Caraway Food Storage Containers: the Best Way to Meal Prep?

Maybe you’ve seen those colorful Caraway pots and pans all over your social media feed. Caraway Home now makes bakeware and food storage containers. They’re unlike any other kitchen items you’ve seen: a modern yet classic sleek design with colors to match any aesthetic.

I have more pots and pans than I probably need, but I can always use more storage containers. Seriously, it’s like the mismatched socks in the dryer. Where do all the lids go? What most intrigued me about Caraway’s food storage set beside being non-toxic, is that you may place them in the refrigerator and freezer and also heat them up in the microwave or oven. They’re also dishwasher safe.

I’ve been tracking my macros and doing more meal planning, and I thought they’d work well for me. Here are my thoughts, what I like about them, what I don’t, and everything in-between.

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Caraway provided me with a sample to review. As always all opinions are my own.

What Makes Caraway So Popular?

Style

It’s no surprise that I first became aware of Caraway on social media. Its pop of color makes it so Instagram-worthy. This gorgeous cookware stopped me mid-scroll. They’re pretty enough to leave sitting on your stovetop or countertops, so much so that Caraway products come with a storage set so you can leave it out.

While Caraway’s cookware and bakeware come in three color styles: classics, iconics, and monochrome, (plus limited edition colors), you can only choose from the classic colors for their food storage set. I ordered “mist,” a green color with a bluish-gray hue.

Non-Toxic and Non-Stick

When I got married in 2007, I registered for a set of All-Clad pots and pans. The two of us also had cheap cookware we accumulated over the years. We’ve since gotten rid of our older non-stick pans due to the health risks associated with Teflon, especially since some of them were starting to peel.

I’m pretty careful with what I eat and try to avoid processed foods and chemicals, including how I prepare my own food. For example, I don’t heat food in plastic containers. So learning that Caraway is more than just a pretty set of cookware but also 100 percent non-toxic is a huge selling point to me.

They are free of toxic materials like lead, cadmium, PTFE (aka Teflon®), and PFOA. Food Network bestowed the best overall non-stick cookware title upon it, and with thousands of reviews, it appears Caraway does a good job at living up to its non-stick claims.

Unlike traditional cookware, Caraway uses ceramic to coat its products: ceramic coated aluminum on its cookware and ceramic-coated glass on its food storage containers.

Organization

I’m not the most naturally organized person but I appreciate anything that helps me store things neatly. It’s probably where I spend most of my money on Amazon, products to organize my house. I love that Caraway thinks this way too, including storage racks for their pots, pans, bakeware, and containers.

While you can leave them stored a countertop, I found room in a cabinet. One of the most common complaints about Caraway is how they can chip, so these storage racks ensure the containers do not touch one another or anything else around it. It’s quite protective.

Caraway Food Storage Set: First Impressions

Upon unboxing, I was struck by how much care Caraway put into its packaging. Note, if you need to return their products, you’ll need to send everything back in its original box, so save the unboxing video I made below to help you.

Unlike the Caraway cookware made of aluminum with a ceramic coating, the storage sets are ceramic coated glass and smooth to the touch.

The first thing I noticed was the weight of each piece. It felt solid in my hands and of high quality. The containers have matching clear lids, which use Air Release technology to keep foods fresh and odors out.

The 14-piece set does not actually contain 14 containers but rather, one large container, two medium containers, two small containers, four Dot & Dash inserts, two container straps, and a storage organizer (they say it’s three, but to me, it’s one big organizer). It also comes with a spongy cleaning cloth for removing scuffs.

Meal Prep

Although I make healthy eating a priority, sometimes my hectic life gets in the way. Many evenings, I’m at my son’s soccer games past dinner time. When we get home, I try to find something quick and convenient to eat. Sometimes, this means I’m not eating enough or just the wrong things for my body.

For me, meal planning is essential. Whether that means cooking ahead for the week or portioning out leftovers, I want food options that fit my macros and vegetarian lifestyle.

The Caraway food storage containers arrived at the perfect time. Not only do I use them to make dinners and lunches for myself, I also prepare meals for my daughter and husband throughout the week to heat up when I am not around.

Some recent meals include brown rice and vegetables, lentil pasta, cottage cheese ice cream (not as good as I hoped), and salads with dressings pre-measured in the dot inserts.

Microwave, Oven, Freezer, and Refrigerator Safe

The best part of meal planning in these containers is the ability to take a meal from the freezer or refrigerator and heat them in either the microwave or oven (up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit). Remember, while you may heat food in the containers, you must remember to remove the glass lids. I’ll have to remind my family about as it’s not intuitive.

Clean Up

One container means only one container to clean up. Even though you can place the containers and lids in the dishwasher, I plan to hand wash them. It’s an extra reminder to myself and my family to give these containers an extra TLC.

In fact, the first time we used these containers, my husband took one unbeknownst to me and dumped a heavily sauced pork shoulder he smoked into one of the new containers. I worried it would stain the container, worse, he would scratch it with a metal utensil or by tossing it haphazardly into the sink.

I found the container extremely easy to clean. The sauce didn’t stick at all to its ceramic coating and there were no food stains like I may have dealt with using a plastic container. This leads me to the next part, care and maintenance.

Durability and Care

This is not a cheap set of containers and I want to ensure they last a long time. I worry that they can scratch, especially while cleaning or by using metal spatulas or forks.

I read through tons of Caraway product reviews and the biggest issue was chipping. However, I plan to store them in the provided soft organizers, which not only provide easy viewing, but also, keep the containers protected from scratching one another or against other items. 

You can read more about Caraway’s recommended care tip here. 

Pros and Cons

Like any product I review, there are definitely pros and cons which I want to make you aware of:

Pros

• beautiful pieces that you’ll want to keep forever
  • stylish and great quality
  • make lovely serving dishes too
• a good selection of sizes
  • large containers hold up to 10 cups, more than enough to store my leftovers or store a prepared meal
  • medium containers hold up to 6.6 cups
  • small containers hold up to 4.4 cups
  • the dot inserts, meant for “more than a garnish and less than a side” fit into the larger containers
  • the dash inserts are great for dips and dressings
• containers all stack nicely on top of one another in the freezer or fridge
• dot and dash inserts fit neatly into containers
• non-toxic ceramic-coated glass containers
• easy to clean
• don’t stain like plastic containers
• Air Release technology lids keeps food fresher and odor free

Cons

• while mine are in great condition, you have to be careful not to chip or scratch the containers
• one-year limited warranty is weak (30 days, no questions asked), especially when compared to my All Clad’s lifetime warranty
• need to keep original packaging
• since they’re not transparent like glass or plastic, it’s hard to remember what food is inside the containers
• lids are difficult to remove (I’m hoping they’ll get easier over time)
• lids not microwaveable or oven safe
• not meant to hold soups or sauces
• must wait for the temperature to adjust before placing item from freezer to the oven and vice versa
• heavy to carry
  • not ideal if you plan on bringing with you for workday lunches (better if you work from home)
• 14 pieces is a bit misleading
  • includes the straps, lids, and dot and dash inserts

Final Thoughts: Are Caraway Storage Containers Worth Buying?

These are the nicest storage containers I will ever own, and I can see them lasting for a long time.

They’re not inexpensive, and for that reason, I plan to take extra good care of them. We use and abuse and apparently lose our plastic and glass containers. I will not carry these containers anywhere outside of my house. And while you can put them in the dishwasher, you may want to wash them by hand.

These containers may not be for everyone. They’re heavy, the lids are difficult to remove, and they are opaque, so you can’t see what’s inside them.

But if you are looking for quality, non-stick food storage containers, you will not be disappointed with them. They wipe clean with little effort and no staining or scratching.

And in terms of meal planning, these have had my life so much easier. There’s the perfect size for every meal. While glass containers are better than plastic containers, which could be harmful even if they’re BPA free, the lids contain plastic. Caraway’s products are free from potentially harmful chemicals.

Plus, not only does plastic stain but , but these Air Release technology lids keep food fresher and odors inside.

And yes, its superficial, but these containers just look so good whether they’re in the fridge neatly stacked, in the cabinets, or on the table. I’m impressed.