Caraway Food Storage Review: Is it Worth It? Chef Tested
After a year of testing the Caraway Food Storage Set, our resident chef and founder Laura Klein shares her review and experience. The good, the bad, and the beautiful – read her full review.
Over the past year, I’ve put Caraway Food Storage to the test. This ain’t my first testing rodeo. As a trained chef, rabid home cook, and founder of Organic Authority, I’ve had the opportunity to test a lot of food storage containers, kitchen tools, cookware, appliances, and more. (Read some of our most-read guides on the best non-toxic bakeware, our favorite clean cookware brands and our roundup of best ceramic cookware.)
Some live up to the hype, and others fall flat. My job is to test the heck out of these items, then relay my experiences to help you make informed decisions on the best kitchenware to bring into your home (I love my job!). Here’s my Caraway Food Storage review.
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Food Storage + The Food Waste Problem
Food storage and food waste are two huge pain points for today’s households. Keep reading to discover the startling statistics.
As an educated, conscious consumer you know you don’t want to store your food in plastic containers that quickly degrade, warp from the heat of the dishwasher, and may leach chemicals into your food if you pop them in the microwave for a quick reheat sesh. We’re looking at you, Tupperware (remember the famous brightly colored plastic containers?).
Oh, and then there are the lids. The lids always get separated, no matter how hard you try to keep them organized. Hiding in some far-off drawer where you think you’ll find them but alas, you never do. Then you end up jerry-rigging some Frankenstein solution like using the wrong size lid, because that’s all you can find, and securing it with a rubber band because it doesn’t fit.
And let’s not forget about the refrigerator. It ends up looking like a disorganized mess. And that mess is one of the biggest culprits of food waste because you can’t find anything — because it’s forgotten.
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Consider America’s Food Waste Statistics
Food waste. Globally, it’s a huge problem. In America, it’s heartbreaking, particularly as an advanced, developed nation.
I’m the one whose refrigerator is full of tiny mason jars and containers that save the last few bites of food, hoping that someone in my family will eat it in the next few days. Like this easy roasted chicken and carrots sheet pan dinner. Does it always work? No. Many times I end up throwing it out or composting it, if it’s compostable.
When I throw out food, here are just a few things that run through my mind:
- How much money did I just waste?
- How much of this is going to the landfill?
- How much can I compost?
- Who else could have been nourished by this food?
- I’m so lucky to be living in a place where we have access to clean water and plenty of food to feed our family.
The food waste statistics are shocking and it’s something that each and every one of us has control over and can help reduce.
- According to Earth.org, “In 2020, Americans threw away more food than the citizens of the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden combined.” That’s shocking. As a developed nation we can do better and become part of the solution — which will take each and every one of us.
- On a daily basis, every American throws out, on average, about one pound of food.1
- US consumers waste about one-third of all purchased food or about $1500 in groceries per year for a household of four.2 That’s a lot of money that could go towards something else like college tuition or a mortgage.
- Households account for the largest portion of US food waste. Perhaps that’s the good news. That means there is something that you and I can do about it.
- Greenhouse gasses — according to the World Wildlife Federation, food waste that ends up in landfills in America is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars.
To compound it all, when we waste food, resources that go into it — the water, energy, land, labor, and even chemicals that go into producing it and polluting our earth, are wasted as well.
Is Caraway Food Storage Worth it?
Whether or not they’re worth it, depends on what’s important to you. Sure, they may be slightly pricier than some other glass storage containers out there. But they say you get what you pay for, and that’s the truth.
If you value a bargain above these things, maybe Caraway isn’t for you. However, in my year plus of testing I’ve put these babies through a lot and the quality is apparent. So, in that way, these are for you even if you lean to the frugal side because you won’t be replacing these containers any time soon.
Next up, let’s consider single-use plastic bags. We’ve all struggled with completely eliminating those (including me). Sometimes you just need one, whether it’s to pack a lunch for your next hike or need something that takes up zero space on a trip. The Caraway Storage Container Set comes with small Dot & Dash inserts, which are just the thing for snacks for the trail.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty and find out exactly what this food storage set is made of, and is it really worth it?
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
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What’s Caraway’s Food Storage Set Made Of?
The set is ceramic-coated (interior and exterior) borosilicate glass. It is non-toxic and free of PFOAs, PFAs, BPA, BPS, lead, cadmium, and toxic metals (you can email them for their test reports if you wish to see them). Their dedication to transparency is one of the things I love about Caraway.
Caraway’s Food Storage Set comes in similar colors as their classic cookware sets (see the rundown on our favorite Caraway sets, here), cream, sage, gray, navy, perracota, and a new color mist.
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
What Comes in a Food Storage Set?
When you purchase the whole food storage set, it comes with 14 pieces. You get five ceramic coated storage containers of different sizes with corresponding lids, one large container, two medium-sized containers, and two small containers.
A complete set also comes with four Dot & Dash Inserts, that are surprisingly useful. Particularly if you’re a sauce or dip lover like I am, and or take your food on the go. To use, fill them with your favorite sauces or snack-y items, and put the Dot & Dash Inserts in the ceramic containers. And if you’re on the go, use the included container straps to ensure your lids stay closed.
And then there are the three magnetic storage organizers to store everything — including the lids. You can either put the organizers on a countertop, if you have the space, or put it in a cupboard or drawer, depending on your space and design aesthetic.
You can buy the whole set for $245, down from $305 (at the time of this writing, plus 10% exclusive discount) or you can buy the food storage and the Dot and Dash Containers individually anywhere from $22 up to $50 each.
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
My Experience Testing the Caraway Storage System
First, let’s talk presentation (aka the unboxing!). When I opened the box, I was greeted with a beautiful and thoughtfully packaged (there’s zero plastic in the shipping box) food storage set that I couldn’t wait to start using.
The next thing I noticed were the air-tight seals. They work really well. So well, sometimes I have to use a butter knife to pop open the lid, which at times can be a bit annoying. But, I’d rather have a tight seal that keeps food fresh and weird smells in or out (onion, garlic, broccoli, or kale anyone?), and the confidence I can take food on the go when needed.
Caraway’s Glass Food Storage Containers: Many Sizes, Many Uses
Another check in the win category? Each size of container comes in a distinct shape, making them easy to identify in the fridge. So if you have staples that you batch cook on a weekly basis, the sizes help you spot those food items quickly, particularly if you put them in the same place in your refrigerator.
For example, I batch cook food for my dog weekly (yep, I’m that dog mom!), and I store it in the large square container, and put it in the same place in my refrigerator. That way, I always know where it is, and it never gets lost, and nothing is wasted.
Reheating food
Now let’s talk reheating food. I love to batch cook meals on the weekend and portion things out for the week. What’s great about these containers is you can reheat food in them in the oven! I don’t use a microwave (I don’t like the way it makes food taste), so having the ability to take something from the refrigerator and put it in the oven as is, is sooo useful. I don’t have to dirty another pan if I don’t want to.
One important note about reheating food in the oven is that the lids are not oven-safe. So if you need to keep the food covered while you reheat it, you’ll need to use something like tin foil or place a small baking sheet over it for a waste-free option.
Reducing plastic in the kitchen
Upon testing the Caraway Food Storage Set, I’m happy to report, it solved another Klein kitchen woe. One of my weaknesses is cheese, and I hate storing cheese in plastic. It drives me nuts that cheese is sold in plastic (it’s not good for the cheese either, which can result in flavor and texture defects).
So when I buy cheese, once I get it home, I remove it from the plastic, wrap it in parchment paper, and store it in a container. And Caraway’s storage containers are kind of perfect for this with their air-tight seals. After a year of testing, I’ve yet to pull cheese out of one of these containers, and have it be dry (I still wrap it in parchment first).
A pretty and organized refrigerator
In addition to their functionality, I have to admit that I love the aesthetics of the food storage containers. They inspire me to want to use them because they make a pretty and organized refrigerator. I can actually find things simply by identifying the shape or looking through the glass lid. This means I’m more likely to spot what I need (or need to use up!) and waste less food.
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
Good Things to Know About Caraway’s Food Storage Containers
Caraway’s food storage set is not leakproof and not a fit for liquids on the go (which a lot of food storage containers are not). This is where something like a mason jar is really handy for any liquids like soups to take with you or simply to store liquids in your refrigerator.
If you take food on the go, Caraway’s storage containers come with straps that help keep the lids close. However, I’ve found that the containers have such a tight seal, I don’t find they are really needed. But, if I were taking food with me, I would use them because it’s not fun to clean up spilled food.
Speaking of clean up, when it comes to washing they are super easy to clean. They have a ceramic coated nonstick surface so everything comes off pretty effortlessly. They are dishwasher safe so you can simply pop them in the dishwasher for an easy clean.
Like the cookware, you want to stay away from metal utensils as they could scratch the ceramic coating. Stick with soft cookware tools like wood or silicone (I hope you don’t have any plastic tools, as they will melt!).
If you reheat food in the oven or microwave, know you must use oven mitts. And you’ll also want to use a trivet when the container is hot to protect countertops. Treat them as you would a hot baking dish out of the oven.
Do not take a container from the freezer with frozen food and put it in the microwave or oven, this could cause your storage container to crack. Allow your frozen food to thaw before reheating it.
When filling your containers for use in the freezer, don’t overfill them. Leave some space to allow for food to expand.
Allow hot food to cool before you put it in your refrigerator.
Below is a handy checklist.
Good to Know Checklist
- Use the straps for when you take food on the go.
- The sets are not leakproof. Use mason jars for liquids.
- Use oven mitts when removing reheated food in containers from the oven or microwave.
- Stay away from metal utensils, use wood, silicone and the like.
- Don’t overfill them, food does expand (I’ve tested this and it’s true!).
Oven + Microwave Tips
- If you’ve frozen food in the storage containers, allow the frozen food to thaw before reheating in the oven or microwave.
- Do not put your containers with food in an over hotter than 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Do not put an empty container in the oven or microwave.
- Lids do not go in the oven or microwave.
Washing Tips:
- You can put the containers and lids in the dishwasher.
- Caraway recommends that you remove the gasket around the lids for a thorough dry. I’ve never done that, and it seems like a time-consuming step. Perhaps I should do it.
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
Tips on how to reduce food waste at home:
- Organize your refrigerator and put things at the front that need to be eaten right away. This way, you can see the food you need to eat within the next 24-48 hours, and you can prioritize your meals and snacks.
- Freeze food that you won’t eat right away.
- Know what is, and is not, compostable and keep food scraps out of landfills.
- Take the time to plan, make grocery lists, and meal prep.
- Consider having a “use it/eat it up” meal every week. Or as my mother used to say “must go” meal.
Exclusive! Save an extra 10% on Caraway Home Cookware Products when you shop our links. Discount applied at checkout. Shop now before the sale ends.
If you’ve tried Caraway’s food storage containers, please share your experiences with the community in the comments below.
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Sources:
1. https://earth.org/food-waste-in-america/
2. https://fortune.com/2022/12/12/how-much-food-do-americans-waste-every-year-one-third/
