How do you select the top food storage container from the variety available for purchase? While it may appear insignificant, the decision is actually quite important. Containers come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, and not all are suitable for refrigeration, freezing, or microwave use.
It is good, therefore, to pay attention when buying. Here we had selected some of the best food storage containers for you.
Buyer Guide to Choose the Best Food Storage Containers
Food containers are the ideal solution for storing leftover food; they can be stored in the fridge, in the freezer, or the pantry, but they are also useful for heating food in the microwave without dirtying a plate or for carrying lunch to the office.
Especially if equipped with an airtight seal, which blocks food spillage and allows you to take both solids and liquids with you.
Possible Uses
What do you need a food container for? The simplest use you can do is keep the leftovers from lunch or dinner in the fridge. Once heated, you can eat them the next day without having to cook again, and you won’t have wasted anything.
Another possibility is to use the container to bring the lunch you want to work without being forced to use a bar, restaurant, or cafeteria: it is a system that saves time and money.
If these are your only needs, you are spoiled for choice: the containers available on the market are numerous and, for those who compare prices before the performance, there are plenty of very cheap ones that ensure a fair saving.
If, however, in addition to storing food, you want the temperature inside to remain unchanged, you must opt for a more efficient and more expensive container.
From this point of view, the models of the best brand differ from the others because they can keep the heat and cold longer. The advantages are remarkable: it will be possible, for example, to enjoy lunch cooked at work while still warm at work.
The same applies, of course, to coffee, tea, or herbal tea, which the doctor or your trusted herbalist recommends not to give up. If you have a baby, a container with excellent insulation may prove indispensable because it allows you to carry baby food and bottles to feed the baby anywhere, anytime.
Hermetic Closure
A good container should be capable of carrying any food, but this is not always the case. All of them can contain, for example, pasta or cutlets, but not all of them allow you to bring soups and minestrone to work, very liquid food or drinks such as your favorite tea that is not found at the bar under the office.
The best containers, therefore, are those with hermetic closure because it is possible to insert all these foods inside without having to worry that they can come out ruining the bag and making you remain without lunch.
These containers cannot be made of plastic but are generally made of stainless steel; if they have double walls, they guarantee better insulation and do not lead to the formation of condensation on the outside, which could wet the contents of the bag where it is transported.
Some also include an external coating that further improves insulation and, if equipped with a handle, also facilitates transportation.
As for the simpler plastic or silicone models and at a more affordable price, you may prefer those that go in the microwave and the freezer because they allow you to quickly heat the meal or keep it longer in the freezer.
How to Choose the Best Food Container?
When buying a food container, you need to carefully evaluate the materials, the matching lids, the dimensions and shapes, the versatility.
Materials
Food containers are available mostly in plastic and glass. The right plastic to come into contact with food is PVC, because it is BPA free, that is free from any chemical agent.
Plastic containers are the most durable over time because they resist shocks and low temperatures, so they can also be stored in the fridge or freezer. Some are also compatible with microwave temperatures.
To find out if you have microwave containers in your hands, you must make sure that the relative symbol is present on the package.
When it comes to food glass, however, we speak of pyrex, which is tempered and shatterproof. The glass is certainly more fragile and does not always resist the temperatures of the microwave or freezer, but it does not absorb odors and does not stain.
Size and Shape
The containers are available in different shapes and sizes. It all depends on how you need to use it. Very convenient are the sets, which sell in a single package round, square and rectangular containers, more or less tall and of different sizes.
In this way, with a single purchase, you will have all the types of containers you can have at your disposal need.
Versatility
Not all containers can be used in any way. Some are compatible with microwave temperatures, others only with low temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer. The ideal would be to buy the more versatile ones, to be able to reuse them in different ways and save money.
The minimum or maximum temperature to which a container resists is indicated on the package. In any case, to keep a meal warm, you can think of carrying it in a thermos or a thermal bag.
How to Use a Food Container?
Once opened, uneaten food should be stored carefully. The same goes for the foods you want to take to work or for an out-of-town trip.
At the top, you can compare some of the most popular containers online and take a look at some of our tips. Below we give you some other indications that we hope you will find useful.
Fruits and Vegetables
If you want to keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge, the first advice is never to buy large quantities: these are foods that must be eaten fresh. Place them in the less cold part of the fridge.
Here you do not need special containers, freezing bags are also good, but it is better to puncture them to avoid condensation. For more specific advice on other types of foods, you can take a look here.
Do Not Mix Foods
Common sense tells us never to mix foods to avoid contamination of smells and flavors: better, therefore, to buy separate containers where to store the different foods.
There are various sizes, so the size does not necessarily have to be significant. The advantage is to get to the office and enjoy, for example, a second course with a side dish like at home.
Freezer and Microwave
Also, check that the containers are compatible with the freezer and, above all, with the microwave. In the latter case, it only takes a few minutes to heat your lunch comfortably.
The alternative is to choose a model that not only preserves food but also maintains a constant temperature inside. Check the manufacturer’s directions on how many hours it can effectively maintain heat and cold.
Thermos
Of course, it is possible to bring not only solid food, soups or minestrone with you but also your favorite drink such as tea or coffee.
In this case, you may be interested, in particular, in a thermos, perhaps with the cap that acts as a bowl.
Thermal Bag
If there are many foods to be stored and transported at the right temperature, it may be useful to purchase a thermal bag made of plastic or fabric, or an electric one, that is, to be connected to a power outlet or cigarette lighter in your vehicle.
How to Store Containers?
Often consumers choose to buy a complete set of containers because it is cheaper but above all because they can be counted on containers of different sizes.
The disadvantage is that when they are not used, they have to be stored somewhere, and the occupied footprint risks being too much compared to the space available.
The manufacturers have therefore devised two solutions: the first consists of containers that can be flattened, reducing the occupied footprint by half. The second provides for stackable containers that can be inserted one inside the other.
