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See why.Dry Storage Containers
Dry storage containers are designed to ensure that staples like flour and sugar stay fresh, dry, and safe from bugs or dust.
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Dry storage containers are designed to ensure that staples like flour and sugar stay fresh, dry, and safe from bugs or dust. Recently we’ve noticed lots of new containers sporting features like snap-down flaps, press-button seals, and built-in measurement levelers. Could any of these improve upon a simple plastic tub and lid? To find out, we scooped up eight models priced from $9.03 to $23.74 and had a team of test cooks and editors put them through their paces. Our ideal: a spacious, durable, and easy-to-clean container wide enough to let us dip a measuring cup into its contents and sweep a knife across the rim of the cup to level it off without spills, with a lid that seals tightly and simply.
Moisture is the enemy of dry goods, so we started by testing whether each container could keep products fresh and dry. We filled each model with a measured amount of desiccant pebbles that change color when exposed to moisture. Every product passed this test, with all of the pebbles remaining bright blue and dry after two weeks.
Next: We expect a storage container to hold a standard 5-pound bag of flour with a little extra headroom so that we can scoop without spilling. One model utterly failed (it’s from New Zealand, where “standard” bags are smaller); a few 3½- or 4-quart containers technically fit the full flour bag but with minimal space at the top. Our favorites had a 6-quart capacity.
The shape of the container makes a big difference in how easy (and neat) it is to use. Narrow, rectangular containers (and those with openings less than 7 inches across) are compact on the shelf or counter. But they have less clearance on either side of a measuring cup, so dipping into the flour and leveling off the cup (a procedure we call “dip and sweep”) was difficult, and we often spilled flour onto the counter or the edge of the container. Square (or nearly square) containers were far easier to use, usually with plenty of room to level off any excess flour right back into the container.
Simpler models also proved better. Dry goods like flour and sugar are inherently messy, and anything we spilled got caught in the hinges and grooves of models with lids that fastened with snap-down flaps, where they either impeded the locking mechanism or spilled onto the counter. Sealing gaskets and valves also trapped water and were difficult to dry thoroughly after washing, dampening and therefore ruining our flour. Built-in ledges for leveling off a measuring cup just got in the way and were hard to use when the containers were full. Containers with plain, unadorned edges and lids worked best.
To test their seals, we opened and closed each model 50 times. W...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 3 stars out of 3.
There’s a reason that food service professionals use these storage containers. They’re sturdy, spacious, and dead simple to use and clean, with no pointless bells or whistles. While they come in a range of sizes, the 6-quart size fit our 5-pound bag of flour with room to spare. Note that the lid is sold separately.
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 3 stars out of 3.
Testers had high praise for the 6-quart version of our old favorite. It comfortably fits a 5-pound bag of flour and has no nooks or crannies to trap flour or moisture. One small quibble: It’s very slightly rectangular, making it difficult to tell at a glance which way the lid should be oriented. Note that the lid is sold separately.
Recommended with reservations
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 1 stars out of 3.
This container was great in terms of capacity and lid design. But it was just too narrow. A 1-cup measuring cup had minimal clearance on either side, making it both difficult and messy to dip and sweep.
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 2 stars out of 3.
Considerably taller and narrower than our favorites, this container required a bit more finesse when scooping flour if we wanted to keep counters clean. When it was nearly empty, testers had to reach in up to the elbow and complained about getting flour on their arms or clothing. The lid closes easily and forms a tight seal, but it must be washed by hand, and the push-button mechanism traps water.
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 2 stars out of 3.
Testers loved using this container’s push-button lid, which seals and releases easily and visibly. But we disliked reaching in up to our elbows to scoop flour when the container was almost empty, and its capacity is only 4 quarts. Both the container and the lid must be washed by hand, and the lid traps water.
Not Recommended
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 1 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 2 stars out of 3.
This petite container holds a standard bag of flour—in New Zealand—but it was just too small for the 5-pound bags sold in America and a bit too narrow for easy, neat leveling. The hinges on the container also trapped flour. However, testers liked the contoured edge that doubles as a handle.
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 2 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 1.5 stars out of 3.
The built-in leveler intrigued us—and it worked well with small scoops—but it was covered up when we poured in a full 5-pound bag of flour and was a tight fit for 1-cup measuring cups. We also had to orient the container in a certain direction in order to use the leveler comfortably. The hinge trapped flour, and the snap was difficult to seal.
- Seal: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 0 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Lid Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Neat Sweeping: 2 stars out of 3.
This container’s lid had a built-in hinged door that swung up, allowing us to use the inside edge as a leveler. While this worked well, it resulted in an excess of hinges and snaps: To completely seal up the container, we had to press a whopping five hinged snaps into place. Not only were they difficult to align properly, but they were also hard to clean. During a normal dishwashing cycle, water mixed with trapped flour on the underside of the lid and formed a gummy paste that dried and flaked off into the contents of the container.
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