Food storage containers- what do you use?

[OakLeaf]

I have a lot of the Pyrex bowls in various sizes. If you keep the lids on, they can be stacked. I've never broken one, but they don't strike me as particularly non-fragile. Sturdier than Mason jars for sure, about the same weight as a glass measuring cup. I don't know if the lids are supposed to be microwaveable or not, but they will distort when heated, so we use the flat silicone lids to heat those too.

I *have* broken a Corningware bowl, but that was by dropping it on a tile floor. I think a tennis ball would have shattered. Hate hate hate tile.

[Becky]

I have a lot of the Pyrex bowls in various sizes. If you keep the lids on, they can be stacked. I've never broken one, but they don't strike me as particularly non-fragile.

Do they "nest" with the lids off? I used the word "stackable" in my OP, but "nest-able" is a better word....I'm concerned about storing the empty ones in the smallest possible space.

I'm coming to the conclusion that there's not going to be one perfect solution for packing lunches....and that's ok. Just have to amend my thinking a little.

[alexis_the_tiny]

I swear by Lock&Lock containers. They're by far the best and most reasonably priced containers I've found and they come in all kinda of sizes. Unfortunately, they're not nestable, just stackable. I've seen my colleagues use glass containers that are similar to the Lock&Lock types so you can try those if you're concerned about BPA. I just don't use them because I'm a klutz.

[sarahkonamojo]

Ball jars. Don't meet most of your requirements. Interested the the pyrex product, but no need right now.
I do have some plastic food containers, but find they don't stack very well and the lids get lost, etc. The jars are more uniform and the lids are interchangeable. I go with wide mouth jars. When the lids get rusty or bent it is easy to get replacements.
No estrogen weird plastics involved with jars.
They also clean very well. I stack them back in the boxes in my garage when not in use.

[Brandi]

I really like the lunch skins idea!

[Melalvai]

I've never broken a pyrex, and I break most of my dishes.

They do nest.

[OakLeaf]

These are the kind of Pyrex dishes I have. They're available in sets in a lot of the big box stores. They do not nest, except insofar as you can put a smaller sized dish inside a larger one ... I prefer to keep the sizes together and stack them with the lids on, so I can only get two or three high in the cabinet ... but I can get the size I'm looking for without having to take a mixed stack apart.

[deeaimond]

Lock&Lock also. They come in all shapes and sizes, I bring hot coffee, soups salads, rice meals to work and microwave them. As long as its not oily there wont be damage to the container. They don't drip or leak and I only had to replace the coffeecup after a year (almost daily use) because the rubber seal snapped. When used for food storage they also keep food fresh because of the airtight nature. I think they are available on amazon.

[DebSP]

I use canning jars (like Ball) with both plastic and metal screw lids. I make my own soups and chili in big batches and put them in the jars and then freeze them. I can take them out of the freezer at home and microwave them at work. I have lots of one cup size and some odd wide mouth two cup size. They don't really stack so storage could be a problem. I have 30 to 40 and I store them in the basement in boxes. We have 6 Tupperware cereal bowls because I take cold cereal some days. We also have an assortment of plastic food containers such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, margarine etc. I choose ones that stack inside each other from the largest on the bottom to the smallest at the top. And I store the lids standing on their side inside a big margarine container so I can pick them out easily. I use them for salad, fruit, cottage cheese etc. anything I am not microwaving. I can use them a few times before I toss them in the blue bin. I replace them when I empty a new new container. I like those re-usable bags. That is the only item I don't have a real solution for. We wrap sandwiches in plastic bags or wax paper.

[OakLeaf]

At least a third and probably closer to two thirds of the glass jars in which I've frozen liquids have broken from the expansion. Doesn't matter how much headroom I leave, it expands around the middle. Any more I freeze in plastic and transfer for reheating.

[DebSP]

I looked at the box in the basement, I use Bernardin 250ml jars. They come in boxes of 12. I have been making all kinds of soups and I regularly make a batch of Chili which I freeze in these jars. I have been doing this for about 5 years and never had one break. I put the food into them hot, put them in the fridge over night and freeze them the next day. It is so convenient because both my DH and I can just pick one out the night before and take it in our lunch when we don't know what to make or just run out of time!

[Chile Pepper]

At least a third and probably closer to two thirds of the glass jars in which I've frozen liquids have broken from the expansion. Doesn't matter how much headroom I leave, it expands around the middle. Any more I freeze in plastic and transfer for reheating.

Oak, I had this problem too. It helps to put the jar of food in the refrigerator first, then freeze the next day, after it's quite cold. And leave some headspace, of course. I don't think ever broke a jar after I started doing that. A couple of years ago I switched to freezing my stocks in Ziplock bags for convenience, but this thread has me thinking about going back to jars.

[Becky]

I think that I've decided on these glass containers, along with some Lunchskins or Snack Taxis for less messy items. I like the way the bowls taper, which should allow them to nest (I hope!), and the lids look very similar to some Anchor True Seal ones that I really liked.

Very interesting thread, everyone- thanks for your input!

[redrhodie]

It looks like you already decided, but I was looking at the Basil bags on this website, and noticed these, which look like they meet your criteria:

https://www.greenwardshop.com/new/10...od-storage-set

[Becky]

I really liked those True Seal containers when I saw them in my local kitchen store. If they had nested a little better or I had more storage space, I probably would have gone with those. The lids were really secure!

I like that website- thanks for sharing!