burn and didn't leak (even after a run through the dishwasher). With the locking tabs, these containers are more than probable to stay shut than sets with press-on lids from IKEA or our budget choice, the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs.

Like most plastic lids, the Snapware ones retained a faint tomato-sauce smell after we marinated them separately in a big bowl of sauce for 48 hours, only they didn't retain any stains. The containers themselves were also stain-free. In contrast, the Lock & Lock containers retained an oily orange residue (and when we previously tested the Snapware Airtight set and the Popit containers, we also establish that these sets retained smells and stains). And the Snapware Total Solution set performed admirably in our drib tests: Only a small slice on the corner of the chapeau broke off, subsequently the tertiary drop.

The Snapware ready comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, with larger containers to store leftovers and smaller ones for dressings or sauces. Photo: Michael Murtaugh

We appreciate that the Snapware containers nest, for easy storage, or stack neatly in the fridge and freezer. The set up comes with x containers and matching lids in a variety of shapes and sizes that we think will piece of work for virtually foods—from small circular containers for storing sauces or dressings to deeper, rounded rectangles for lasagna or curry. You can also write on the lids to characterization what's within (which is a nice touch, even though nosotros prefer to characterization with removable record).

The lids likewise work with drinking glass Snapware containers, which is convenient if you're buying both styles and don't desire to take to rummage through various lids in your drawer. We found the Snapware lids slightly easier to lock and pop off than the Glasslock lids (thanks to a small protruding tab at the rim). The key deviation between the 2 containers is that you tin can remove the gaskets on the Glasslock lids for cleaning, but the gaskets on the Snapware lids we tested are attached. (The instructions on the Snapware Total Solution production page recommend removing the gasket for cleaning. But a company representative confirmed that these are the brand's general-intendance recommendations and utilise to the Airtight containers, which practice have removable gaskets.) That'south a downside, but since the Snapware lids don't have fine ridges, like the spongier gaskets on the OXO or Glasslock lids, we remember the Snapware lids won't trap grime equally hands.

These containers are microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-rubber. Snapware offers a lifetime warranty on both the plastic containers and the lids if "damaged during normal household apply." Wirecutter staffers who have owned a fix for several years reported no problems with the containers or lids. Snapware also sells replaceable lids for every shape in the set if y'all demand them: round, foursquare, and rectangular. (Similar Pyrex, Snapware is a Corelle make.) If yous need to make a claim, contact the visitor's customer-care eye; be sure to keep the container or lid because you may be asked to return it.

Flaws merely not dealbreakers

As we mentioned, the gaskets on the lids aren't removable, which makes cleaning more than hard compared with the Glasslock set. Over the years, we've noticed some stock fluctuation with these containers. If they're sold out, we also like the OXO Skillful Grips 16-slice Smart Seal Plastic Container Set, which nosotros discuss in our Competition section.

Runner-upwardly: Glasslock 18-Piece Container Prepare

Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Runner-upward

We recommend the Glasslock eighteen-Piece Container Set only if y'all desire a glass prepare that's leakproof. Like a lot of glass containers we considered, these have a history of chipping over time (although many Wirecutter staffers report no issues afterward years of use). The Glasslock containers' tight-fitting lids continue food fresher longer. But they besides put pressure on the border of the glass, which, according to the glass experts we spoke with, may be causing stress that results in breakage. (Several reviewers also mentioned that their containers chipped after they nested them for storage. We were told by Jane Cook, and then primary scientist at the Corning Museum of Drinking glass, that stacking glass can crusade stress over time because the ii hard surfaces rub together, and this may somewhen lead to chipping. You lot tin stack the containers on top of each other with the lids on instead, or layer a newspaper towel between containers.) That said, compared with other brands we tested, the Glasslock containers locked more securely without leaking and didn't interruption or pop open when dropped. Per piece, the set besides costs less than other drinking glass options we considered.

The plastic lids have a firm silicone gasket that fills the lid groove from border to edge and provides a tight seal that doesn't leak. Though the gaskets are removable, they're harder to pry off than the thicker rings on the OXO containers—nosotros accidentally punctured the gasket on one of our Glasslock containers with a butter knife. Our testers found that the plastic flaps on the lids were more than difficult to close than the press-on lids of the Pyrex glass containers, but that'due south true of most locking containers. All the same, the Glasslock containers kept nutrient fresher longer than much of the competition in our initial tests, indicating that they're airtight. In our tests, greens remained sprightly, and cut strawberries tasted merely a touch off after being refrigerated for two weeks. Tomato sauce didn't show signs of freezer burn, and it didn't impart stains or smells to the glass or to the plastic lid.

Impressively, the Glasslock set bounced in our drop tests, with no damage to the glass containers. The lids remained perfectly intact and didn't pop off. (For kicks, we fifty-fifty tried dropping a Glasslock container onto cement. It broke on a corner only after three other attempts to crack the thing.) The drinking glass Snapware fix we tested didn't fare as well in our drib tests: Some of the flaps opened, and the corner of the chapeau croaky.

The Glasslock containers are oven-safe and prissy plenty to serve from, just like the Pyrex containers. Photo: Michael Murtaugh

The Glasslock set comes with 9 foursquare, rectangular, and round containers ranging from 0.vii cup (165 milliliters) to 6.iii cups (1.5 liters) in size. Though the containers are clear, you tin choose to become them with clear lids with a sea-greenish gasket or with translucent cornflower-blue lids. This gear up has a wider range of shapes than the glass Rubbermaid Brilliance ready. The Glasslock walls are thick but perfectly meet-through, and same-shape containers of different sizes nest even with the lids on. These containers stack beautifully in the fridge, making it easy to run across what leftovers you accept.

Like Pyrex and Anchor Hocking, Glasslock makes its containers out of tempered soda-lime glass that's oven-, microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-condom. Though we like the OXO 16 Piece Smart Seal Glass Container Set (which has a spongier gasket and lids that are easier to take off and clean), it'due south far more expensive since the containers are made from borosilicate glass. And we all the same saw complaints of chipping in the reviews.

Glasslock will replace any worn-out or faulty lids free of charge (though you'll have to pay a few bucks for shipping). You lot can order the right-size hat on its website by looking for the product code etched into the lesser of your container. If you buy your prepare directly through Glasslock'south website, the company will offer a full refund within 30 days of purchase as long as the containers are unused and in their original packaging.

Like all tempered glassware, the Glasslock containers can spontaneously shatter (albeit very rarely) due to surface damage, manufacturing flaws, or extreme thermal stresses. Beyond that, several pieces nosotros've long-term tested have chipped effectually the border, and nosotros've heard other people complain of the same thing. We've also read reviews that the containers' trunk chips over time. The chipping is probably due to the pressure that the locking lids put on the glass when you lot snap them close, or from stacking the containers. William LaCourse, a professor in the Glass Applied science department at Alfred University, told us, "There will exist stresses every bit a result of the cap and putting the cap on with adequately high force per unit area … it essentially squeezes the cap onto the glass." He explained that if there are any modest flaws already present in the glass, the added pressure level from the lids could cause the containers to chip or pause. Cook said that y'all tin can also put stress on glass past rubbing it against a material every bit hard or harder than itself (which happens when you stack glass containers on top of each other). That stress is too exacerbated when y'all stack warm containers that have expanded.

If you lot're committed to getting the Glasslock containers because you want glass containers that don't leak, we don't think the business of chipping or breakage should finish you. Only a small number of the containers we've tested have chipped. We too subjected the Glasslock containers to extreme thermal stresses, and they survived unscathed. And we've previously ordered sets from different retailers to check for whatsoever breakage during shipping. Just go on an eye out every time y'all open up a container: The only thing you don't desire is a piece of glass in your food. And if you're going to choose glass over plastic, continue in listen that all glassware is inherently brittle and needs to be handled with care.

If you don't take a dishwasher, you may need to remove the gaskets from the Glasslock lids to make clean them and prevent whatsoever mold buildup. (This seems to happen only to sets that people manus-wash.) Carefully dig the gasket out with a butter pocketknife so you don't knick it, wash it with hot h2o, and let it dry out completely before you reassemble the lid.

Some Amazon reviewers have complained that the flaps on the lids of the Glasslock containers brand a dissonance when snapped shut. But we don't call back this is a dealbreaker because it's only a split second of dissonance; other containers, like the Rubbermaid Brilliance, were louder.

Long-term examination notes

Marilyn Ong, supervising editor on our kitchen team, has endemic Glasslock containers for roughly 5 years, and she uses them frequently to store leftovers for her family unit of five. She hasn't experienced whatever glass chipping, though the flaps on the lids for her round containers did start to intermission off subsequently most four years. She ordered new lids for gratuitous from the Glasslock website, paid a few dollars for shipping, and received them less than a week subsequently.

Budget pick: Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Food Storage Containers

Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Budget pick

If you need upkeep-friendly containers that you lot'll be less likely to worry about leaving backside at picnics or potlucks, the best of those we tested were the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Nutrient Storage Containers. We've tested a 40-piece fix as well as a 52-piece set, and we found they came with a wider range of shapes and sizes than any of the other flimsier sets we tested. (Both the 40- and 52-piece sets are not consistently available, but the 32-piece gear up we link to has a similar combination of many of the pieces we've tested.) Although there can be a lot of pieces to keep rail of, these containers and lids stack well and don't take upwardly as much space equally you'd expect.

Unlike the similar Ziploc and Glad containers, the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs didn't leak before or after we ran them through the dishwasher. And while other budget plastic containers nosotros tested, like those from Reditainer and Glad, shattered immediately when filled with water and dropped from waist elevation, the Rubbermaid container we dropped remained fully sealed for two drops. Only after the fourth drop did the base of the Rubbermaid crack.

Compared with other upkeep options we considered, the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs offer a better range of shapes and sizes (the containers from the 52-piece set are pictured here). Photograph: Michael Murtaugh

Like all disposable sets, the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs aren't perfect, considering they're non intended for long-term employ. The plastic becomes soft when microwaved, though non equally soft as the Ziploc and Glad containers. The Rubbermaid TakeAlongs also stained slightly and retained a faint love apple scent subsequently dishwashing, which was a problem nosotros encountered with all of the cheap plastic sets we tested. However, considering these containers are so affordable, come in a variety of sizes, and don't leak easily, we're willing to forgive these drawbacks. We've noticed stock issues with various TakeAlong sets. But nosotros've tested a big range of the pieces available in the different sets (including a few smaller containers with screw-top lids to store sauces or condiments), and we take plant that all the containers and lids are of similar quality, and are made from the same materials.

If yous can't find the TakeAlongs, or y'all want to consider other options that you may be able to pick up easily from a grocery or habitation-goods store, in that location are a couple of other budget-friendly sets that will work, if they're easier for yous to get. The nesting IKEA Pruta set didn't stain or retain smells, and it is like shooting fish in a barrel to pick up if you lot're already shopping at an IKEA. But nosotros wouldn't recommend going out of your way to buy this set, since it's difficult to order online (our containers took three weeks to go far, and the $v shipping fee is well-nigh as much as the $six set), and it doesn't include equally many shapes every bit the TakeAlongs set. We also like deli containers, which stack and are designed to be disposable if y'all want to give food away or leave your container backside. But these don't concord up well in the microwave or freezer and don't come in every bit many different sizes.

Care and maintenance

Your containers volition probable outlive your lids, but yous can try and accept a little extra care of them to prolong their lifespan. It's tempting to just get out the lids on when y'all microwave stuff in your containers. Don't. No sealed hat benefits from the vacuum effect that happens when you lot heat your food in the microwave. Abusing the lid in this mode tin can cause it to warp and lose its seal. When yous microwave, if you lot must keep the lid on to prevent splatter, always make sure to loosen the lid completely and set it slightly ajar beyond the top of the container. An even ameliorate option is to put a vented microwave cover or a newspaper towel over your container when yous zap it. Keep in heed that if you're using a microwave with sensor reheat, it won't work properly unless information technology can detect the amount of moisture coming off of your food.

If you lot don't own a dishwasher, or yous desire to prolong the life of your lids, handwashing works just fine for our picks. Just if the lid has a removable gasket, remove the gasket from time to time and clean it separately from the hat to brand sure no mold can grow. If you're loading these into the dishwasher, plastic pieces should always get on the acme rack, while glass pieces can go anywhere in the dishwasher.

Later using these containers for years in our kitchens, we've institute that when we put the Glasslock lids through the dishwasher, they stay mold-free even without removing the gaskets, which is convenient. Cook told us, yet, that "automated dishwashers are hell" for plastic (and glass!) due to high, uneven estrus, humidity, and chemicals from detergent. Nosotros noticed a few of our Glasslock lids began to interruption afterwards four years of putting them through the dishwasher, and our Pyrex lids have cracked over time, too. Paw-washing them with water no hotter than what comes from your tap, or at least avoiding the heated dry cycle (if your dishwasher has one) when you practise use the dishwasher, may help extend their lifespan. You'll need to weigh the trade-off betwixt convenience and longevity when caring for your containers and lids.

After removing glass food-storage containers from a hot dishwasher, the experts we spoke to recommend letting them cool before stacking them in a closet. LaCourse said, "When they're hot and clean, they will scratch easily." Hot glass volition also exist more than prone to sticking. Cook explained that, "When they're warm, they've expanded slightly. As they cool downwards, if you put a colder glass inside of a warmer drinking glass, they're just going to grab onto each other. So you're more likely to get a drinking glass stuck within another glass, and it needs to be pounded out or put under running water in lodge to get them autonomously, which all leads to more than surface damage and shorter lifetime." Stacking glass even when it isn't hot can also add stress to containers, and lead to chipping over time.

To store, dry the lids completely before putting abroad. Nosotros recommend leaving the lids resting on top of the containers, only not snapped close, which helps to protect the longevity of the seal.

We've read customer reviews on Amazon and feedback from our readers who accept occasionally reported that their tempered glassware "spontaneously shattered." Even though tempered drinking glass is more durable than non-estrus-treated soda-lime glass, information technology'southward even so drinking glass, and can break. Never subject your glass nutrient storage containers to extreme thermal stresses (such equally taking containers from the freezer and placing them direct into a hot oven and vice versa). Always stay within the recommended temperature threshold indicated in the manufacturer's instructions.

Notable competition

If you lot adopt borosilicate glass containers—which are even meliorate than tempered glass ones at withstanding temperature changes—we liked the shape and size variation of the OXO 16 Piece Smart Seal Glass Container Set. Because they're made from borosilicate, this makes them far more than expensive than our picks—and nosotros still found reviews lament that they chipped. Only if you lot plan on using your containers frequently in the oven or freezer, or the Glasslock containers are sold out, we call up this is a good selection. We also appreciated the lids on these containers: They have a thicker gasket that'southward far easier to remove and wedge dorsum in than the gasket on the Glasslock containers. In theory, that extra cushion could help prevent the OXO'due south rims—which (like the Glasslocks) are slightly raised—from chipping.

If you want containers with equally little plastic as possible, the Pyrex Ultimate 10-Piece Glass Storage Set is likely your best bet. These containers have drinking glass lids trimmed with white silicone that evoke a chic, minimalist lifestyle that'southward aspirational but perhaps not realistic for really storing nutrient. The white lids stained in our tomato sauce tests (of form), and because the lids are glass, the containers are heavy and not platonic for transport. The lids practise suction well, however, and they're nevertheless easy to peel off thanks to a protruding tab.

We capeesh that the lids on the Snapware Total Solution Pyrex Glass Gear up are interchangeable with those of the plastic Snapware set. If y'all're interested in owning both plastic and glass containers for different purposes, using Snapware for both means you lot won't have to comb between multiple mismatched lids to find what you need. This ready was our former runner-upward pick for glass containers (though information technology used to have 18 pieces and slightly unlike shape options). Like those of our current runner-upward choice, this set's lids clip airtight and may discipline the lip of the containers to stress, which tin increase the chances of breakage. Because the silicone-bordered lids are a little harder to clean by hand than those of the Glasslocks containers, we recommend these only if having interchangeable lids betwixt plastic and glass sets is important to you lot.

We like the lids on the plastic OXO Good Grips Smart Seal Plastic Container Ready just equally much equally the ones on the drinking glass version. These containers are more expensive than our pick, and they don't have whatever round shapes. That said, nosotros retrieve they're a fine option if our locking plastic pick sells out.

If you want a hat that's like shooting fish in a barrel to remove, yous might like suction lids. The lids on all of our picks (the locking-manner lids on the Glasslocks or Snapware containers and the press-on way lids from Pyrex and Rubbermaid) take some attempt to get on and off. Suction lids, by contrast, only sit atop a bowl or container you already own to cover it. Still, they aren't airtight and won't forbid leaks or spills (they suction to the container only when you lot lift upwards on them from a knob in the center; otherwise nothing secures them in identify). We've tested suction lids before, and out of all the ones nosotros tried, we preferred the thicker, sturdier, clear Lékué Suction Hat. We also tried the GIR lids, which come in more sizes and colors. These are a little floppier and don't create as strong a seal as the Lékué lids, but they're like shooting fish in a barrel to pare off and rinse make clean. (I, Anna Perling, am breaking into the first person here to tell you that I used the GIR Suction Lids—as well equally the Food52 Airtight Lids—for several months while I was recovering from a nerve impairment injury and couldn't motility my dominant arm or manus. I found them easier to put on, take off, and clean than firmer lids with ridges or tabs; perhaps you will too.)

The competition

Drinking glass

In that location are just two shape and size options in the Rubbermaid Brilliance glass set, and the lids are more than hard to shut and pry off than those of our picks.

The Ballast Hocking Glass Food Storage Prepare survived our drop tests, but the containers leaked more than the similarly designed glass Pyrex containers we tested. The flimsy lids in this set likewise held onto odors more than our picks. Anchor Hocking does sell replacement lids, withal.

The Zyliss Fresh Glass Food Storage Containers are fabricated of borosilicate glass. But they don't come up in as many shapes and sizes equally the OXO borosilicate set, and the lids don't have a removable gasket for piece of cake cleaning.

Anchor Hocking TrueSeal Glass Storage got a B+ from Good Housekeeping. Simply we dismissed them after reading that Cook'southward Illustrated (subscription required) does non recommend them because the seal became noticeably looser after going through the dishwasher l times and leaked profusely.

Plastic

Although we recommend the Rubbermaid Brilliance Leak-Proof Food Storage Containers line in our guide to the best dry food storage containers, we don't recommend them for daily use for storing leftovers. We've read reports that they scissure in the dishwasher or microwave. And so nosotros adopt them for longer-term dry storage, since you don't need to wash the containers as often. They also have fewer shape options, and the locking lids require more than strength to shut than our plastic containers choice.

For a cheap prepare of containers with press-on lids, nosotros like the IKEA Pruta set, simply they're hard to get online due to prolonged aircraft times or extra costs (ours took three weeks to arrive; IKEA also charges for shipping, which in this case costs almost equally much equally the containers themselves). They also don't come in as many shapes equally our upkeep pick. And, as is true of most flimsy plastic sets, we've found that they warp over time.

The Reditainer Deli Food Storage Containers are typically used in professional person restaurant kitchens because they're cheap to purchase in bulk, they're uniform, and they store very neatly. They're also cheap enough to leave at someone's firm. Although these containers didn't leak and did keep freezer-burn at bay, they stained easily and hung onto nutrient odors. These containers likewise shattered in our drib test.

Though it'south convenient that the lids in the Rubbermaid Easy Detect Hat 42-Piece Set stack, these containers leaked both before and afterward going through the dishwasher, so we dismissed them.

The Rubbermaid Premier set did very well in about all of our tests, but it was hard to tell when the lid was sealed properly. Nosotros also idea the container sizes were a piffling too small for holding leftovers.

Sterilite Ultra-Seal containers, which you tin can observe at many retailers, received poor marks from both Melt's Illustrated and Good Housekeeping for a seal that wasn't airtight. (These containers also no longer come in a set with varying shapes and sizes, so every piece must be purchased individually.)

The Glad MatchWare colour-coded lids and containers made matching pairs easy. But they leaked, stained, and left ground meat covered with freezer burn. These containers also exploded in our drop tests. (The colors and patterns on this fix have inverse since our original review, though the containers are the same.)

Ziploc's containers nest well, but they leaked, and they became extremely soft when microwaved.

Sources

1. Nicole Papantoniou, The Best Food Storage Containers, Good Housekeeping , January 22, 2021

2. Sharon Franke, The Best Food Storage Containers of 2021, Reviewed , Feb 16, 2021

3. The Best Food-Storage Containers on Amazon, Co-ordinate to Hyperenthusiastic Reviewers, The Strategist , September eight, 2020

4. Nancy Hopkins, senior deputy food and entertaining editor for Better Homes & Gardens , phone interview

5. Organized religion Durand, executive editor for The Kitchn, email interview

6. Michele Thomas, then executive editor at the International Culinary Heart, email interview , January 28, 2016

7. Jane Cook, PhD, so chief scientist at the Corning Museum of Drinking glass in Corning, New York, phone interview, September 15, 2017 and March 16, 2021

8. William C. LaCourse, PhD, a professor in the Glass Applied science section at Alfred University in Alfred, New York, phone interview , September 12, 2017

9. Heated Glass Comparison, Vitroglazings.com

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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-food-storage-containers/

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