Fall and winter are my busiest seasons of the year. Between the holidays, an onslaught of family birthdays, and my busiest months at work, every day can feel non-stop. That’s why I’m always looking for quick tricks to make meal and snack times as frictionless as possible.
Meal prepping is my superpower during these months, but making food in bulk can quickly become messy – particularly when it comes to portioning and finding food storage solutions that keep the whole process streamlined.
While hunting for new approaches, I stumbled across this pre-portioned brownie pan on Amazon and had a light-bulb moment. Its 18-section design means I can pour in batters, layer pasta dishes, and portion out snack mixes before cooking, then easily lift each serving from the pan in perfectly portioned slices, ready to be stored.
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Chicago Metallic Professional Slice Solutions Brownie Pan
This brownie pan features a removable divider to create 18 perfectly sliced portions, about three inches by two inches, making uniformly sized bakes with no need to use a knife to cut every piece.
While things such as Souper Cubes, also from Amazon, can be great for portioning out leftover soups, rice, and sauces, the silicone molds are not the best for chunky foods, be it pre-prepped sweet treats for a mid-week pick-me-up, or pre-prepared lasagnas or frittatas for quick, reheatable lunches.
This 18-hole brownie pan lets you prepare an oven-baked dish as usual, then slot the perfectly measured divider into place before cooking to separate the food into 18 evenly portioned blocks. The individual portions lift out easily, thanks to a removable base designed to prevent sticking, and can then be stacked in containers, such as the Caraway glass storage dishes from Crate & Barrel, or transferred into silicone food storage bags, such as Stasher from Amazon, ready for the fridge or freezer. You can also use the tray without the divider for everyday cooking, making it a two-in-one and saving space in your kitchen storage.
Better still, the pan is dishwasher-safe, making post-meal-prep clean-up much less of a chore. When you’re cooking in bulk, anything that makes meal prepping quicker and speeds up cleaning a kitchen after cooking is a win in my book.
Shoppers love the tray, with an average of 4.5/5 stars from over 2,000 reviews, with many claiming that despite the higher price, it is more than worth the investment and that you get what you pay for. One verified shopper, Joanne C, shared in their five-star review, ‘What can I say, what a great item. I love the pull-out tray and the perfect cutter. I love to cut them as soon as they come out of the oven. Saves a lot of time. No stickiness and cleans up really well; the size is great.’
Another reviewer, Viren B, had a similar idea to mine. In this five-star comment, they labelled the tray ‘game-changing ’, adding, ‘OMG this product is an absolute game changer; use it for multiple purposes. I used it to make tray bakes, and this made perfect quadrants and extremely professional and clean bars. Makes products look like they were purchased from a high-end store.’
What Else to Shop
To help you master meal prep and take the stress out of the back-to-school and hosting seasons, I’ve curated a selection of non-toxic meal prep essentials designed to make quick, healthy meal planning easier.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
Souper Cubes Silicone Soup Freezer Molds With Lids
Each silicone food mold features convenient 1/2 cup and one cup fill lines with both standard and metric measurements for easy portioning.
Mrsdry Silicone Freezer Molds With Base
This modular set is ideal if you need more flexibility in storing the cubes in your freezer. They are made from extra-thick, BPA-free, food-grade silicone, ensuring safe freezing and easy food removal.
Stasher Premium Reusable Silicone Food Storage Bags
When looking to limit waste, consider silicone food storage bags, too. These Stasher bags can help to keep food fresher for longer and are dishwasher-safe for easy reuse.
Bentgo Signature Glass Food Storage Containers With Lids
Many glass food containers still use plastic or bamboo lids. This Bentgo set comes with glass lids that are safe for the microwave, oven, and dishwasher.
Foodsaver Mini Handheld Vacuum Sealer
Save money by sealing in peak flavor and freshness with a long‑lasting, airtight seal that helps prevent freezer burn and food waste.
LocknLock Flip-Top Pantry Storage Set
With flip-top lids, these larger dried goods storage containers are ideal for things like pasta, cereals, and legumes for easy serving and longer-lasting freshness.
Feeling swamped by the holiday season? Fret not. Design and lifestyle expert Shea McGee has shared her top fall hosting hacks to survive the season.
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