An airtight case for glass storage containers

Glass or plastic? If you’re like me, at least one of your kitchen cabinets is overflowing with an assortment of containers intended for storing leftovers. Occasionally there’s a temptation to cull the herd and pick up a few new workhorses that aren’t stained, cloudy or missing lids. But where to start?

The number of options can be overwhelming. Kim Kimbriel, buyer for the U.S. chain The Container Store, says to look at your needs.

Think about who’s going to be using the containers and what they’ll be using them for, Kimbriel says. Kids taking lunch to school? Plastic. Mom storing food in the freezer for oven-ready meals? Glass.

“There’s a trend. We see that people are really loving glass,” she says.

“Generally, glass is the most airtight,” says Sharon Franke, kitchen appliances and technology director for the Good Housekeeping Institute in New York.

Good Housekeeping recently published its “best of the best” on food storage, with Frieling’s Emsa Clip & Close containers coming out on top.

Franke says containers with silicone gaskets and lids that snap on all four sides are especially effective at keeping food fresh.

The container’s shape is another factor to consider. Most people prefer rectangular pieces, Kimbriel says, as they’re easier to store and optimize available space.

The depth of the containers is also important. Cook’s Illustrated noted that low, flat versions make it easy to stack items. As well, shallower containers also facilitate quick cooling, to get food out of the temperature danger zone where bacteria can thrive (4.5 to 60 C), as well as heating, which means dinner can get on the table that much faster.