7 Best Food Storage Containers of 2024, According to Testing

Oct 26, 2024

Store your leftovers. Do your meal prep. Organize your pantry.

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Food storage containers are a must for putting away leftovers, knocking out meal prep and packing a healthy lunch. They're also great for creating a clutter-free, organized kitchen.

The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab have been hands-on with over 80 food storage containers from top brands such as Rubbermaid, Pyrex and OXO. We fill containers with tomato sauce to ensure each has a tight seal and resists staining. We also note how well containers perform in the freezer, microwave and dishwasher. Some containers are better suited for larger meals, dry foods or saving space, so we put them to the test to make sure they live up to their claims.

Brilliant for many reasons, these plastic food storage containers are completely see-through (aside from the seal) and perfect for taking on the go since they're light and sturdy. A two-time 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 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 removable inserts and trays that make meal-prepping and lunch-packing easy. And the straight sides mean the stackable containers take up less room in your fridge or cabinet.

We did find that the lids are a bit cumbersome to store, but most are universally sized to fit all the containers, which we appreciated. We also like the 14-piece pantry set with scoops, which features the same transparent, stackable design with lids that are mostly interchangeable.

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These locking-lid containers from Snapware are stackable to help keep your refrigerator organized and are hard to beat with a price under $15. We were impressed by how well they performed during our shake test, only losing a small amount of water. They also 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 to freeze food for a longer period, 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, then press again to open. Some come with accessories like half-cup scoops that attach to the underside of the lid so you always have a dedicated tool on hand for measuring dry goods.

This baking set includes containers designed to hold 5-pound bags of flour and sugar as well as a 1-pound box of brown sugar. The brown sugar container comes with a terracotta Brown Sugar Saver that will help prevent the sugar from hardening. The clear containers stack neatly and securely, allowing you to save space and 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.

Rubbermaid's Brilliance line makes our list again with its glass container set. This set has also earned a Kitchen Gear Award, and several of our editors have both the plastic set that's our Best Overall pick (for packing lunches, since it's lighter) and this one, because it resists staining and is oven-safe up to 450˚F.

Like the plastic version, this set is transparent and stackable, and the straight sides minimize the space required in your cabinet, fridge and freezer. This set also features universal lids, meaning they all fit every size, no matter how deep it is.

One caveat is that the glass it self is somewhat heavy on its own, so we did notice the heft when the container is full.

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. We found that 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. The stand-up design is easy to fill, but the soft sides do mean that soft foods can be squished if taking on the go.

Stasher bags are dishwasher-, freezer-, microwave- and oven-safe (up to 400˚F) 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.

RELATED: 7 Best Reusable Lunch Bags

Pyrex's set stands out for the versatility of its shapes and sizes. The containers nest, and the lids are slim for easy storage. The freezer- and microwave-safe tempered-glass containers can be used in the oven, which makes them great for reheating leftovers — just be sure the oven is fully preheated and let the container 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 unscathed, we found that the lids can become slightly deformed after multiple cycles which may lead to leaking if storing liquids.

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 includes five containers in various sizes to hold anything from ½ cups of fruit to whole meals and comes with a freezer pack that can sit atop or snap under the large lids to help keep your lunch cold when traveling.

Each size container is color-coded and has engraved cup markings, 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.

RELATED: The Best Meal Prep Containers to Buy

Some additional picks that stood out in our tests:

✔️ Zyliss Twist & Seal 5-Piece Storage Container Set: These 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, and the rounded edges allow for easy pouring. They're stackable but not dishwasher-safe, and we noticed that the twist-to-lock top and release buttons may be tricky for some people to use.

✔️ Zwilling Fresh & Save Vacuum Sealer Machine Starter Set: Zwilling is best known as a German knife maker, but the brand's vacuum-seal containers are easy to use and help keep your leftovers airtight. They're performing well in our long-term testing, and we like that they're also great for marinating raw meats. This set includes one large 2.11-quart vacuum food storage container, 2 small and 2 medium vacuum sealer bags and one rechargeable vacuum sealer machine. You can also purchase additional container sizes online, and we found the vacuum sealer lasts a long time between charges. But it is a pricey set.

✔️ Joseph Joseph Nest Lock Plastic Food Storage Container Set: This affordable set features nested containers and nested lids, so storing them requires space for only 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.

✔️ Anchor Hocking TrueSeal Glass Food Storage Containers: For under $40, these containers are a steal, featuring bases made of glass that can be used in the oven up to 425ºF. They earned top scores in our test for keeping air out (which means keeping freshness in). The see-through lids have a flexible edge that's less prone to cracking over time, though 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.

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 24 container brands to evaluate performance and ease of use.

✔️ Performance: We evaluate the tightness of the seal and whether there is any leakage. For leak testing, we fill each container with water to its maximum capacity, secure the lid, weigh the container then shake it vigorously for one minute. We then weigh the container again to determine how much water, if any, was lost. We refill each container with water and leave it upside down for 24 hours to see how much liquid it retains.

✔️ Durability: We assess durability by observing how well each container holds up in the dishwasher and how it performs in the freezer and microwave, as applicable.

✔️ Material: Glass and plastic are the most common food storage materials. 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, so it can be less suited for taking on the go. (See below for more on the common question about the merits of glass versus plastic.)

✔️ Shape: Look for containers with straight edges versus flared; flared sides take up additional room in your fridge and cabinets.

✔️ Lids: A lid that doesn’t seal is a dealbreaker. Some simply snap into place via pressing 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.

Some consumers prefer glass to avoid any possibility of chemical leaching of BPA (Bisphenol A), which is a hormone disrupter when consumed. Though most plastic is now BPA-free, it's always wise to double-check the label 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."

We like glass for its durability and ability to resist staining and scratching. It’s also more commonly dishwasher-safe than plastic containers. In addition, some glass containers are safe to transfer directly from the freezer to the microwave or even oven (though be sure to remove the lid).

We opt for plastic when toting lunch that won't be heated, since it's generally lighter weight.

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 (and 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 and product analyst at GH. Raena conducted the most recent test and worked closely with the experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute to gather and analyze all testing data collected for food storage containers.

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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