I'd had it! I was fed up! I was OVER stained plastic food containers and was on the search for the best glass meal prep containers.
Originally, I'd started out with plastic in the RV because glass is heavier and breakable. But if you get the right glass containers, they hold up just fine in the RV.
The WRONG glass meal prep containers
Of course, the first glass meal prep containers I bought were the wrong ones.
I wish I could tell you exactly which brand they were. The bottoms were glass and the lids were plastic with a sliding vent in the middle of the top and a blue gasket. They looked just like this:
Avoid these. They sealed well and didn't leak. BUT the glass lip around the top where the lid met the gasket chipped easily. Kevin and I both cut our fingers on this while doing dishes. So, we ended up tossing them because they weren't safe.
When shopping for glass containers, make sure to look at that lip. If it looks a little thin, you might want to try a different one.
Which is the best glass meal prep container?
Well, that really depends on your needs. In the RV, I wanted containers that were sturdy, stored easily, and didn't clank around and make too much noise.
While browsing Amazon looking at all the options, I saw these Ello containers.
The silicon wrap around the outside really appealed to me. And it really keeps the containers quiet and safe when they are stacked inside of each other.
When we first got them, Kevin was concerned that we'd have to remove the silicon wrap every time we washed them. Thankfully, that has turned out to not be the case. You CAN take the wrap off if you need to but unless you're super messy with the container you won't need to.
The seal is really nice on these and the container and lid feel quite solid. I love being able to heat up food in them without staining the container. One note: you are not supposed to use the lid in the microwave (or the oven, duh.) The glass bottom is fine for both microwave and oven use.
You can see in the photo above how this set has containers that are graduated sizes. Four of the containers nest inside each other perfectly. But there are two containers that are the same size so that one doesn't fit. For me, that wasn't a big deal because I almost always have one of that size in the refrigerator with food in it.
After using these for a while, I liked them so much that I bought a couple more.
Ello also makes baking dishes with lids.
Those are next on my wish list now that I have a little more storage in the kitchen. They also have the same colorful silicon covers on the glass container. These would make much prettier serving dishes than any of the options I have now and the lid means they will travel well to a potluck.
Which containers do you use for meal prep? Do you have a favorite brand or features that you like in your containers? Please share in a comment below!