The Essential Guide to Finding the Best Food Container for Lunch + Reviews
If you’re looking for a good lunch container but don’t have the time to research all the products available for sale, then the following short paragraph will be enough to inform you on our top pick from this category. The Rubbermaid Brilliance 2024857 is well appreciated by customers and expert reviewers alike for the sheer number of options it offers for a surprisingly affordable price. It has a total of 3 stackable containers and four organization accessories, topped by very tight lids to ensure that liquid foods won’t spill outside the container or to other sections. It will be easy to keep track of where each food item is located, as the BPA-free plastic walls are as transparent as glass. Speaking of which, if you value sanitation over durability, the glass-made Prep Naturals Meal Prep Containers will provide a good service.
Comparison table
Our Top Choice
This set contains three food storage containers, four organization accessories, and three lids that are 100% leak-proof. Each container can be used as it is or with the help of the organizer that allows you to add up to three different meals in the same box, for a complete lunch. The products are made of quality plastic and can be safely used in the microwave, freezer or the dishwasher.
Some customers mentioned the size of the container is rather small, so don’t expect to fit a full meal inside.
The set is perfect for when you want to look after your diet and eat healthily, even when you’re at the office.
2nd Best
The set of three containers is made of high-quality glass that won’t chip or break easily. Each container comes with a lock lid that guarantees perfect storage without spilling. There is also a handy cutlery compartment with reusable plastic cutlery in each lid that allows you to conveniently use the products wherever you are. The glass box is easy to clean and dishwasher and microwave-safe.
These containers are made of glass, so they may be too heavy and even dangerous for toddlers to use.
Convenient and easy to use, these food boxes provide the perfect amount of food for a balanced diet.
Also To Consider
This set also contains three food containers made of borosilicate glass that won’t break or chip easily. The products are BPA-free and non-toxic, meaning they are suitable for storing food numerous times. Thanks to the smart locking technology, none of these boxes will leak. You can safely use the boxes in the dishwasher machine, oven, microwave, and even in the freezer, without breaking them.
As with other products made of glass, they are heavier and not designed for children or toddler use.
Transparent and reliable, these containers help you store and transport your lunch to watch over your diet.
Our Comprehensive Buying Guide
Finding the best adult lunchbox can sometimes prove problematic as there are surprisingly many factors to consider, from size and adaptability, to the materials used. Luckily, knowing a thing or 2 about each one and how their characteristics translate to real life situations will make this a whole lot easier.
Glass or plastic?
Most commonly used materials for food containers are plastic and glass. We might expect that the latter one would hold all the advantages when it comes to storing food, as glass is well known for its good sanitary properties, chemical non-reactivity and ease of cleaning, but that might be a rash judgment as newer types of plastic are known to hold their own very well.
Food grade synthetic material goes through a lot of testing by the FDA to ensure that it won’t contaminate foodstuff with any potentially harmful chemicals, even when heated inside a microwave. It also holds fairly well against bacteria, as long as you don’t overdo on the scrubbing, which might cause it to scratch making it hard to clean properly.
Newer plastics can also be made transparent so it’s easier to know where each food item is, and they can also handle a bump better than glass, probably making it the best material for a quality men lunchbox.
Size and compartmentalization
There is no “right” size for a lunchbox, as this falls mostly to the user’s need and preference. Just bear in mind that the container will have to be carried around, so going straight for the biggest one might not be such a good idea.
Sectioning is a bit more straightforward as the best food container for lunch should allow for as much adaptability as possible. Separation walls or smaller containers are used to divide the interior, and these can be easily removed if you need the greatest amount of volume. So the more of these you get, the better.
Convenience
A good food container should be easy to clean, preferably in a dishwasher, and also let you use it in a microwave. This last part shouldn’t be a problem with glass kitchenware, but a plastic one might release noxious chemicals when heated, so make sure to check that the product is approved for such use before making a purchase.
Glass will usually be significantly heavier than plastic, so try to avoid this material if the intended user is a child or a frail senior.
3 Best Food Containers for Lunch (Updated Reviews) in 2021
It might not be as hard as finding an excellent lunch container, but choosing the right lunchbox out of so many options can still be a bit tricky. To help you out, we looked through many reviews of food containers for lunch and narrowed down the list to just 3 particularly good ones.
1. Rubbermaid 2024857 Brilliance Food Storage
The other 2 containers are 1.3 cups each and can serve as lunch boxes, especially as the 2 latch system and lined tritan lids give them excellent sealing. Customers report that you can easily hold these vertically without any sauce or dressing spilling.
The set is made out of food grade plastic with excellent thermal resistance properties, meaning it is safe to heat it in the microwave or machine wash it. The material is also reported to have stain and odor resistant properties. Since plastic doesn’t crack in low temperatures, these containers can be stored in a freezer.
Like all Rubbermaid products, opening the latches will reveal 2 slits that technically act as air vents, so that the lid can be kept on when in the microwave, preventing any food from splattering all over the interior of the oven.
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2. Prep Naturals Meal Prep
Speaking of the lids, these are made from FDA approved plastic and feature a handy compartment for storing cutlery, so that you can eat your food straight from the container when traveling or when you’re at the office.
The 3-way sectioning will allow you to separate the food into groups, just as you would on your plates at home. However, the internal walls are fixed, so you won’t be able to customize the space like you would with the Rubbermaid Brilliance.
Another downside this has over the Rubbermaid product we’ve looked at is poorer sealing, with the plastic lid attaching directly over the edge of the bowl, with no latches or rubberized lining. The dimensions are right for 3-4 portions of food to be divided through the whole set, in a total volume of 32 ounces.
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3. Prep Naturals Prep Containers
Otherwise, these sport the same leak-proof lids and good quality, thick glass, that will let them go in the freezer, dishwasher and microwave at temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius. This adds a lot to their functionality, as it means they can also be used for cooking, not just heating food, although the relatively small size might not make them an ideal choice.
The lids don’t feature a compartment for holding a knife and fork, however, so you’ll have to make do with carrying the cutlery in a separate pocket, wrapped in a towel or napkin, like most people are doing anyway.
The fact that these only have one separating wall will make them easier to clean than their cousins, assuming you don’t own a dishwasher. Another thing that might recommend them is the overall thickness of the glass, which reportedly can be dropped on a rug from hip level without shattering.
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