I consider myself a very organized person (especially in the kitchen, which is the most used room in my apartment). However, putting all my food in clear boxes and jars like the Home Edit does isn’t for me (and frankly, it’s not necessary). Instead, I choose a mix of food storage containers that suit my cooking style: some that fit easily in my small cabinets, others that are easy to clean to remove messy leftovers, others that fit in the fridge, and so on. In short, I have a variety of sizes so I can store everything from salad dressing to a large batch of brownies. The point is that the right combination makes it easier to find space in my pantry and fridge, and food is less likely to spoil.
The good news is that there are so many options on the market that you can choose the ingredients you like. To help you make the right choice, I shared my favorites and asked 16 experts (by which I mean people who cook often and have well-equipped kitchens) what they use to store dry goods, prepared meals, and leftovers. If you’re looking for more long-term food storage options, you might also want to check out my guide to vacuum sealers.
Updated February 26, 2025: Replaced our top overall pick with a newer Pyrex model; updated prices on all items and checked stock levels.
Glass containers are the easiest to clean and are completely transparent. However, they are also the heaviest (which is important if you plan on carrying food around a lot). Plastic containers are clear and lightweight. Although they are dishwasher safe, they can be quite a hassle to clean by hand (especially if the surface is greasy). Silicone containers are similar in cleanliness and weight to plastic, but do not provide as good a view. Basically, each container has its own pros and cons, so I have listed all the containers below by the material they are made of, including whether the lid and base are different.
Some of you may prefer uniform shapes, while others may prefer a mix of shapes; it all depends on what you plan to do with each item. For this, I will indicate whether the shapes of each set of containers are uniform or mixed.
Again, this depends on the intended use (maybe you want to organize all the dry goods in the pantry or want to make sure that various leftovers don’t spoil). For this purpose, I will also indicate whether they are single or mixed.
These are my favorite containers for storing food in the cupboard at the moment. I’ve used quite a few different types of Pyrex over the years, and they’ve all been pretty good. So it’s no surprise that this brand gets a lot of love and mentions from many experts.
These particular containers are made of glass and silicone — a favorite of Winnie Young, a senior editor at Strategy magazine, who recommended them to me after years of trying to ditch plastic. The glass storage container is easy to clean and won’t absorb odors or stains. The silicone material seals well, and the lid has a small ring that makes it easy to open. (One note: They don’t seal all the way, so I wouldn’t recommend using them to take food out.) They’re also freezer, microwave, and oven safe.
Ms. Yang noted that the tops of these cups are flat, making them easy to stack; if you like to store the cups in a stack, they can be stacked on top of each other. She also found that most, if not all, of the cup sizes are standard across the rest of the Pyrex line, “so I can use the lids with other cups I already have,” she says, though the cups themselves come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Even though I’m trying to cut down on my plastic use, I find it hard to give up the restaurant-quality deli boxes that have long been my go-to choice. They come in 32-ounce, 16-ounce, and 8-ounce sizes. Somehow, one of the three sizes always fits my needs. Perhaps best of all, they all come with the same lid, so you’ll never be without one.
While they aren’t as durable as glass containers (they eventually start to lose their shape or, in more serious cases, discolor after heavy use), I only recycle them as needed. When I notice my supply is running low, I buy more. And at such a low price, it doesn’t seem like a shock. They’re dishwasher safe and freeze-safe (my largest containers are filled with broths, pasta sauces, stews, etc., and always go in the freezer). They take up almost no space when empty because they can be folded up so compactly (which is essential for my tiny cabinet). But when they’re full, they stack on top of each other so I can always see what’s in the fridge. They’re lightweight, easy to take to the office or on a picnic, and cheap enough that I can easily share leftovers with friends and tell them, “Keep a container” when they leave.
Cookbook author Julia Turshen agrees. She uses a blender much the same way I do, except I use more of the spices I have in my pantry. Plus, she has her own secret for making salad dressing in a blender: “The blender attaches directly to the blender, so I don’t have to worry about getting any leftover dressing in my bowl or container.”
Walk into a restaurant and you’ll see stacks of Cambro containers. In fact, chef and author Virginia Willis, who now uses them at home, says they’re a relic from her restaurant days. “They come in different sizes, but no matter what, they fit together perfectly,” she explains. “And because they’re square, they don’t take up any room in the fridge or cabinets. They’re also very sturdy.” Willis likes the 2-quart capacity, the smallest Cambro makes. She says it’s big enough to hold all of her dinner leftovers without being too bulky. But for reference, a 2-quart container is twice the size of the largest deli container, and it’s much larger. Strategy author Sarah Leon has Cambro containers in different sizes that she also uses for leftovers and rising bread dough, but when she renovated her kitchen and didn’t have a proper sink for a year, she used a 4-gallon container as a dishwashing station, filling it with water for washing and rinsing. “They’re unbreakable and have handles, so they’re easy to carry,” she said. Just be aware that lids must be purchased separately.
If you’re short on space or your primary job is toting food to and from work, consider these sleek, slim containers that expand when full and shrink when empty (a good option if you bring lunch to work and want to at least reduce its bulk along the way). These containers come from NAO Wellness founder Nikki Ostrower, who found that most of the containers she’d tried over the years were impractical: She couldn’t carry them around in her backpack all day, and they wouldn’t fit in her tiny New York City kitchen. These bins solve both problems and are microwave (without the lid), dishwasher, and freezer safe.
Mason jars are best known for canning, but they can also be used to store any leftovers or dry goods (not to mention double as drinking glasses, which I mostly use for drinking). In addition to Cambros, Willis has a few Mason jars that professional organizer Faith Roberson also uses, including for preserving herbs and veggies in water and storing salad ingredients and dressings in these handy cups when she’s on the go. The cups fit snugly inside the jar, so the ingredients don’t mix until the dish is ready to eat. Regardless of volume, Willis and Roberson prefer wide-mouth jars. “If I want to use a wide-mouth jar for a powder or small seeds like flax or chia, I can add a scoop,” Roberson says. “But if I want to put something larger in there, like dried lemons, I can.” Plus, it’s easier to clean by hand.” What she loves most about the wide-mouth mason jar is its versatility, allowing it to be used anywhere from the kitchen to the dining room and beyond. “I always find a way to use them,” she says, “whether it’s in a flower arrangement on the counter or as a tea light on the dining room table. I even put makeup brushes and Q-tips in them. If I need one in a hurry for food storage, I just throw it in the dishwasher.”
Another popular canning option is Weck jars. Mason jars come with metal lids that, in my experience, rust over time, but Weck jars are different: They have glass lids and a small metal clamp. Weck jars have a slightly recessed top, making them easy to stack, which is especially helpful if you’re short on cabinet or refrigerator space. “I’ve used other jars that tend to slide and break,” says cookbook author Kylie Newton, “but Weck jars are much safer.” She uses them for kimchi (the rubber seal ensures a seal, just like Mason jars) and dry goods like oats, cereal, and sugar. “They’re so pretty to look at,” she adds, “the prettiest jars on the market.”
These OXO containers are made of glass, so they’re pretty sturdy, like Pyrex, but their best feature is the lid. They have a silicone lining for a secure seal and push handles on both sides for a firm grip. I’ve been using this set of containers for a few months now and now find myself pulling them out of the cupboard as often as I do the containers from the deli. This versatile set of containers comes in a variety of large and small sizes for everything from extra spices to leftover ingredients (like that leftover onion or lemon half). The container is easy to clean—I’ve never seen any gunk stuck in the silicone. The silicone lining is also easy to pull out (and put back in) for a more thorough cleaning.
Food writers Katie Erway and Tarshen have been using these containers for years and rave about their portability: The locking lids mean they can be tossed in a bag or taken to the car to leave work without worrying about food leaking. Finally, Erway notes that the smallest round container is perfect for carrying about a cup of food for her pup. She can feed him anywhere, and he won’t make a mess.
This alternative, also from OXO, features another clever lid design: A button on the top that pops up and snaps into place, creating an airtight seal when pressed, and releasing it when pressed again. (In this case, the lid body is plastic.) The company makes containers in a variety of sizes, from 0.2 quarts (for spices) to 6 quarts, but food writer and recipe developer Rebecca Firkser is especially fond of the larger ones for dry goods like granola, oats, flour, and sugar. “While they can’t be stacked,” she says, “the wide base makes these containers easy to fit in areas not intended for food storage but often used for it, like the top of the refrigerator.”
The Zwilling Fresh Preserving Kit is a little different from the other products on this list, and I think it’s definitely worth making room for in your cupboard. It’s a vacuum-sealing system that allows you to preserve leftovers longer than standard containers. It features a hand-held, less-than-foot-tall cylinder pump that sucks air out of Zwilling’s special glass containers and plastic bags (perfect for quick pickling and preserving foods) through valves on each container.
While it may look more intimidating than your average container, I promise it’s the easiest thing in the world to use (recipe developer and cookbook author Jessie Sheehan and recipe developer and food blogger Nicole Modic agree). Just place your food in the container, line up the circle on the top of the lid with the circle on the bottom of the pump, and press the button. The pump will suck out all the air and automatically stop when done. To open, simply gently push the valve to the side.
The food can be stored for many days longer than it normally would. I’ve even found that it’s inspired me to make big batches of easy lunches and dinners, like the quinoa salad below. The cucumbers and peppers stayed nice and crisp for a full week (they could have been stored longer, but I found they were all gone by then). Sheehan shares the sentiment: “As a girl who loves to prep ahead, I really like this,” she said. “I love that you can prep ingredients — carrots, celery, whatever — and you might not touch those chopped veggies for a week, but they’ll stay fresh,” says Modic, who was surprised that berries, which are a perishable ingredient due to their high water content, can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks.
If you’re looking to buy storage bags instead of rigid containers, Stasher is a Strategist favorite. We’ve featured them many times over the years. Author Alison Freer writes that she can’t stop buying reusable storage bags: “I have bags in every size, shape, and bright color, and even though they’re pricey, they’re my favorite way to store food in the kitchen. They’re microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe; they never stain or leak; and they haven’t broken or spoiled even after I’ve run them through the dishwasher hundreds of times (even on high).” Several sustainability experts told us they rave about Stasher in this article about eco-friendly kitchen products. Gleason mentions them, too. “We use them to pack lunches for the kids,” she said. The small ones hold snacks like pretzels, crackers, and fruit. The larger ones hold sandwiches. They last a long time. We have been using them for at least four years now.
If you think Stasher bags are too expensive, consider these (re)zip-top food storage bags. Wen-Jay Ying, founder of Local Roots NYC, a cafe and farmers market, uses them to store bottled ingredients, can leftovers, and freeze meals. “They’re so lightweight that they feel like sealed bags,” Ying said. And because they’re made from PEVA — a less bulky and more flexible plastic than silicone — they’re thinner and easier to stack, author Anya Sakharov wrote in our article on the best reusable food storage bags. It’s important to note, though, that they’re not as heat-resistant as they are cold-resistant, so while the manufacturer says they’re dishwasher safe, we recommend hand-washing them if you want them to last longer.
W&P (the makers of my and many other Strategist-favorite ice cube trays) also makes a variety of storage containers, including these bowl-shaped ones. They’re glass, so they’re easy to clean, but they’re coated in silicone, which gives them a great grip when I take them out of the fridge or wash them in the sink. The small size has become my favorite for storing condiments, as the rounded bottom makes it easy to scrape out every last drop (easier than the small deli containers that have a shallow groove all the way around), and the lid actually doesn’t leak. I can shake it vigorously to re-emulsify it. It’s so airtight that I can store half an avocado or apple in it and it won’t have much of a discoloration the next day. Even though I was working from home and didn’t have to pack a lunch, I ate leftover grain salad and rice straight from the large container because the texture made it feel like I was eating from a real plate. These bowls are dishwasher and microwave safe. They’re pretty pricey, but I think it’s worth adding a few to your collection.
• Katie Erway, food writer • Rebecca Firkser, food writer and cookbook author • Alison Freer, strategy writer • Erin Gleason, cookbook author • Sarah Leon, strategy writer • Kylie Newton, cookbook author • Nikki Ostrower, founder of NAO Wellness • Faith Roberson, professional organizer • Jessie Sheehan, recipe developer and cookbook author • Julia Turshen, recipe developer and cookbook author • Virginia Willis, chef and writer • Wen-Jay Ying, founder of Local Roots NYC
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