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5 reasons why your meal prep already tastes like nothing by Wednesday. And what you actually can do about it.

Does this sound familiar? That one container that used to be transparent and is now permanently orange. Lids that vanish without a trace. A drawer that only closes if you shove it. And that smell that’s still there even after three washes.

I tried every internet trick: soaking in baking soda. Vinegar. Lemon. Overnight in bleach. Leaving it in the sun for hours “because that would help”. And in the end I just bought yet another new set.

Nothing worked. Until I understood why. Here’s what I discovered:

Note: read this before you buy yet another new set of plastic containers!
Sanne
Sanne ✓ Verified
Meal prepper & kitchen realist
Plastic container with an orange haze and scratches spinning in flash light
Recognize it? Clean out of the dishwasher, and still this.
Meal prep meal in a plastic container from day one to day three

1. That weird aftertaste on Wednesday? It’s your container

Cook on Sunday, tasty on Monday, fine on Tuesday. And on Wednesday there’s suddenly a weird taste that really wasn’t there on Sunday.

For years I thought it was my cooking. But plastic releases a little of itself into your food every time you reheat it. You can literally taste the container.

Same meal, different container, and the difference is gone. That was test one for me.

Container that still stinks after washing up

2. That salami smell never comes out. And that’s not on you

You wash it, put it in the cupboard, and a week later you still smell what was in it when you open it. No matter how often you wash it.

On Reddit I found hundreds of people with this exact problem. And it doesn’t matter what you put in it: that smell just won’t come out.

"Put salami in it, that smell never went away, so I tossed it."Reddit

👉 See the direct solution to that nasty smell here

Sending leftovers home in a container for your mother-in-law

3. You apologize for a container that’s actually clean

Last month I sent lasagna with my mother-in-law and heard myself say: "Sorry about how it looks—it really is clean."

That orange glow from tomato sauce, you’ll never get it out. Not with baking soda, not with bleach. Someone who used to sell the containers themselves confirmed it:

"You won’t get that out. Tomato sauce really soaks in. Curry too. And believe me… this happened to me as well."Former employee of a well-known container brand
In bed at night, searching why containers keep smelling

4. Your container is a sponge. That’s why no remedy works

One evening I was in bed searching why nothing helped. Hundreds of forum posts later, it clicked: plastic behaves like a sponge. It’s microscopically porous. Grease, smell, and colorants soak in and become part of the container itself.

And you can’t clean a sponge by scrubbing the outside. That’s why everything fails:

  • Baking soda: only reaches the surface
  • Vinegar and lemon: masks the smell for a week
  • Bleach: "still just as orange as this morning"
  • Sunlight: the stain might only get a shade lighter

Bonus: worn, porous plastic also releases microscopic particles into your food (microplastics). No panic—just a second reason to stop trying to salvage what’s worn out.

👉 Read what exactly happens when plastic goes in the microwave

Buying containers again and again, and still ending up with chaos in the drawer

5. Every time you buy the same disappointment all over again

So what do we all do? Buy a new set. Works great, for about six months. Then the new set is exactly like the old one: orange, smelly, and with lids that vanish without a trace.

Do the math: two sets a year, and a set like that easily costs €40 to €50. Plus the meals you throw away because they taste "weird." Cheap plastic is the most expensive option in your kitchen.

And the drawer? It just never closes again. I counted 23 containers, 14 lids, and 3 combinations that fit.

"I’m always searching like crazy. I’m always losing lids, or the drawer is so full again that I can’t close it."Ouders.nl

What did work: a material that isn’t a sponge

Glass doesn’t absorb anything and doesn’t release anything. No off taste on Wednesday, no curry smell forever, no orange tint—not because you clean better, but because there’s nowhere for grime to soak in.

I switched last year. It took me one evening of research and one box to unpack.

Plastic container after six months: discolored with melted spots Discoloration Melted plastic
Plastic after 6 monthsLeft: tomato sauce that will never come out. Right: white spots—that’s melted plastic from the microwave.
Glass storage containers still clear after months of use
Glass after 6 monthsDoesn’t melt, doesn’t discolor. Still exactly like day one.
The pitfall I almost fell into: lots of “glass” sets still have a plastic lid. The container stays nice, but the lid starts to stink and discolor. Your problem isn’t solved—it’s just moved. If you switch, go all the way: all glass, including the lid.

And you don’t have to throw out your old containers: demote them to the shed for screws and paintbrushes. Your food just doesn’t need to go in them anymore.

By the way, I’m not the only one who’s experienced it like this:

"The drama of turmeric stains and greasy residue is definitely a thing of the past; they’re very easy to clean."doe-duurzaam.nl, after a few months with glass containers
"Great—I finally wanted to get rid of that plastic. This should be the standard."Verified buyer, Bol.com

Which sets are truly all-glass?

That turned out to be quite a search: most sets called “glass” are glass with a plastic lid. I compared the popular sets side by side on material, lid, and a lot more—just what I would’ve wanted to know myself before comparing.

Click the button below for my comparison: View the comparison →
About Sanne · Writes about food, routines, and a household that mostly runs smoothly. Meal preps on Sundays, cooks with tomato sauce too often, and since last year has a kitchen drawer that actually closes.
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