If you’ve recently made the switch from stained, warped plastic tubs to sleek glass meal prep containers, you might be hesitating at the freezer door. We’ve all heard the horror stories: you spend Sunday afternoon batch-cooking a delicious lasagna, pop it in the freezer, and come back a week later to find a cracked dish and a ruined meal.
So, can you freeze glass food containers? The short answer is yes—but only if you use the right type of glass.
Glass is actually one of the best materials for freezing food. Unlike plastic, it doesn’t absorb odors, stain from tomato sauce, or risk leaching chemicals like BPA into your food during long-term storage. However, physics is real, and water expands when it freezes. If you don't follow a few simple rules, that expansion can spell disaster.
Here is everything you need to know to freeze your meals safely, avoid breakage, and keep your "Good For You" containers looking brand new.
The Secret Ingredient: Borosilicate Glass
Not all glass is created equal. Most standard kitchen glassware (like old jam jars or cheap tumblers) is made of soda-lime glass. This type of glass is sensitive to "thermal shock"—rapid changes in temperature that cause the material to expand or contract too quickly, leading to cracks.
Premium meal prep containers, like the ones in our Good For You collection, are made from Borosilicate glass. This is the same durable material used in laboratory beakers. It is specifically engineered to handle extreme temperature fluctuations, meaning it can go from the freezer to the oven (and back again) much more safely than standard glass.
The 5 Golden Rules of Freezing in Glass
Even with high-quality borosilicate glass, you need to respect the laws of physics. Follow these five rules to ensure your meal prep survives the deep freeze.
1. The "Cool Down" Rule Never put piping hot food directly into the freezer. If you pour boiling soup into a glass container and immediately toss it into a -18°C freezer, you are testing the limits of thermal shock. Plus, putting hot food in the freezer raises the internal temperature of the appliance, risking the safety of your other stored food.
- The Fix: Let your meal cool to room temperature on the counter first. If you're in a rush, place the container in the fridge for an hour to bridge the temperature gap before moving it to the freezer.
2. Leave Room to Breathe (Headspace) This is the most common reason glass containers crack. Liquids (soup, stock, curry, sauces) expand when they freeze. If you fill your container to the very brim, the frozen food will push outward against the glass with immense pressure until it gives way.
- The Fix: Always leave about 2–3 cm (1 inch) of space at the top of the container. This "headspace" gives your food plenty of room to expand safely without stressing the glass.
3. Loose Lids for the First 24 Hours While our Good For You containers come with leak-proof, locking lids, locking them tight immediately can sometimes create a vacuum seal that makes the lid difficult to remove once frozen.
- The Fix: Place the lid on top of the container loosely until the food is fully frozen. Once solid (usually the next day), you can snap the locking wings shut to prevent freezer burn.
4. Skip the "Shoulders" If you are reusing old glass jars, be careful with jars that have narrow necks or "shoulders" (where the glass curves inward at the top). As food freezes and pushes upward, it hits that curve and can shatter the neck.
- The Fix: Stick to straight-sided containers, like our rectangular and square meal prep sets. The straight walls allow the food to slide upward as it expands, causing zero stress on the container.
5. Thaw Gently While borosilicate glass is tough, we don’t recommend taking a rock-solid frozen container and putting it directly into a 200°C oven. That is asking a lot of any material!
- The Fix: The best way to thaw is overnight in the fridge. If you are microwaving, use the defrost setting first and—crucially—remove the lid. While the glass base is microwave safe, most airtight lids (even high-quality ones) can warp if blasted with high heat while sealed.
Glass vs. Plastic: Which Wins the Freezer War?
We are obviously biased, but the science backs us up. Here is why glass is the superior choice for long-term freezing:
- Zero Staining: Freezing spaghetti bolognese in plastic? Say hello to a permanently orange container. Glass washes clean every time.
- Taste Integrity: Plastic is porous and can hold onto the "freezer funk" smell. Glass is non-porous, keeping your food tasting exactly like it did when you cooked it.
- Sustainability: Plastic containers become brittle and crack in the freezer over time. A good glass container can last a lifetime, saving you money and reducing waste.
Real-Life Use Case: The "Dump & Bake" Freezer Meal
One of the best ways to use your Good For You 5x Container Set is for "Dump & Bake" meals.
Prep raw ingredients (like marinated chicken breasts or veggie bakes) directly in the glass container and freeze them raw. When you need a quick dinner, let it thaw in the fridge during the day, remove the lid, and place the glass container directly into the oven to cook. You have just saved yourself a sink full of dirty prep bowls and pans!
Ready to Upgrade Your Meal Prep?
If you are tired of playing "will it crack?" with old jars, it’s time to invest in containers built for the job. Our Good For You Glass Meal Prep Sets are made from high-grade borosilicate glass, designed to handle the freezer, microwave, oven, and dishwasher with ease.
Shop the Collection Today and make your freezer a safer, more organized place.