Most meal prep routines fail for a logistical reason rather than a motivational one: you run out of clean containers by Wednesday. Buying enough of them is the single change that makes the habit stick.
Glass or plastic
The honest answer is both, for different jobs.
Glass does not stain, does not hold oil, and does not keep the smell of last week's curry. Tomato and turmeric turn plastic orange permanently; glass washes back to new every time. It also goes into an oven, which plastic does not. The costs are weight and the risk of breaking one.
Plastic is light, cheap enough to buy fifty of, and survives being dropped in a car park. For portions you carry daily, that matters more than staining does. Look for polypropylene or polycarbonate rated across a wide temperature range rather than unspecified plastic.
What actually matters
- The seal, not the lid. A lid that clips is not the same as a lid with a silicone gasket. Only one of them survives being carried sideways in a bag.
- Compartments, if you eat anything saucy. A single compartment turns a good lunch into a soggy one by midday. Keeping the wet thing away from the rice is the difference between food you look forward to and food you skip.
- Square beats round for storage. Round containers waste the gaps between them. On a full fridge shelf that adds up.
- Stackability. Fifty containers only help if they nest when empty.
- Freezer-to-microwave rating. Check the actual temperature range. Batch cooking means freezing, and cheap plastic cracks.
How many is enough
Count your meals, not your containers. Five lunches plus a couple of batch-cooked dinners means you want at least fourteen in rotation so there are always clean ones while others are in the wash. This is why containers are sold in packs of fifty rather than four.