Review - OXO Soft Works POP Containers

How do you store dry bulk products in your pantry?

Until a few months ago, I either had them in their original containers sealed with chip clips, or I had them in large glass containers. The original packages with chip clips were unsightly, hard to organize, and weren't great for keeping food fresh. The large glass containers were cumbersome. I had searched for several months for a better option and had not found any containers to my liking until I came across the Soft Works POP containers made by OXO at Target one day.

The price is by far the biggest down side to these as they are not particularly cheap. There come in various shapes and sizes, but the larger ones get close to $20 and the very cheapest little guys are $6.99 (if I recall correctly). If I buy more, I will probably buy a multi pack online which can sometimes be found on sale.

Price aside, these containers are great!

Here are a few reasons why I love them:

• The pop tops work very well and keep a really nice airtight seal meaning my dry goods stay fresh for a long time.
• I have dropped one a couple of times and there has yet to be any cracking or breaking. I don't know about their long-term durability but I have had them for over 6 months so far and they all look like new despite heavy usage. Reading some online reviews I have seen a few complaints about cracking. While I haven't had any issues with this, I definitely recommend not being too abusive with them. Prior to having these I had glass containers so I have never gotten into the habit of just throwing them around.
• The pop tops come on and off very easily which is nice when I am multi-tasking and only have one hand to grab something out of the containers. 
• I love that they have perfectly vertical sides. Several containers on the market have slanted sides which take up unnecessary space in the pantry or counter top. These maximize space pretty well which is important for me since I don't have a whole lot to spare. 
• They are also stackable.
• They also come in convenient sizes meaning that they have a size that holds a standard bag of flour or sugar. I have had brands before where they held 95% of a bag, or were way too big and that always frustrated me.
• Easy to clean - I hand wash the tops which don't require frequent cleaning and I throw the container part in the dish washer. I haven't had any issues with them in the dish washer but I think that hand washing is recommended by the manufacturer.
• They are attractive.
• OXO POP containers are all BPA free which is important to me when it comes to food storage.

OXO also makes a couple of other lines that include similar pop top products. One is the OXO Good Grips POP containers. I haven't tried them personally, but I did notice at the store, that one big difference between the Good Grips and the Soft Works is the shape of the containers. The Soft Works have the perfectly flat, vertical walls whereas the Good Grips are a little stylized towards the top. I like the Soft Works because they are so space efficient so I don't think I would get the Good Grips. Here is a photo showing this difference:

It isn't a huge difference, but enough of one to make me go with the Soft Works.

In my kitchen I have 7 POP containers:

• 4.3 quart big square - flour
• 4.3 quart big square - sugar
• 1.7 quart rectangle - brown sugar
• 1.7 quart rectangle - powdered sugar
• 2.3 quart small square - spaghetti noodles
• 3.7 quart rectangle - goldfish crackers
• 2.6 quart big square - brown rice

   

I would really like a second 4.3 quart one for whole grain flour and a second 1.7 quart for corn starch. I will likely buy a multi-pack eventually.

The drawbacks of the POP containers:

• Relatively expensive
• They are more breakable than soft plastic containers (but probably less breakable than glass).
• The POP top lids take up more space than conventional lids. I don't find this to be a big deal but maybe with the very small sizes that I do not own, this would be a bigger annoyance. I would probably never buy the smallest sizes for this reason.

Disclaimer - I do not have any affiliation with OXO. I was not payed or given anything free in exchange for this review.