I Tried These Glass Food Containers, and Now I’m Never Going Back to Plastic

When I was growing up, my mom had an informal ritual once every few months. She would pull every piece of Tupperware, every plastic container warped by incorrect microwave usage, and every lid with no apparent home out of a big below-counter cabinet. Then, she would sit on the kitchen floor for an hour or so, carefully snapping lids and restacking containers. Thanks to three kids and many leftovers, that semblance of organization would last … a few days or so. 

I never knew there was another way. When I moved out of my parents’ house, I gathered my own plastic containers that fit together like pieces of a bunch of different puzzles — they just couldn’t pile up neatly, so inevitably I’d lose lids and have to recycle the vessel. And then, I tried these Rubbermaid Brilliance glass storage containers, which won best Glass Storage Containers in the Kitchen & Pantry category of our 2024 Organization Awards. And now? My food container cabinet looks like a display at The Container Store. It is so glassy, geometric, and satisfyingly stacked.

The set of glass containers comes in three sizes: an 8-cup option, which I’ve used for big batches of soup or salad; a 3.2-cup option, perfect for leftovers of any kind; and a 1.3-cup option, which is great for sauces, overnight oats, or other small-portion odds and ends. I understand meal prep TikTok now, because something about having varying sizes of clear containers makes me want to roast chunks of sweet potato and pre-cut cucumber and tomato so they’re all ready to use in the coming days. The glass means I never forget what’s inside, and the airtight, snap-on, leak-proof, and BPA-free lids have kept everything I’ve put inside fresh for longer than my ill-fitting plastic duds. 

These glass glories encourage me to waste less, too, as the tiny ones are perfect for stashing the little bits of leftovers I might not usually know what to do with. Now, I put them in a mini container, snap it shut, and eat it as a snack or mix it into a bigger meal the next day. I don’t have a microwave, but because the sturdy glass is oven-safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, I’ve popped them in the oven for a few minutes to reheat yesterday’s roasted veggies or baked tofu. 

And when they’re not all in my fridge, they’re stacked neatly in my cabinet, taking up half the space my haphazard collection of misfit plastic containers used to. They are truly an organizing hero, hence their justified Organization Awards win. 

Cleaning them is a breeze, too. Because they’re glass, they’re not only sustainable, but also durable. I can toss them in my dishwasher and they come out sparkling clean, every time. As much as I adore the childhood memory of my mom’s food container cabinet overhaul, if I had a time machine I’d go back and gift her a few sets of these Rubbermaid containers so I could give her some time back. 

Want to see more award-winning products? Explore our 2024 Organization Awards for our top picks.