Rubbermaid 12-Piece New Premier Food Storage Container Set
by Rubbermaid
|
List Price: Our Price: $19.98 You Save: $10.02 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $15.22 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Rubbermaid 12-Piece New Premier Food Storage Container Set
Customer Review: Big improvement over the original Premier line
Summary: 5 Stars
To start with, let me say I realize this review is a little over the top. I mean after all, we are talking about a cheap little container we use to store left-over macaroni. That being said, if you're like my family we end up storing, heating, and washing these containers a lot and we want them to clean up easy, not warp or crack in the dishwasher, and above all, to be safe (especially for use when my wife is pregnant and for storing or heating food for our children).
The original Premier line was the only plastic food storage product I've ever owned that didn't stain when it held tomato sauce. It's wasn't just tomato sauce: all kinds of berries in sugar, purple cabbage, beets, you name it we've stored it. They just didn't stain. They were hard, durable, and the lids were really easy to put on and take off. Microwaving and dishwashing did little to the appearance (they dull slightly but it's barely noticeable). Easily the best product of its kind I'd ever owned.
And one day I threw them all away.
When my wife and I started our family we took a good survey of the science and decided that the health risks associated with BPA were probably real. We are both very analytical engineers who did way too much research into this. We decided that while the risks to adults were inconclusive there was serious indicators that BPA's endocrine disrupting aspects were very likely a health risk for babies, particularly in the early days of fetal development (one large manufacturer of BPA now refuses to sell it for use in infant products). We decided to get rid of any polycarbonate food containers made with BPA and so the Premier (which contained BPA) got tossed out. We switched to the Easy Find Lids line which was good, but not as good as the Premiere line.
In of March 2010 Rubbermaid introduced a new line of Premier food storage containers that are BPA free. These have red lids, a swirl pattern in the plastic and "BPA Free" stamped on the bottom. These are made using the "Tritan" branded co-polymer manufactured by Eastman. Eastman has specifically developed Tritan to avoid the health risks associated with plastics made with BPA. So there are two questions: Is it safe? And does it work as well as the old Premier line?
Is it safe?
The answer appears to be yes, and I think Eastman has done a good job of publishing their testing methods and using reputable outside research to validate that Tritan is very safe. It passes (of course) the basic toxicity test and skin testing (to their great credit Eastman has published their testing methods for peer review). More importantly none of the monomers used in manufacturing (there are three) interact with the endocrine system. To be specific they were tested by the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for estrogen and testosterone binding (there was none). It was further subjected to both Ueterotrophic and Hershberger assays by Wil Research Laboratories. The uterotrophic assay test for estrogenicity (basically "does it imitate estrogen") on both immature and ovulating female rats. The Hershberger assays test for androgen affects (most notably testosterone). In both cases there were no affects. (BPA for example has demonstrated BPA-induced uterotrophy in rats in testing done by the National Institutes of Health.) In short, pregnant women and babies can safely use these products: it should not disrupt natural hormonal activity.
Does it work?
In most cases Tritan is better than polycarbonate and better than other BPA free alternatives such as transparent ABS, cyclic olefin, and impact modified acrylics. About the only thing that the "old" Premier was better at was heat resistance. What distinguishes Tritan from other co-polymers is that it combines hydrolytic resistance, heat resistance, stress tolerance and chemical resistance. Which is to say you can clean in the dishwasher over and over without it warping or cracking. A home dishwasher attacks dishes with heat (up to 70c) chemical detergents, water, and abrasion (when overpacked). Tritan has a transition temperature of around 110c (just enough to let you safely sterilize baby bottles made from it) far above the temperature of even commercial dishwashers. Tritan is also less like to warp or crack under stress than polycarbonate. So whereas the old Premiere might crack or warp after a dozen runs in an overfull dishwasher, the new Premier can survive hundreds of such runs. It's high chemical resistance not only protects it from detergents it means you can store tomato sauce in it. In short it's generally better than the old Premier line except that if you leave both too close to the stove, the new Premier will melt first. So don't do that.
I've tried them out myself and I have to say the new Premier line is probably the best plastic food container line out there. I don't particularly care for the swirly lines, but aside from that I really like them.
Customer Review: Incredible Set!
Summary: 5 Stars
*****
This is a great set---10 separate pieces each with lids---and a stunning value! They stack so that storage is easy---they come in a 9" x 8" x 11" box, so they fit into a very small space. This is a great all-around set, with items of all different sizes, a good starter set, too.
I have other Rubbermaid Stain Shield items, and I really love them. They are made from a very hard plastic (polycarbonate) which is made to last forever. The lids fit well and seal very tightly, but aren't too hard for me to get off at all. They don't stain even with tomato products and are really easy to clean.
This product looks like it will last a long time. Some reviewers have occasionally mentioned cracking and breaking; however, I can't imagine this as a potential problem for me because these items are really sturdy and we're not overly rough with our containers. Our other Rubbermaid Stain Series items have lasted for months with no problems. They definitely are not made of the same material as typical Rubbermaid plastic, but that's because polycarbonate is not porous, not made to absorb stains or odors. I love the polycarbonate material, and have never had anything ever made with it break or crack, only cloud up a bit with age and heavy use (I also scrub them with steel wool sometimes, though, which is probably why).
This Rubbermaid Stain Shield set comes with a Lifetime Warranty which is printed on the box. They say they will compensate you for any product defects and will not charge you for labor, service, or parts, and then give you an 800 number to call to make a claim. The warranty does not cover damage due to accident, misuse, or abuse of the storage pieces, which they say includes melting, warping, burning, or scratches. So...don't stick these in your oven, or drive over them with your car, throw them in your woodstove in the winter, or try to hack them in two with an ax, and I think you'll be just fine. If you have any other type of problem, you get your money back (even plus the sales tax, they say). Hey, I'm totally satisfied---not many products are this great and then have a warranty like this to boot!
*****
Customer Review: Worse Tuperware Set Ever
Summary: 2 Stars
Air-tight storage containers are an essential tool in any kitchen, but steer away from this mess. It fails in four categories all centered around the lid:
STORAGE: The lids are bulky and difficult to store. They take up almost as much space as the bases.
CLEAN-UP: The excess number of grooves in the bottom of the lids makes it impossible to fully clean by hand. The extra grooves are needed to lock the lids together. I have no idea why you'd want to do this. And they also hold water if put into the dishwasher so be prepared to dry them when removing them.
CLOSURE: The bottom of the lids recess into the base. If you fill it with liquid and snap the lid you're going to wind up cleaning that liquid off your ceiling.
SEAL: Every piece that I have will leak liquid. If liquid can get out than air can get in. Isn't having a air-tight seal Tupperware's claim to fame? Rubbermaid should avoid competition with them.
I hope Rubbermaid fired the brilliant packaging engineer who came up with this one and the executive who signed off on it.
Customer Review: Great product
Summary: 5 Stars
This is our third set of this container set. My wife loves them. We got a third set after we realized out we needed more storage containers. We had gotten the first two sets as a trial to see if we would like them. The lids are great as they stack and don't get lost and the containers stack easily. We have tried other storage containers and none are like these as far as quality. They don't stain and are easily stackable in the refrigerator and it's easy to see what is in them. Great product. We probably will get more as our kids get bigger. They are in my opinion a great value. They are dishwasher safe and look great even after daily repeated use.Customer Review: Perfect Gift Item - Most Popular at our Christmas Party
Summary: 5 Stars
For our Xmas party at work, I bought this set because of its features, name-recognition and price. We played 'dirty Santa' and this item was the most stolen item of the afternoon. Everyone wanted it...including me. The most interesting features on the product were no-BPAs and the fact that it's non-staining. The sizes and appearance are very attractive. I personally love that the lids and containers can stack together and nothing gets lost. The flexible lids fit snugly and the containers stack nicely in the fridge. Most of my plastic containers are opaque; these are absolutely clear which is much more desirable. Great job, Rubbermaid!