Food Storage Containers: The GHRI Test

Find out how the Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested and evaluated the containers, and see which products fared best.

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Good food containers will keep leftover turkey from drying out, potato chips from turning soggy, and baked ziti from tasting like the apple pie stored right next to it (and vice versa). To find out how many are actually airtight, we tested 28 containers (some made of plastic and some of glass) and two bag-sealing devices to see which you can really trust to protect the contents of your pantry and fridge.

How did we test? To find out how much moisture leaked in, we placed a measured amount of silica gel beads into three samples of each container; these start out bright blue and turn pink when exposed to moisture. After sealing the containers, we placed them in our Climatology chamber with the temperature set at 90 degrees and the humidity at 90 percent. Then we monitored the beads closely for two weeks, to see if they changed color. If they turned pink, and some did on the first day, we knew that moist air was entering the containers. While only one proved to be absolutely airtight for the entire fortnight, some keep moisture out for much longer than others.

We also tested to see if the containers leaked when shaken or when left upside down, because we know that you're likely to use a storage container for transporting food. As you'd expect, some leaked more readily than others; only one consistently prevented leakage. For any others, always place a storage bag in a tightly sealed bag if you're traveling with it.

To check how likely it is that a container is going to get stained by its food contents or become pitted from going back and forth between freezer and microwave, we filled each container intended for microwave use with tomato sauce and placed it in the freezer. Then we zapped it in the microwave until the sauce became very hot and steaming to see if the container and/or its lid became stained or pitted. Almost every plastic container and lid showed some permanent staining.

To check durability, we ran any containers that the manufacturer said were dishwasher-safe through 14 cycles to see if they warped and if it were still possible to easily put on their lids. Last, we filled each plastic container with water and placed it in the freezer. Then we dropped the containers from the height of a countertop to see which would dent or break.

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