Frequently asked questions

No, and every page says so. Scores are editorial judgments compiled from the makers' own spec pages on a published rubric; every specification links to where it came from. The method is on the methodology page.

On one of five rubrics — containers, scales, shakers, lunch bags, cook & freeze — each metric 0–10, weighted, and averaged to one decimal by the site's build. The weights and the scoring rules are published in full.

Because Amazon sets them and they change daily. A price written into an article is stale the next day. Every button checks today's; when a live price layer is on, the number appears with its date and disappears after 48 hours if it can't be refreshed.

Amazon Associates commissions on qualifying purchases made through its links, at no extra cost to you. No sponsored placements, no free products. The full statement is on the affiliate disclosure.

No. Rankings come from the rubric before any link is added, and Amazon pays the same rate whichever product in a category you buy.

Mike M., the hands-on owner behind Iron Mako Media. No credentials are claimed; the method is published instead.

3 to 4 days at 40°F or below for cooked leftovers, per the USDA. Cook Sunday, eat through Wednesday, freeze Thursday and Friday.

Safe indefinitely at 0°F per the USDA; for quality, the FDA's chart gives cooked meat dishes 2–3 months, cooked poultry dishes 4–6 months, soups and stews 2–3 months.

Glass for the kitchen (oven, no stains, no odors); plastic for the commute (a third of the weight). Latched lids on either for a bag. The full argument is on glass vs plastic.

The ones whose makers use the word: Glasslock, Snapware, Rubbermaid Brilliance, Bentgo Glass, Ello, Sistema and W&P's screw-top. Press-on lids (Pyrex Simply Store, Bentgo Prep) are fridge seals.

Only if the maker designed it for that: Rubbermaid Brilliance (vents) and Bentgo Signature Glass (steam valve). Glasslock, Snapware and Sistema all say lid off or unlatched.

At least two cold sources, each at least 5 × 3 inches, above and below the food — the USDA's bag-lunch rule. A frozen water bottle counts as one.

As long as the ice packs. With two frozen packs, soft bags print 4–8 hours, hard-liner bags 2 days of ice, hard coolers 30 hours at 41°F. Without packs, the USDA's 2 hours.

Raw if you can; either way, log the matching database entry. Chicken loses roughly a quarter of its weight cooked, rice roughly triples — mixing entries is the error that matters.

No. Macros are logged in whole grams; every scale on the site is 1 g. 0.1 g is a supplement scale.

28 oz for two-scoop shakes with room to mix. 20 oz is a one-scoop bottle.

Protein and milk residue breaking down warm in the gasket channel, the whisk hub and, eventually, the plastic. Rinse within the hour; soak with baking soda; buy Tritan or steel next time.

A micom cooker with an extended keep-warm and a delay timer — the Zojirushi NS-TPC10 leads the ranking; the CUCKOO CR-0675F for twelve cooked cups; the Aroma ARC-914SBD on a budget.

Slow cooker if you cook before you leave the house; Instant Pot if you cook on Sunday and want one appliance. Both make the same chili.

Yes — every glass set on the site is rated for it. Leave an inch of headroom, cool the food first, thaw in the fridge, never freezer-to-hot-oven.

Email or the contact form. Corrections within seven days, noted on the page.