I, too, recommend the pruplish/brown steamer bowls. We use them ALL the time, and we're just a regular family not in college. Perfect for veggies. The smaller one with the handle is perfect for soup/chili. And they have lasted so long, at least 10 years so far. I'm at the point where I want to replace them due to the slight damage to the plastic you get from the top of the bubbling food, but they still work perfectly fine. And the mini-spatula is perfect for lifting brownies out of the pan.

a roommate tried to melt caramels in it -- d'oh

The roommate didn't realize that melted sugar can actually melt plastic because it gets so hot. Same is true of trying to melt chocolate -- don't use a plastic bowl in the microwave for that.