A container holder adapted to hold a container between two spaced apart prongs is provided herein. The prongs clamp the container with a clamping force large enough to hold the container, but small enough to avoid damaging the container. The prongs may be spaced apart to fit different-sized containers, while the clamping force still meets these criteria. The clamping force may be provided by a substantially constant-force spring or a variable-force spring. In a method according to the present invention, a stack of nested containers is held in a container holder as described, for subsequent removal of a selected container from the stack.