The 12 Very Best Food-Storage Containers

Material: Plastic containers, plastic lids | Shapes: Uniform | Sizes: Mix

My personal food storage containers of choice are restaurant-grade deli containers, which come in a mix of 32 ounces, 16 ounces, and eight ounces. Somehow, one of those three sizes is always perfect for what I need. And perhaps best of all, they each fit the exact same lid so you’re never without one.

Although they won’t last as long as glass containers (eventually, they can start to warp just a bit, or, in more dramatic cases, become discolored after a ton of use), I simply recycle as needed. When I notice my stash dwindling, I buy some more (I did this recently for the first time in several years). And at such a cheap price, it doesn’t feel like a sting. They’re dishwasher and freezer safe (I have the largest ones full of stocks, pasta sauces, stews, and more in my freezer at all times.) They hardly take up any room at all when empty, as they stack super compactly (key for my small cabinet). But they also fit perfectly, one on top of the other, when they’re full so I can always see what I have in my fridge. They’re lightweight, great for bringing to the office or out on a picnic, and cheap enough that I never mind doling out leftovers to friends and saying, “Keep the container” as they leave.

Cookbook author Julia Turshen agrees. She uses them in many of the same ways I do, with the addition of decanting goods in her pantry. Plus, she has a great tip for using them to make salad dressing: “An immersion blender fits directly into one, so I don’t have to worry about dirtying a bowl and then later a container for leftover dressing,” she says.

Material: Plastic containers, plastic lids | Shapes: Uniform | Sizes: Mix

Open a restaurant walk-in and you’ll see a ton of Cambros. Indeed, chef and author Virginia Willis, who now uses them at home, says the containers are a remnant of her restaurant days. “They come in different sizes but no matter what, they stack perfectly,” she explains. “And because they’re square, you’re not losing any fridge or cabinet space. They’re also especially durable.” Willis likes the two-quart size, the smallest that Cambro makes. She says it’s large enough to hold all the leftovers after dinner without being crazy-big. But just for reference, that two-quart is twice the volume of the largest deli container — and they go a lot bigger. Strategist contributor Sarah Leon has them in a range of sizes, also for leftovers and for proofing bread dough — but used the 12-quart ones as a dish station filled with water to be able to scrub and rinse when she was renovating her kitchen and didn’t have a proper sink for a year. They “are not breakable, and they have handles, so they are easy to carry,” she says. Just note you have to buy the lids separately.

Material: Glass containers, glass lids | Shapes: Uniform | Sizes: Mix

Weck jars are another popular choice for canning. Unlike Mason jars, which have a metal lid that, I have personally found, can be prone to rusting after a long period of time, these have glass lids with small metal clips that clamp down. They’re indented slightly at the top, which makes them stackable, a particularly useful trait if you’re short on cabinet or fridge space. “I’ve had other jars that easily slide around and fall and smash,” says cookbook author Kylee Newton. “These have that extra security.” She uses hers for pickles (the rubber seal ensures an airtight close, just like with Mason jars), as well as dried goods like oats, cereal, and sugar. “They’re also just aesthetically gorgeous,” she adds, “the prettiest jars out there on the market.”

Material: Glass containers, glass lids with silicone seals | Shapes: Mix | Sizes: Mix

These OXO containers are made of glass, therefore are very sturdy, just like Pyrex — but the winning feature is the lids. They have a silicone lining to seal securely and click-down handles on each side that hold tightly. I’ve been using the set for several months now and have become just as likely to pull them out of the cabinet as my deli containers. The set is well-rounded, with a few larger sizes and some smaller ones that hold everything from extra dressing to leftover bits of an ingredient (like half a leftover onion or lemon). The containers wash well: I’ve never seen any bits of leftover grime stuck in the silicone. The silicone gasket is also easy to pull out (and put back in place) for more thorough cleaning.

Food writer Cathy Erway and Turshen, both of whom have been using these containers for several years, like how transportable they are: Thanks to the click-lock lid, there’s no worry about leakage, even if they throw one in a tote bag or take it in the car to commute. Finally, Erway notes, the smallest round container is the perfect shape and size for transporting dog food for her pup (it holds about one cup). She can feed him anywhere with no mess.

Material: Glass containers, plastic bags | Shapes: Mix | Sizes: Mix

The Zwilling Fresh and Save set is a bit different than the others on this list — and I believe truly worth making room for in your cabinet. It’s a vacuum-sealing system that stores leftovers for longer than a standard container will. It comes with a handheld cylindrical pump, less than a foot tall, that sucks the air out of specific Zwilling glass vessels and plastic bags (which work great for quick marinating as well as storing food) via a valve on each receptacle.

Though it might look a bit more intimidating than your average container, I promise it’s the easiest thing in the world to use (and both recipe developer and cookbook author Jessie Sheehan and recipe developer and food blogger Nicole Modic agree). You simply put your food inside the container, match the circle on the top of the lid to the circle on the bottom of the pump, and press the button. The pump sucks all the air out and automatically stops once it’s done. To release, you gently push the valve to the side.

Food lasts many days longer than it would otherwise. I’ve even found it inspires me to make bigger batches for easy lunches and dinners, like the quinoa salad below. The cucumbers and peppers stayed crunchy and refreshing in there for a full week (could have been longer, but I ate it all before I found out). Sheehan expresses the same sentiment: “It really appeals to the make-ahead girl in me,” she says. “I love that you can prep ingredients — carrots, celery, whatever — and maybe you’re not touching those chopped-up veggies for a week, but they stay fresh.” Modic says she’s amazed how it makes berries, a highly perishable ingredient because of moisture levels, last two weeks in the fridge.

Material: Silicone | Shapes: Mix | Sizes: Mix

If you’re in the market for storage bags instead of hard-sided containers, Stasher is a Strategist favorite. We’ve written about them many times over the years. Contributor Alison Freer, who wrote about how she couldn’t stop buying reusable storage bags in general, says, “I have every size, shape, and fun color they make, and while they are pricey, I reach for them above all other food-storage options I have in my kitchen. They can go in the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher; absolutely never stain or leak; and even though I’ve washed mine in the dishwasher hundreds of times (with the high-heat drying cycle on, even), they haven’t fallen apart or degraded in any way.” Multiple sustainability experts told us they swear by Stasher for this story on environmentally minded kitchen products. And Gleeson named them too. “We use them for kids’ lunches,” she says. “The smaller ones fit snacks like pretzels, crackers, and fruit. The bigger ones fit sandwiches. They’re durable. We’ve had them for four years at least.”

Material: PEVA | Shapes: Mix | Sizes: Mix

If the price of Stashers feels too steep, consider these (re-)zip ones that Wen-Jay Ying, founder of the café and farmer’s market Local Roots NYC, uses to store decanted bulk ingredients, save leftovers, and freeze goods. “They’re so light, they feel like Ziplocs,” Ying says. And because they’re made of PEVA, which is a less bulky and more malleable plastic than silicone, they’re thinner and easy to stack, says writer Anya Sacharow in our story on the best reusable food-storage bags. It should be noted, though, that they can’t withstand high temperatures like they can cold, so even though the brand says they’re dishwasher safe, we recommend hand-washing if you want them to last longer.

Material: Glass and silicone | Shapes: Uniform | Sizes: Mix

W&P (makers of my and many Strategist staffers’ favorite ice cube trays) also offers a myriad of storage containers, including these bowl-shaped ones. They’re glass so they clean up beautifully but have a silicone wrapping around the outside that provides a super-sturdy grip when I grab them from the fridge or wash them in the sink. The smaller size has become my go-to for storing dressing because the rounded bottom makes it easy to scrape out every last drop (more so than a small deli container, which has a shallow divot around the diameter), and the lid truly does not leak. I can shake it aggressively to re-emulsify. It’s so airtight, I can save half an avocado or apple with very minimal browning the next day. And though I work from home and therefore don’t transport lunch, I’ve eaten leftover grain salads and rice dishes straight from the larger vessel because the material makes it feel like an actual dish. The bowls are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, too. They’re on the pricier side, but I think introducing a few into your collection would be useful.