When it comes to food storage containers, you have a few choices to make. Most are made of glass, plastic, or stainless steel. Each material has its benefits, though we did not include any of the stainless steel options on our list because they are generally expensive and not as useful.
Glass containers cost more than plastic, but they tend to hold up better in the microwave, don't take on the odors of the food they hold, and some of them can even go in the oven. Plastic is affordable and can handle being dropped, but while many brands claim to be microwave-safe, our research shows that microwaving plastic can lead to stains, odors, and structural damage to the containers.
If you choose to buy your food storage containers in a set, double-check the numbers — lids and bases are often counted as separate pieces. Meaning, a "42-piece" set may only contain 21 actual containers (that's 21 bases and 21 lids).
With all of this in mind, we closely examined the expert and consumer ratings and reviews of dozens of options while searching for and testing the best food storage containers. The products we chose to include in our guide are extra durable, easy to use, and seal tightly.
Here are the best food storage containers:Prices and links are current as of 8/26/20. We replaced our best overall pick due to stock issues. Our new best overall pick was our previous pick for the best glass container set.