IKEA’s £5 stainless steel containers can transform meal prep

There’s a new material on the block that the most organised food preppers are raving about: stainless steel. And IKEA’s new 365+ food container collection, with prices from just £5, is absolutely worth your attention if you want to make the switch and get your fridge (and freezer!) looking a little more shipshape.

Last month I wrote about how changing from glass food storage to stainless steel had totally transformed my weekly food prep routine. The main benefits? The lightweight feel (perfect for work lunchboxes), the easy-to-clean surface and the fact that the material is very resistant to smells and oils – because after all, what’s worse than a musty food container?

Now IKEA is taking the stainless steel trend by storm with its ultra affordable collection. Here’s a closer look at the 365+ range and how it compares to the fabulous (though more expensive) Black + Blum versions I recently tried, which also have the added benefit of being microwave safe.

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IKEA’s 365+ collection already has thousands of five-star reviews from those who have made the switch to stainless steel, with customers noting that they love using them in their air fryer and being able to stack them for storage.

Plus, there’s the added benefit of mix and matching across lid materials. For meals or foods that you plan on stacking in your fridge, the corresponding bamboo lid for the size container is a good choice, as it not only looks great but means you can cut down on plastic.

If you want to pop both your containers and lids through the dishwasher, as well as take your lunches to work, IKEA’s selection of plastic lids will come in handy. Plus, if your main use for these containers is for freezing, plastic is much better suited to that process than bamboo.

As well as multi-functionality in terms of cooking and storing, I’ve discovered that stainless steel is such an easy material to clean. While I previously found that glass containers could hold onto bits of food and require soaking, stainless steel is much easier to get back squeaky clean with no scrubbing required.

And while we’ve all experienced the dreaded tomato-stained effect on plastic containers, stainless steel doesn’t hold onto smells or oils in the same way. It’s a less porous material and therefore much better for holding your foods.

For me, there is a big kicker with the IKEA range: the containers don’t appear to be microwave safe. That means that if you do want to reheat your leftovers, you’ll likely need to use your air fryer or oven, or transfer your food into another bowl.

I think that sounds like a lot of faff and for many, it might negate some of the benefits of switching to stainless steel from plastic. Alternatively, the ability to microwave leftovers in stainless steel was one of my favourite things about Black + Blum’s range when I tried it. Though much more expensive, the brand’s meal prep containers have plenty of features to make the extra spend worth it including microwave compatibility and vacuum-seal lids.

Whether you need a microwave-safe version or not, I can promise you that making the switch to stainless steel is very much worth it if you’re a keen meal prepper. Would you consider making the change to make day to day cooking and storing easier?