For one person prepping five weekday lunches, six to seven containers in mixed sizes is usually enough. For a family of four batch-cooking dinners for the week, aim for twelve to fifteen, so you can eat some meals fresh from the fridge and freeze the rest in individual portions rather than one large tub. The exact number depends less on how many days you're prepping for and more on how much you plan to freeze.
The Quick Rule of Thumb: Portions Plus a Freezer Buffer
A simple way to work out how many containers you need is: count your planned portions for the week, then add roughly 30-40% more so you're not scraping by on wash day. If you're prepping five lunches for yourself, that's five containers in daily use plus two or three spares while others are in the dishwasher or still being washed by hand. If you batch-cook a big pot of chilli or curry on Sunday, official UK food safety guidance is to cool it and get it into the fridge within one to two hours, then eat it within 48 hours or freeze it — so you need enough containers on hand to portion and freeze the surplus straight away, not just enough for what you'll eat immediately.
Matching Container Size to the Meal
Good For You's glass containers come in three sizes, and picking the right mix matters more than the total count. The 5-pack is all one size — five 850ml (28oz) containers, each 19 x 13 x 7cm — which suits a single hearty main like chicken and rice or a full lunchbox salad in every pot. The 10-pack mixes sizes instead: five 1040ml (36oz) containers at 19.5 x 14.5 x 6cm for full mains, plus five smaller 370ml (13oz) containers at 14.5 x 10.5 x 4.3cm for sides, snacks or overnight oats. If your week includes both full dinners and smaller extras, the 10-pack's mixed sizing does more work than five identical large tubs.
How Long Meal Prep Actually Lasts Before You Need the Freezer
The UK Food Standards Agency's guidance on chilling, freezing and defrosting food says cooked food should be cooled at room temperature and put in the fridge within one to two hours, and that leftovers should be eaten within 48 hours or frozen if that won't happen in time. That 48-hour window is the real reason container count matters: if you're batch-cooking five dinners on a Sunday, only the first two days' worth can safely sit in the fridge — the rest needs to go into the freezer in its own portioned container well before then, which means you need enough containers free to do that split on day one, not later in the week.
Freezing in Glass Without Cracking It
Good For You's glass bases are borosilicate glass, which is thermal-shock resistant, so a container can go straight from the freezer into the microwave without the sudden temperature change causing damage. For liquids like soup, stew or curry sauce, leave around 2cm of headspace at the top before freezing, since liquid expands as it freezes and a container filled right to the rim can crack under that pressure. The FSA also recommends keeping your freezer at around -18°C and dividing food into smaller portions before freezing rather than one large batch, which cools and freezes faster and is exactly what a stack of individual containers is for.
Prepping for Kids Alongside Your Own Lunches
If you're portioning meals for a child as well as yourself, it's worth keeping their containers separate rather than trying to make one set do both jobs. Good For You's kids 6-pack is six 370ml (13oz) containers at 14.5 x 10.5 x 4.3cm, sized for toddlers through to primary-school-age portions — a pasta dish, a sandwich, or cut fruit and yoghurt as part of a packed lunch. Running a 6-pack for the kids alongside a 10-pack or 5-pack for the adults in the house means nobody's container ends up half-empty or overflowing, and it's easier to tell at a glance whose lunch is whose in a shared fridge.
Built to Last, Not to Bin
All three sets use the same borosilicate glass base with a BPA-free, LFGB-certified lid, and the glass base itself is dishwasher, microwave, freezer and oven safe up to 300°C — though the lid should always come off before the oven or microwave, and is best hand-washed to protect the silicone seal. Every Good For You container also carries a 2-year warranty covering manufacturing defects, and if a lid cracks or a seal wears out, replacement lids and glass bases are sold separately, so a single damaged part doesn't mean binning a whole set. Good For You currently has a free UK shipping offer running on its Shopify store as well, on top of the wider Amazon listings for anyone outside the UK checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many meal prep containers do I need for one person's lunches for a week?
Six to seven containers is a comfortable amount for five weekday lunches, giving you one spare or two while others are being washed. If you like variety with a main and a side each day, a mixed-size set such as a 10-pack works better than five identical large tubs.
What size glass container is best for a main meal versus a side or snack?
An 850ml or 1040ml container suits a full main like a curry, pasta bake or rice dish, while a 370ml container is sized for a side, a snack, overnight oats or a child's portion. Good For You's 10-pack includes both sizes for this reason, while the 5-pack is five 850ml all-rounders.
How long can I keep meal-prepped food in the fridge before I need to freeze it?
UK Food Standards Agency guidance says cooked food should be cooled and refrigerated within one to two hours, and leftovers should be eaten within 48 hours or frozen. If you're batch-cooking for a full week, plan to freeze anything beyond the first two days' portions.
Can glass meal prep containers go straight from the freezer into the microwave?
Yes — borosilicate glass is thermal-shock resistant, so it can go straight from the freezer into the microwave without cracking. Always remove the lid first, since the BPA-free lid is not microwave, oven, or dishwasher safe.
Are glass meal prep containers dishwasher safe?
The glass base is dishwasher safe, but the lid should be hand-washed to protect the silicone seal and keep it sealing tightly over time. Washing the lid by hand also helps stop food stains and odours building up in the seal groove.
Do I need different-sized containers for a child's portions?
Most parents find a smaller container, around 370ml, works better for toddler and primary-school portions than sharing adult-sized ones. Good For You's kids 6-pack is sized for this and is sold separately from the adult 10-pack and 5-pack sets.