Glass VS Plastic Containers

By Julie | February 22, 2020

I often get the question “Are glass containers healthier”? Glass can be pricier than plastic but both have their pros and cons. Plastic containers are a more economically choice for meal prep if you’re on a budget. When you’re ready to invest a bit more investing in glass containers has some major benefits.

In this blog post we’ll outline the key factors of glass containers for meal prep. (Scroll to the end of this blog post for our personal chefs’ top picks for glass containers when meal prepping!)

Materials

It’s important to know what glass is made of to start understanding it in the simplest way. Glass is made from sand, limestone, soda ash, cullet (crushed bottles, and various additives. Sand is one of the main materials in glass making and is important because of it’s toxin-free purity. After raw materials and glass are collected it is melted at very high temperatures.

Environmentally

By using recycled glass less energy is used in production compared to manufacturing new glass since it can be melted at a lower temperature. Glass is 100% recyclable but not only that it can also be infinitely recycled! The process is quite short, once glass is thrown in the recycling bin it can be transformed into a new product within 30 days.

Freshness & Quality of food

Glass acts as a natural barrier from high temperatures or bacteria. This makes it one of the safest materials used to package food in. Glass has almost a zero rate of chemical interactions. This makes certain that the food items inside a glass container keep their strength, aroma, and flavor. Glass is also non-porous and impermeable which also helps the food inside as far as flavors and taste.

Reheating Food

Another added benefit of packaging food in glass is that a majority of glass containers are both heat resistant and dishwasher safe. This makes it super simple for reheating food since dinner can be heated directly in the oven. There’s less clean up at the end as well since the glass container and be thrown in the dishwasher after dinner!

Now that you know a bit more about your meal prep food containers you can make the best decision for you and your family. Want help picking out containers or ordering a set for your meal prep sessions? Contact us and we’d love to help.

Happy Eating! Chef Julie & The Mint Team