I Found a Plastic-Free Food Container Better Than My Beloved Pyrex
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Recently, when I — and a lot of people — began thinking about how tobetter avoid microplastics in the kitchen, one of the biggest areas I took stock of was my food-storage containers. My cabinet was full of a mishmash of pieces, chief among them deli containers, plus a smattering of glass vessels with plastic lids. Likewise, the Strategist’srecommendation list, culled from many expert cooks as well as testing I had done myself, included containers in a mix of materials.
Luckily, senior editorWinnie Yanghad just bought herself a new set from Pyrex unlike all the others the brand carried: The five pieces had glass bodies and silicone and glass lids.Silicone, at least as far as we understand right now, seems to be a safer bet. Yang enthusiastically told me to try them out, which I did. And while I will always keep a stash ofdeli containersfor certain situations, the Pyrex ones quickly became my go-to. Not only am I a fan of the material makeup, but the sizes work well, the lids stay on securely (but not so securely that they’re a pain to open), and you can see what’s inside from the sides and the top.
Then, several months later, they disappeared. You couldn’t buy them online anywhere, so I decided to find a replacement with the same appealing attributes. (While fullystainless-steel containersare a viable plastic-free alternative, they’re not transparent. As someone who cooks regularly and always has a fridge full of leftovers, salad dressings and sauces, cleaned vegetables, and more, I like being able to open the door and quickly find what I’m looking for.) Somewhat surprisingly, there really aren’t a lot of glass options out there with plastic-free lids.
I consideredAnyday’s 8-Piece Glass Food-Storage Set, but then ruled it out because it has only four actual containers for even more money than the five-container Pyrex set; the vessels themselves are frosted (fine but not ideal); and most important, the size variation is not great. These are primarily meant to store and reheat leftovers, so the collection doesn’t include any smaller vessels. I consideredPublic Goods’ Square Glass Food Storage Containers, but again, I didn’t like the lack of versatility in the sizing.Crate & Barrel’s 14-Piece Glass Pantry Storagelooks nice to me, but as the name makes clear, is meant specifically for the pantry since the pieces are taller than they are wide.
Ultimately, I landed on three products that fit the bill to test out myself, more about which below.
Before I go on, it’s important to note that, as of several weeks ago, these containers have in fact reappeared onPyrex’s own websiteandCostco’s. However, they have yet to resurface anywhere else. In the meantime, I was already deep in testing those other sets — and liking them.
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I decided to forge ahead and bring you my findings. At the end of the day, I still like and use the Pyrex containers and wouldn’t hesitate to tell anyone they’re a good investment. But another collection has emerged as even more of a favorite.
The ones I’d (sadly) skip
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I really wanted to love these. On their face, they’re most similar to the Pyrex containers, with a sleek silicone ring around the perimeter and a small tab overlay that helps you pull up the lids. Upon testing, however, I ran into an issue that happened over and over and ruled them out: If in the fridge for more than a few hours (and nothing happened to be placed on top), a part of or the entire lid would unseal and pop open. Strategist senior writerLauren Rotried them too and encountered the same issue. We both also found it a bit tricky to get them closed in the first place. Yet Strategist senior editorWinnie Yangand senior writerLiza Corsillo, both of whom also received and tried out a set, didnotexperience any unintended opening. I’m not quite sure if fridge temperature is the issue or quality control between batches, but the inconsistency and potential issues made it hard to wholeheartedly recommend.
A great option
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This Williams Sonoma set is very solid. It comes with seven containers of varying shapes and sizes. Over the months I used them, I could always find an appropriate one for whatever I needed. The large and medium sizes held all manner of food: leftover dinners, grain salads for the week, prepared foods for a dinner party. I also find it crucial for a container set to include at least one decidedly small size — in this case 1.3 cups. (Actually, this is the only thing the original Pyrex collection lacks, in my opinion, with the smallest size being almost double that.) As someone who cooks a lot, I like the small size for bits and bobs like salad dressing, leftover sauce, toasted nuts, a remaining chunk of fancy cheese, and the like. Overall, the lids go on easily and stay firmly closed. There’s a small indent underneath to help you pull up and open the lid. They wash up great in the dishwasher and stack especially nicely, whether in the cabinet or the fridge.
My new favorite
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Like Williams Sonoma’s, the Bentgo containers open and close easily but stay secure and clean easily. They also have a few distinct advantages the others don’t. To start, Bentgo’s set is the largest overall with nine pieces. The array of sizes provides more flexibility. In this case, there are three small ones: a 1.3 cup and two 1.6 cups. If I have leftover sauceanda chunk of fancy cheese, I’m set. They go up subtly from there, with a 2.2 cup, 2.7 cup, 3.4 cup, 4.1 cup, 4.4 cup, and 6.3 cup. Yet it’s still the most affordable collection of the bunch — a great bonus. They’re also the only containers I tested that let you microwave them with the lid on. In addition to the silicone gasket, they have a small silicone tab that stretches over the top and can be inserted into a small round hole in the glass lid. For normal storage, you simply secure it closed. But if you want to microwave directly in the containers, you open the tab to allow steam to escape for even heating. And despite what I worried about initially, this doesn’t prevent them from stacking neatly.
More storage containers we love
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A fantastic vacuum-sealing storage system.
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A silicone sandwich bag instead of a single-use plastic one.
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