The Best Glass Storage Containers for Every Need

When we last tested glass food storage containers, we recommended the OXO Good Grips 8 Cup Smart Seal Rectangle Container. But what if you do a lot of meal prep and need glass containers that can securely contain smaller quantities of food? OXO makes smaller sizes of our favorite glass container, so we rounded up the 7-cup round container, the 4-cup round container, the 3.5-cup rectangle container, the 2-cup round container, the 1.6-cup rectangle container, the 1-cup round container, and the 4-ounce rectangle container to see if they would perform as well. And since many meal preppers prefer to buy sets of matching containers, we also tested the 16-piece mixed-shape, the 12-piece mixed-shape, the 8-piece rectangular, and the 8-piece round container sets, all made by OXO.

Our goals were the same as when we tested the winning OXO 8-cup glass container: to find truly airtight, leakproof containers that resist stains and odors and can be used to store food in the refrigerator and freezer and reheat food in both the oven and microwave.  

To see if all these containers were airtight and leakproof, we first opened and closed their latches 25 times. Next, we submerged all the containers in water to see if they let any liquid in before filling them and vigorously shaking them to see if they let any liquid escape. 

Which Meal Prep Containers Should You Buy? 

The good news: We can recommend all the containers we tested. All the latches proved durable, as their seals proved to be airtight and leakproof. In other words, you can be sure that these OXO Smart Seal containers, no matter their size, will keep your food fresh with no mess. And since these containers come in both rectangular and round shapes, we made some notes along the way detailing what we liked about each. We appreciated the rectangular containers for their efficient stackability and liked how deep the larger round containers were, which added to their versatility. Another plus? Since they’re glass, they can function as serveware, going right from the oven to the table. 

So, which should you buy? Your choices will depend on your storage needs. If you want multiple containers in different sizes we suggest buying a set; it's cheaper than buying individual containers. If you’re looking for a set of identical containers for meal prep, we suggest buying multiples in one of two sizes: either the 3.5-cup rectangle or the 4-cup round—both are roomy enough to hold a sandwich and a side, a grain bowl, a hearty amount of soup, or generous green salad. We’ve outlined potential uses for all the containers below.