The Best Microwave-Safe Containers for Safer and Easier Reheating, According to Experts
A good microwave-safe container heats evenly, keeps food fresh, and most importantly, helps your family stay healthy.
While a microwave-safe storage container is a small and relatively inexpensive purchase, the one you choose can make your life easier or a whole lot messier. The best ones heat up evenly without leaching harmful chemicals into your dinner. In addition, they're easy to handle and, even after lots of spins on a turntable, remain free of stains and pitting. After all, whether you buy a single container for a few bucks or splurge on a large set, if, after a few zaps, containers are damaged and ready to be tossed, it's hard-earned money wasted.
A microwave-safe container serves dual purposes. When it's not heating, it's storing food. If it has a tight-fitting lid, it keeps leftovers fresh, stops odors from escaping and prevents spills. Refrigerate a serving of lasagna in a dependable one, and you won't experience any dried-out edges. Store leftover tuna, and your fridge doesn't smell fishy. Carry leftover ziti to the office in one that seals tightly, and no garlicky tomato sauce in the bottom of your carryall.
Need help figuring out which microwave-safe container to buy? Regardless of your needs and preferences, our roundup includes one or maybe several that you'll want to stash in your cabinets.
What to Consider When Buying Microwave-Safe Containers
Plastic or glass?
Glass doesn't leach into food, so it gives peace of mind that your family won't ingest harmful chemicals. And as long as it's equipped with a tight-fitting lid, glass is best at keeping food fresh, as absolutely no air can pass through it. Yes, glass is breakable, but it takes more than a drop from a kitchen countertop to the floor for it to shatter. Most glass containers have plastic lids, so if you're trying to avoid having your food come into contact with plastic, you have to be careful not to fill the containers too full. And while glass won't stain, their plastic lids will. A majority of glass containers can be used in the freezer and the conventional oven, as well as in the microwave, but you need to read the manufacturer's instructions for any caveats.
Plastic microwave-safe containers are preferable if you're looking for containers that are lightweight and unbreakable. However, you need to decide on your own comfort level about storing and heating in plastic. If you opt for plastic, be sure to look for containers that are labeled microwave-safe or have one of the symbols featuring three wavy lines. Avoid any container that has BPA or phthalates, two chemicals that have been definitively linked to health problems. And if you're a cleaning enthusiast, keep in mind that most plastics will stain and even degrade when they're used to nuke spaghetti sauce.
Round or square?
In round containers, food heats more evenly. Although you still have to stir during cooking, you don't have to get into corners where food overheats. On the other hand, square and rectangular containers are more space-efficient and can help you keep your refrigerator and cabinet shelves orderly.
Tips for Using a Microwave-Safe Container
Leave some headroom. As food heats, it bubbles up and can boil over, so don't fill a container to capacity, especially if you're warming soup or stew. And again, if you're using a plastic lid or wrap as a cover, you want to keep food from touching the plastic.
Vent the lid. When food heats, steam develops and needs to be released to prevent pressure from building up and causing food to explode and splatter all over your oven. If a lid has a built-in venting mechanism, make sure it's opened. Otherwise, place the lid on top of the container loosely to let steam escape. If you’re using plastic wrap, turn back a small portion to create an opening.
Stir a few times during microwaving to promote even heating.
Open a lid or wrap away from your face to prevent steam burns to your hands and face.
Traveling with a container? Play it safe and wrap it tightly in a bag before tossing it in a tote or on a car seat.
Toss any containers that are damaged. Chipped or cracked glass can break, and degraded plastic is more likely to leach into food.
Is It Really That Bad to Use Plastic in the Microwave?
Sometimes you just have to. Here's what to keep in mind.
Best Overall Microwave-Safe Container
Our top choice is the OXO Good Grips Smart Seal Glass set because it excels at keeping food fresh in your fridge, thanks to lids with four latches and a gasket. Plus, we like that these glass containers go right from the freezer to the oven, even if it's not preheated. That makes OXO extremely versatile, especially if you like to batch cook on weekends and freeze portions for after-work dinners. Like most glass containers, these won't break from a casual drop. The only downside is that the lids are plastic, so you'll want to prevent them from coming in contact with food, and of course, they're susceptible to staining. Single containers as well as four- to 16-piece sets are sold and include rounds, squares and/or rectangles.
Runner-up Microwave-Safe Container
The Snapware Total Solution Glass Set by Pyrex has plastic lids with gaskets and four latches, which makes it about as good as it gets at creating an airtight seal to keep food fresh and smells from escaping. What makes Snapware our second-best choice is that it can't be used in the oven, which reduces its versatility. Don't fill this container to the lid if you want to avoid having food interact with plastic. And expect them to stain if red sauce splatters as it heats. This set includes five glass containers with lids, for 10 pieces in total.
Best Splurge Microwave-Safe Container
With Williams Sonoma's Hold Everything Storage Containers, you can avoid plastic completely. These glass containers come with glass lids trimmed with gray silicone. Although the silicone stains, it comes clean after a spin in the dishwasher. Hold Everything can be used in the microwave, freezer and oven, but avoid heating the lids as the silicone will melt. If the appearance of your microwave-safe containers is important to you, these are about as stylish as containers get. Sold as a 14-piece set made up of rounds and rectangles.
Best Metal Microwave-Safe Container
These containers are unique in that they're made from stainless steel and are still microwave-safe. Like glass, they don't leach into food, but they're lighter in weight and unbreakable. The BPA-free plastic lids feature a lock to seal them for food storage and prevent leaks. To open the lid or vent during heating, you push down on the lock. Containers and lids can go in the freezer; without their lids, Meal Prep can be safely used in the oven. You'll want to be careful handling them as major dents or deep scratches could affect their microwave safety. Available in two- to five-container sets of round, square or rectangular.
Easiest-to-Clean Microwave-Safe Container
Made of glass, Caraway's food storage containers are coated inside and out with a ceramic nonstick coating that makes them a breeze to clean. The exterior finish is available in six pretty colors, including cream, gray, light or dark green, pink or navy, while the inside is silvery. The glass lids have a silicone seal. As long as you don't set the temperature higher than 450ºF, you can use these containers in the oven. Caraway sells small BPA-free plastic containers called Dot (round) and Dash (rectangles) to nest inside the larger containers to hold things like dips, fruit slices, or cookies when you're using them as lunch boxes. Most sets include magnetic storage organizers to corral the containers in your cabinets.
Best Plastic Microwave-Safe Container
If you're not terribly worried about using plastic, Rubbermaid Brilliance Airtight Food Storage Containers, which are BPA-free, are our top recommendations. The containers feature vents for splatter-resistant microwaving as well as leakproof seals for storage. If you use these to heat up lasagna or baked ziti, you will wind up with stains and pit marks. Four to 44-piece sets are sold containing rounds, squares and/or rectangles.
Easiest-to-Use Microwave-Safe Containers
Pyrex Simply Store glass containers have flat lids that are easy to put on and remove — no latches to lock and unlock. While they keep air out so food stays fresh, they'll leak if they're turned on their sides or shaken. The colorful lids don't stain even when you heat up spaghetti. Without the lids, you can use Simply Store in a preheated oven as long as it's not coming straight from the freezer. Available inan array of sizes and shapes.
Best Microwave-Safe Container for Cooking
Anyday microwave-safe containers are constructed of thick, heavy and durable borosilicate glass. Designed for cooking, they come with detailed recipes and instructions for microwaving a variety of foods. Their glass lids are reinforced with a microwave-safe metal rim and have silicone gaskets and vented silicone knobs. When you're storing food in the fridge, press the down to create an airtight seal, then push again to release the seal and open the vent. Both the containers and the lids are oven-safe. Anyday is attractive enough to bring right to the table, even when you're having company. Single containers or four- to 14-piece sets of rounds or squares are sold.
Best Microwave-Safe Containers for Quick Reheats
Surprisingly, the GladWare options are very affordable plastic containers that excel at keeping air out, so when they're used for storage, vegetables don't wilt, chips remain crisp, and leftover salmon doesn't make your whole fridge smelly. They're also more spill-resistant than many containers. While Glad is BPA-free and the manufacturer claims it's microwave-safe and won't warp or melt when heated, they're relatively thin. We recommend these containers for occasional use when traveling and quick reheats. As you might expect, they pit and discolor if you zap tomato sauce. The lids snap together to help keep your cabinets orderly. Glad is easy to pick up at the supermarket or big box store in a variety of sizes, shapes and sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which containers are safe to use in the microwave?
Without qualifications, glass containers can be safely microwaved. Plastic containers must be labeled microwave-safe. If they're not, they may not be sturdy enough to withstand heat, so they may warp or even melt, and are more likely to leach chemicals into food. Recently, microwave-safe metal containers have been introduced. However, we caution you not to microwave containers with metal components unless they're marked microwave-safe.
What material is best for reusable containers?
Because it doesn't interact with food nor allow air in, glass is the best material.
How do I know if a to-go container is microwave-safe?
It will be clearly labeled microwave-safe and usually have a symbol with three wavy lines. Look for one of the symbols shown here.
What's the best way to clean reusable containers?
Glass containers and lids can be cleaned in the dishwasher without any concerns. However, plastics are best washed by hand. The high heat and aggressive detergent in the dishwasher can degrade plastic and make it more likely to leach into food.
Which plastics should I avoid in the microwave?
- Styrofoam, which is used for inexpensive coffee cups and throw-away plates, melts or collapses if zapped.
- Polycarbonate (#7) contains bisphenol A (BPA), which is an endocrine disruptor. When polycarbonate is heated, BPA is particularly likely to migrate into food. You can recognize this plastic by its clear, glass-like look.
- PET (#1) is the plastic commonly used for bottled water and takeout salads. Microwave it, and it loses its shape and may leach phthalates or other chemicals into food.
- Melamine, which is primarily used for outdoor dinnerware and children's tableware, becomes deformed in the microwave.
- Single-use plastic containers like yogurt or margarine containers melt if nuked.
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