This Brilliant $15 Find Has Forever Changed My Freezer Storage (and Lunch-Packing!)
I cannot kick my resealable bag habit. I do my best to reuse them, but sometimes I can’t decide which is worse: wasting water trying to remove greasy food from inside the bag, or giving up and throwing them out. I thought reusable silicone bags would be the solution, but while they definitely work, most can be pretty tricky to clean, and they’re just as hard to dry because they still only open on one side.
Enter: Big Bee, Little Bee SoftShell Reusable Silicone Food Storage Containers. These ingenious little containers operate just like a reusable bag, with one crucial difference: They open on three sides. If that’s not enough of a selling point, here are nine reasons why I love them.
1. It’s effortless to clean.
When my kids come home from school, they don’t even need to rinse their SoftShell containers. They simply open them and drop them into the dishwasher next to the plates, saving time and water. If I had known that these containers would solve all our lunch box drama, I would have invested in them years ago.
2. Deep cleaning is a snap.
Not to slander my children prematurely, but when the Big Bee, Little Bee bags inevitably spend spring break marinating in a child’s backpack, the silicone panels can be fully removed for deep cleaning.
3. It’s easy to lock.
There’s no pinch-press seal on these beauties. Simply close the container and slide the lock into place. You can even do it blindfolded — just feel for the raised lock symbol. Young children can manage this independently, which is a selling point on its own.
4. It doubles as a plate.
Unlike a traditional resealable bag, the Big Bee, Little Bee containers double as plates. When open, they lie flat easily, and actually stay down. Double the surface space for lunch time!
5. It saves space.
My teenage daughter won’t take her splurgy PlanetBox bento box to school because it takes up too much space in her backpack. Her new seven-by-seven-inch SoftShell easily slips into the small pocket in the front of her bag, leaving plenty of room for her Chromebook and binder.
6. There are no lids to lose.
There are plenty of great solutions for lid storage, but why not forgo them altogether? With SoftShells, there are exactly zero lids to lose.
7. It’s microwave-safe.
My kids barely have time to eat lunch at school, let alone microwave it, but the SoftShells are indeed microwave-safe — just be sure to leave them open to vent. The edges are cool to the touch, even fresh from the microwave, making them safer to handle than a traditional plate.
8. It’s colorful and freezer-safe.
The SoftShells are also freezer-safe, which is the main place I use resealable bags. As an unexpected bonus, they make my freezer colorful and cheerful! They come in four fun, bright colors that kids love: lime, raspberry, grape, and aqua.
9. There are no hazardous materials.
The clamshell edges are made from BPA-free plastic, but the only part of the container that actually touches food is the FDA-grade silicone shell. All components are also free from the alphabet soup of bad actors: PVC, phthalates, and lead.
A word to the wise: Don’t wait.
These popular baggies are frequently out of stock, so I recommend placing your order as soon as you see that they’re available. When deciding how many you need, keep in mind that they are designed for sandwiches, snacks, and foods with thick sauces. In other words, they’re not made for your breakfast bone broth.
If you’re thinking $15 is a little steep for a single bag, think of how much you’ll save by not buying disposable plastic bags or food storage containers again. Plus, it’s better for the planet, and way more durable than your typical plastic bag! I’m crossing my fingers for a gallon-sized version — then, I’ll finally be able to ditch one-time-use plastic bags for good.
Buy: Big Bee, Little Bee SoftShell Reusable Silicone Food Storage Containers, $14.99
