How To Choose A Lunch Box

Eating home prepared meals is one of the most reasonable and healthy trends of our time. And today’s article will cover the topic of taking your favorite food to the office or another place.

There are plethora of disposable and reusable containers on the market. The first one is used in restaurants where they offer food takeaway services. And you actually can’t use this type of containers again. Reusable ones can be used over and over again and serve you for a long time if treated properly. So let’s talk about these ones in more details.

Different Kinds of Lunch Boxes and Meal Prep Bags

Lunch boxes are usually made of plastic. When buying one, pay your utmost attention to certificates confirming the item is BPA-free Though finding metal or wooden lunch boxes is as easy as pie as well. Some are even made of glass, yet they are not popular among users because of the weight.

According to this article from DiligentChef.com, forms and functionality of meal prep bags and lunch boxes are really different, so let’s take a closer look at them.

You can use a plastic container as a lunch box for storing food in the fridge. Yet keep in mind pouring soup or other liquids in there is not a good idea as they can easily leak if you carry them in a bag. However, putting nuts or fruit in this kind of item is quite an ordinary practice. Such containers are cheaper and are usually sold in sets.

Single compartment lunch box is a solid container having a pressure fitting lid, which can guarantee your food will never come out of it. Whenever you wonder if you can keep liquids in them, just try how well the lid seals on them. If you’re not sure, better use it only for second courses. Usually, the capacity of the lunch box makes it possible to carry an average portion of side and meat dishes, and it perfectly fits in a meal prep bag.

Soup lunch boxes are typically cylindrical. The manufacturers guarantee the lid seals well enough to prevent the liquid from leaking out. Some of them can even have handles for convenient drinking.

Multiple compartment lunch box has several sections to store different kinds of food and to prevent it from becoming messy. Manufacturers often produce sets of two or three containers that can be stacked on top of each other and fixed with the help of a clip or elastic band. These ones cost more, yet you can easily use them to carry both the first and the second courses and snacks.

Apart from having several compartments, Multifunctional lunch box is also equipped with sections for beverages and utensils. That’s why they are quite bulky and often can’t fit in a lady’s bag. Manufacturers also produce soft and hard meal prep bags for this purpose or lunch boxes usually come with a handle.

Thermal lunch box is a traditionally shaped container with one or several compartments used as thermoses. Thanks to this peculiarity your food remains warm for up to 12 hours.

Lunch box with heating system has a heating element which is capable of maintaining high temperature inside the item whenever plugged into a socket. This one is the most convenient and up-to-date container for carrying food, yet the price is rather high.

Some Handy Tips

•Consider the size and weight of the container, whether it is comfortable and handy to carry.

•Make sure your container is washing machine and microwave oven safe. Some items may not be suitable for them.

•Check the way the lid seals on the container. This is important so the liquids won’t leak into your bag.

•Before buying a container pour some liquid in it to make sure it’s leak proof. In case the lunch box is equipped with thermo insulation, check if this one’s working correctly too, if possible.

Important: even if the lid seals well, you need to be careful while carrying the lunch box. Don’t put it on sides or upside down, try to avoid dropping or hitting it. Use the container only for purposes it should be used for, don’t put it either into a microwave oven or a dishwashing machine or don’t use cleaning agent’s if all of this is not allowed by the manufacturer.

How to Care For a Lunch Box

Lunch boxes are very easy to use, the main point here is to empty it and wash properly after each use. If the item is made of cheap plastic, it can absorb odors. Once the lunch box smells, use water and soda solution to clean and refresh it. It is not good to use dishwashing detergent as it is hard to wash away.