OXO Good Grips POP Container, Airtight Food Storage for Pantry, 4.4 Qt

Why it's worth it

A square, airtight canister with a push-button lid you can open one-handed. It's the anchor of a pantry system you can expand piece by piece, and the lids work across the whole POP line so you never end up with orphans.

The push button is the whole argument. Press it and a silicone gasket clamps down; press it again and the lid pops free. You don't line up tabs or fight four latches with one hand while holding a measuring cup in the other. The button doubles as a handle for pulling the container off a high shelf. If your hands are tired, wet, or not as strong as they used to be, this matters more than any spec on the box.

Square containers beat round ones on a shelf, and it isn't close. Round canisters leave crescents of dead space at every corner. A row of POP containers sits edge to edge with nothing wasted, which is the difference between fitting six canisters on a shelf and fitting eight. On a standard pantry shelf, that's a full extra category of dry goods you can store without buying more furniture.

From our review of 5 kitchen storage containers, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The push button is the whole argument
• +Square containers beat round ones on a shelf, and it isn't close
• +Lid interchangeability sounds like a small thing until you've lost a lid
• +Owners who decant bulk goods report the seal holds up over months, not weeks

What to know

• –These cost more per container than nearly anything else here, and there's no way around it
• –The containers aren't rated for full-power microwave use, so this isn't your leftovers set
• –The clear plastic picks up fine scratches after a few years of dishwasher cycles