We Tested 21 Storage Container Sets—These Keep Your Food Fresh and Organized

We found versatile options for your needs

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food storage containers storage spruce eats
The Spruce Eats / Greg DuPree

Whether you’re preparing meals ahead of time, saving leftovers for later, or organizing your pantry, every kitchen needs a solid set of food storage containers. Not all containers are created equal, though. It’s important to find a set that is durable enough to withstand stacking and accidental drops—after all, the last thing you want is last night’s meal all over your kitchen floor.

You also want something that’s designed well, for both aesthetics and efficiency. There are so many food storage containers to choose from, so where does one start? We rounded up some of the best-selling and most popular sets to meticulously test in our Lab and at home so that they could be tried and vetted in real-world settings. We then rated each set on performance, durability, and ease of cleaning.

Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Airtight Food Storage Containers, 8-Piece Set
 

What We Like
Airtight

Microwave-safe and freezer-safe

Stain-proof, leakproof, and smell-proof

What We Don’t Like
Scratches easily

We Tested Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers
These containers got perfect scores across all categories in our Lab and at-home tests; they kept brown sugar from drying out and aced the tomato sauce stain test, the blue dye leak test, and the onion smell test, in addition to being very easy to clean. We were so impressed with how airtight the containers were, and loved that they could be frozen without cracking. These containers are made from super-clear material, so you don’t have to fumble around your freezer or pantry looking for mystery items.

This set is both dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe. You can even microwave them with the cover on if you open the vent first, so you can have spatter-proof thawing or reheating. We found we were able to zap a wide range of foods in these containers, including items straight from the freezer—from cooked rice to chicken to leftover quiche. Ninety seconds was the average amount of time needed to fully cook each item. Our testing found that these were completely leak-proof. They stayed tightly sealed, and during our splash test, the liquid was visibly trapped in by the seal.

Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry organization and Food Storage Containers with Airtight Lids Set lab test spruce eats photo
The Spruce Eats / Greg DuPree

Material: Plastic | Number in Set: 4 | Items: (1) 16-cup, (1) 12-cup, (1) 7.8-cup (1) 3.2 cup plus all lids