Looking for the best meal prep containers on the market? We provide all the information you need to know regarding meal prep containers and which ones to choose. Venturepak are leading experts in plastic packaging, take a look at our range of high quality produce or send us your enquiries through our contact us page, we will be sure to get back in touch.
The best meal prep containers for your eat-well journey…
Eager to adopt a healthier lifestyle, but not sure where to start? Why not begin your healthy-living journey by making some efficient and easy mealtime changes with handy meal preparation (meal prep) containers? Safe, sturdy and re-usable, they’re ideal for using time after time in both commercial and domestic kitchens.
With meal prep tupperware, you can effortlessly pre-prepare a wide range of tasty and nutritious dishes ready for your busy week ahead or long line of customers. Suitable for food prep companies as well as individuals and families, meal prep containers offer an easy solution to both storing and transporting pre-prepared meals.
Searching for the best meal prep containers available? Luckily, we have the answer! Regardless of whether you’re looking for the best meal prep containers in terms of durability, that’ll last for years or environmentally-friendly tupperware to store your treats, we explore some of the best meal prep containers currently available on the market.
From the most robust meal prep container materials to purchasing the right amount of containers to meet your dietary demands, we find out why meal prep tupperware is such a great option. Plus, we also take a look at how you can organise your meal prep containers and which size container will fully satisfy your appetite.
Are meal prep containers worth it?
Meal prep tupperware can be a useful tool for any cook that is short on both time and money, allowing them to pre-prepare many delicious and healthy meals way ahead of time! Particularly useful if you lead a busy and active lifestyle, the best meal prep containers boast a wide range of advantages, but are most useful when it comes to saving time and cutting costs.
By buying healthy ingredients in bulk and using batch-cooking techniques to fill up your meal prep containers, you’ll be able to save money on your weekly shop and avoid racking up an expensive eating out bill to boot. Alongside helping your household to save money on food, the best meal prep containers can also aid your mission to reduce your portion sizes and adopt a healthier diet.
With set portion sizes, you’ll be able to plan out your meals each week with ease, ensuring mealtimes are always organised regardless of whether you’re eating in or taking your lunch with you to work. Ideal for safely transporting a vast selection of foodstuffs, meal prep containers are suitable for storing meat and fish as well as fruit and vegetables.
Not to mention, if you choose the best meal prep containers, you’ll also be able to use them for both cold and hot food. Ultimately, the convenience and practicality of the best meal prep containers makes them a popular container in many kitchens, so why not try them out yourself?
For the most robust meal prep containers that can handle varying food temperatures as well as any bumps in the road, it’s important to opt for containers that are made from only the most durable and resistant materials. So, which material is best for producing meal prep containers and why? Let’s find out!
What are the best meal prep containers – durability?
When it comes to picking the best meal prep containers, the first thing you need to consider is the material. Often constructed from plastic or glass, high-quality meal prep tupperware is designed to be food-safe and long-lasting. While glass is strong and safe for storing food, plastic tupperware is widely regarded as the more durable material for meal prep containers.
Meal prep containers made from plastic or glass also protect food from damage during transport and storage thanks to the rigid structure. Coupled with an airtight lid, they can easily maintain the freshness of the food within for up to five days. Another benefit of making meal prep containers from glass or plastic is the transparent exterior which allows the user to easily view the contents within. Plus, they can be easily labelled to help keep track of what the contents are and when they were made.
Typically found in polycarbonate plastics, BPA stands for bisphenol A and when used to make food containers, research has shown that it can seep into the contents. While some research suggests that exposure to BPA can have negative health effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still considers the low levels found in food to be safe.
However, if you prefer to err on the side of caution, any container that you decide to use for your meal prep should be BPA-free. To help you choose the best meal prep containers without BPA, try to avoid any plastics marked with recycle code 3 or 7 as these codes indicate that they may contain BPA.
It is also important to point out that many meal prep containers are not microwavable or dishwasher-safe as these processes can cause them to break down, releasing the chemicals within. With the majority of meal prep containers currently being made from plastics like polypropylene and low-density polyethylene, any cold pre-prepared meals will need to be transferred to a microwave-safe dish first before being reheated.
Polypropylene vs polyethylene meal prep containers: which is best?
While these two plastics share many of the same similarities, it’s important to distinguish between the two. Both polypropylene and polyethylene are lightweight, durable and have significant resistance to fluctuations in room temperature, acids and alcohols. Reusable and fully recyclable, both materials make excellent meal prep containers.
However, polypropylene boasts additional features that make it even more suitable for forming meal prep containers. This includes the fact that its highly-resistant to freezing, fatigue and chemical-leaching, making it a robust option for storing meals in the freezer, and unlike polyethylene, polypropylene is also pure and non-stretching.
Ultimately, this combination of characteristics creates a particularly strong, non-reactive and rigid container, making polypropylene the plastic of choice for the best meal prep containers.
What are the best meal prep containers – Size factor?
Every body is different which is why the amount and type of food that each person needs at mealtimes will naturally vary. As a result, what works for one person, won’t work for another, so taking a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t the best idea when choosing a meal prep container.
To pick the right size meal prep container, you should always take into consideration your personal diet goals. Some people may use the set portion sizes of meal prep tupperware to ensure they’re eating enough while others might use them to avoid over-eating. To ensure you’re consuming the correct amount of food at mealtimes, it’s always best to consult your GP or a professional dietitian.
However, if you’d like some basic guidance on picking the right size meal container, the standard takeout container can accommodate up to 750-millilitres of food. This larger size of meal prep container will typically satisfy the average appetite and can encourage the user to cook the right portion sizes – especially useful if you’re trying to increase your calorie intake.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to cut down on the amount of food you’re eating at mealtimes, then you may want to consider 500-millilitre meal prep tupperware or even smaller sizes. While you can always place less food in a larger container, a full, smaller container is instantly more appetising than a half-empty, larger container.
Once you’ve settled on the right meal prep container size, you’ll need to figure out exactly how many food storage containers you’ll need – thankfully, we can help here, too!
How many meal prep containers do you need?
Many meal prep-enthusiasts will make batch meals every weekend to prepare for the working week ahead. Typically focusing on either prepping lunches or dinners, they’ll require five containers – one for each day of the traditional working week. However, this will naturally depend on the schedule and preferences of each individual.
Those with limited time or more family members, for example, may require additional meal prep containers, whilst those with more time might prefer more freshly-cooked meals during the week. However, some health-fanatics or those on a budget may prefer to meal prep for every day of the week including the weekend. In this case, a set of seven meal prep containers would be the minimum requirement.
The majority of pre-prepared meals last up to five days in the fridge which is why five meal prep containers are often enough for individuals. However, you can often extend the lifespan of these dishes by freezing them in plastic meal prep containers with an airtight lid!
When frozen properly, the comestible content within should retain both its nutritional value and its flavour for weeks. As a result, you may want to use several meal prep containers for long-term freezer food storage and a set of five for storing your weekday dishes in the fridge.
The best number of meal prep containers is therefore totally dependent on the individual/household, but the above information should give you a rough idea of how many you might require. For companies placing bulk orders for meal prep containers, we sell our containers in pallets of 250 pieces.
How do I organise my meal prep containers?
Once you’ve selected the right size and number of meal prep containers to meet your mealtime requirements, it’s time to get organised. One of the best ways to stop losing lids and make the most of your kitchen cupboards is to use plastic storage boxes or drawer dividers to introduce some order amongst the kitchen chaos.
By adding structure with either wooden dividers or storage bins, you can separate the meal prep containers from the lids without misplacing them. As a result, meal prep containers of different sizes can be neatly stacked within one another while the lids can be stored vertically, ensuring they take up far less valuable storage space.
Most importantly, we recommend labelling each meal prep container after you’ve filled it with the name of the dish as well as the date it was made. This will help to avoid wasted food and ensure you select the right meal for each day. Particularly important if you prep vegetarian or vegan variations of certain dishes for different members of your family, a clear label on each container guarantees quick and easy differentiation.
The best meal prep containers
Searching for some of the best meal prep containers on the market? At Venturepak, we produce all kinds of strong, food-safe and tamper evident plastic packaging for companies including our high-quality meal prep containers.
Constructed from high-quality food-grade polypropylene, we ensure that our meal prep containers conform to the highest standards of food safety and hygiene regulations. Not to mention, we also use polypropylene to ensure our food packaging products are BPA-free, ideal for those who are concerned about the potential negative health effects of BPA.
Businesses can choose between our 500-millilitre and 750-millilitre containers to discover the perfect size for their requirements. No matter which container is right for your company, you can purchase bulk meal prep containers from Venturepak in box quantities of 250 pieces. For your peace of mind, we even offer a generous 3-year warranty period with our meal prep containers.
Ready to place an order or are you interested to find out more about Venturepak’s wide range of plastic packaging solutions? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch today with one of our friendly and knowledgeable members of staff! You can either call us on 01744 415111 or email us at sales@venturepak.co.uk to discuss your business’ packaging requirements.
Alternatively, you can also use our online contact form to send us your enquiry. Simply fill in your basic contact details including your name, email address and telephone number and we’ll be in touch shortly. Whatever your meal prep container or general packaging enquiry, our experienced team are always on hand to help!