What’s the best part of any meal? The day after, when leftovers are aplenty and prep time is as simple as a few minutes in the microwave.
Leftovers — especially delicious Thanksgiving turkey — are popular not only for their ease and deliciousness, but also because enjoying them is a smart way to reduce food waste. However, figuring out the best way to store them and make them last can be a little tricky.
When you’re dealing with Thanksgiving leftovers, you have a lot of food to consider, too. Some foods, such as fresh fruits and veggies, are liable to get squishy, and breads and pastries can get moldy long before they’re finished — unless you have a simple way to store them properly.
To help you avoid sticky situations in the fridge and prevent mold from eating your food before you can, we rounded up the best leftovers and food storage containers you can buy online and ship right to your door. With the holiday season upon us, now is the best time to pick up a new set of containers.
Read on for the best airtight food storage containers and bundles to get your fridge, freezer and pantry ready for the holidays — and for all your cooking needs.
Best Leftover Storage Set: Rubbermaid Brilliance 22-Piece Food Storage Container Set
This set of leftover containers is an all-in-one kit that will get your fridge ready for anything. Rubbermaid is a trusted name in food storage, and with plenty of small, medium and large options, you can pack away nearly all your leftovers. This set is also leak-proof, microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe and has an airtight seal.
Best Glass & Plastic Container Set: Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Glass Food Storage Container Set
Glass? Plastic? Get a bit of both with this set. The Pyrex brand collection is a highly reviewed one, with over 24,000 ratings and an average 4.8-star rating. The containers come in both round and rectangular shapes to give you options for fitting them all into your fridge. Plus, they’re safe to use in the dishwasher, microwave and freezer.
Best Meal Prep Container Set: W&P Sustainable Kitchen Starter 8-Piece Set
Want to take your food right from the table to the fridge, and then off to work? Use these storage containers and be on your way! The set includes easy to use and pack pouches, bowls and covers that transform your existing dinnerware into storage pieces. As a bonus, everything is dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe.
Best Glass Storage Containers with Glass Lids: Glasslock 24-Piece Glass Food Storage & Bakeware Set
All glass everything. This is the way to go for freshness and the ultimate food safety. This set has both glass bases and lids that snap into place for an airtight seal every time. All the bottoms are also oven safe, in addition to microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe.
Best Freezer Bags for Leftovers: Forid Reusable Gallon Freezer Bags
Don’t let freezer burn ruin perfectly good leftovers. Instead, make sure to be using airtight freezer bags for your meat, produce, fish and any other food you aren’t quite ready to eat yet. This set is fully reusable and made of extra thick material to prevent leaks.
Best Large Food Storage Container: Caraway Large Food Storage Container
This 10-cup capacity container holds a ton of leftovers, and is big enough to even carry an entire dish if you need to bring something to a potluck dinner or a friendsgiving party. The bottom part, made from ceramic-coated glass, can go in the oven and microwave for easy reheating, and it comes with a strap that really locks the lid in place (in case you’re extra worried about spillage).
Best Small Food Storage Containers: Sistema Mini Bites Small Food Storage Containers (Set of 3)
Avoid having unused, empty space in your large food storage containers with this set of tiny containers, each one able to hold a little more than half a cup’s worth of food. They’re safe to clean in the dishwasher, and in addition to holding sauces and small bits of leftovers, they’re also great for packing snacks for kids.
Best Lunchbox Food Storage Container: HOMETALL Stackable Bento Lunch Container
When you’re planning to eat your leftovers for lunch, save time by using one of these stackable bento-style lunchboxes. It contains three layers, each with dividers to keep foods fresh, and the whole unit snaps together under a sturdy lid to protect against spills or leaks. This product can go in the microwave and dishwasher, so you can eat directly from it to save you from dirtying more dishes.
Best Screw Top Lid Food Storage Container: Ziploc Food Storage Meal Prep Containers (Set of 9)
Soups, dips and sauces are much easier to store in screw top containers because there’s no worry about leaks or spills. This budget-friendly set gives you nine containers with lids so you can save any amount of food — no matter how big or small. The lids are also easier for kids to close securely than lids that snap shut.
Best Food Storage Container with Handle: Komax Biokips Airtight Food Storage Containers (Set of 2)
When you have to transport food — whether that’s taking lunch to work or bringing a dish to a friend’s house — having a handle on your food container is just a good idea. This set of large containers has built-in handles that fold flat to save space in the fridge, and the lids snap shut to create an airtight seal.
Best Bread Storage Container: Bodum Bread Box
There is nothing worse that going to grab a slice of bread from the bag, only to see mold has made its way in. Keep your bread fresh longer with a bread box from Bodum. This one comes with a wooden lid that doubles as a cutting board for extra convenience.
Best Mylar Bags for Food Storage: Sukerle 100-Pack Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers
Don’t forget about your coffee grounds, tea, freeze-dried snack and other goodies. Mylar bags are a great way to keep those things super fresh in the fridge or freezer, and this set of 100 also comes with 100 oxygen absorber packets to preserve your food even more thoroughly.
Best Containers for the Pantry: OXO 12-Piece POP Container Set
All of our hugs and kisses go to OXO for this set. The very aesthetically pleasing containers are perfect for any pantry leftovers, like that half-used box of pasta or beans spilling from the plastic bag at the back of your cabinet. The container bottoms are made of food-safe plastic, and the stainless-steel lids have a silicone gasket to create an airtight seal.
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