Are Anyday’s Silicone Deli Containers Worth the Price?
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
Over the past decade or so, plastic deli containers made their way from restaurant mainstay to home-kitchen regular. Perhaps this was partially thanks to the boom of YouTube test-kitchen videos, where all the coolest chefs you know are using them as drinking vessels — but any which way it happened, it makes sense. Deli containers are great for any kind of cook because they come in three versatile sizes but have universal lids so you’re never at a loss for parts, and they stack tightly for storage when empty and neatly on top of one another when full. I myself have been using them for ages.
Yet more recently, along with many other people, I have become acutely aware of my plastics use. While I can’t avoid the material entirely, I can be more mindful of what I own that’s made of it. This is especiallytrue in the kitchen, where I have ditched conventional nonstick pans in favor ofceramic ones, gotten rid of my plasticcutting boards, and swapped out all my plasticfood-storage containersfor glass.
Well … almost all my food-storage containers. Even though I don’t use them nearly as much as I used to, I have not been able to part with my beloved deli containers. My colleagueDominique Parisoeven went on a dedicatedhunt to find the best replacementlast year, and though I respect where she ended up, nothing — truly nothing — is the same.
That’s why when Anyday released its silicone alternatives to deli containers — the most direct look-alikes I’ve ever seen — I was excited to try them out. Though they’re not hard like glass, they do feel sturdy. They come in one-cup, two-cup, and four-cup sizes with universal lids, like their plastic counterparts, that attach securely. The lids have a vent to open when you’re reheating food in the microwave, which is the brand’s bread and butter and perhaps the most useful feature.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Sadly, however, the downsides outweigh the upsides: These are a bit bulkier than plastic deli containers, though they hold the same amount. And while they stack well when full and closed, they don’t nest nearly as closely together as the plastic versions in the cabinet.
For me so far, they’ve washed up nicely in the dishwasher. But my colleagueBella Druckman, who has also been using them for the past month, says hers have “absorbed the smells of the many different things I’ve stored in them, so they now just have a vague food smell.” They’re tougher to wash by hand, but plastic deli containers are too, so we’ll call that a draw.
More than anything else, they simply don’t feel like a direct replacement to me. Beyond the shapes and sizes, the genius of the plastic versions is that they’re cheap as hell and come in bulk. Last night, my husband and I hosted an engagement party for our friends, and I sent upwards of ten people home with pint containers of leftovers. I’ll never get those deli containers back, and I do not care. Meanwhile, my freezer has been full of plastic quarts holding chicken stock for months, and I do not miss them. They’re a dream for summer barbecue-party prep when we frequently host more than 15 people; they allow me to keep similar meal components together and organized in the fridge. With Anyday’s versions, all of this would be unrealistic. They cost $46 for a set of three, one of each size. Meanwhile, the mostrecent collection of deli containersI bought several months ago when I needed a refresh cost $24 for a set of 60 with 20 of each size. I would have to spend $920 on the Anydays to get the equivalent. I appreciate what the brand was trying to do, but I just don’t think it nailed it.
Some nonplastic containers we love
More From The Strategist
- The Back-to-School Hall of Fame
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- Everything You Need to Outfit Your College Dorm
- The Strategist Summer 100
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
