Hot Winter Lunch Box Ideas: How to Use a Thermos!

My husband is a lineman and takes his lunch every day. When the winter temps are freezing, I want to send hot meals in his lunch box. Here are some ideas to make your loved one's lunch box a warming experience.

These are ideas that work for my husband's physical size, condition and the work he does, which is being outside and doing physical work. If you have someone on a specific diet, just use these ideas and substitute with what your husband or child can eat.

Thermos and insulated cups are a must!

You can find a good thermos in most big chain stores, some grocery stores and on the Internet. Look for the widemouthed thermos made for food. A narrow mouth indicates that it is for liquid. Be sure to take note of how tall the thermos or cup is. Some are too tall to get a spoon easily to the bottom.

Preparation and care of a thermos.

Keeping your thermos clean is a must. Before you put hot food in the thermos, run extremely hot water in it and let it set. The water heats the thermos so your food doesn't have to. That means your food will stay hot longer in the lunch box. Make sure to open and clean the thermos as soon as you can after having milk based or creamed soups. They tend to create gas quickly in the thermos. Completely fill the thermos to help keep the food as hot as possible.

Hot Food ideas that work well in lunch boxes.

Soups, (homemade or from the can) that are heated thoroughly do very well in lunch box meals. Thoroughly heated casseroles also work. You can pack baked potatoes or sweet potatoes in the thermos. The trick is to fill the thermos so there are no air holes that would cause the food to cool off. Send butter or sour cream along in a Dixie cup covered by plastic wrap. Cooked ground hamburger and hot dips for tortilla chips work if you fill the thermos completely. Pack a sandwich bag of chips with it. You can also send along a small plate that just fits the lunch box. Spaghetti stays hot, if you heat it all the way through.

Hot Food ideas that don't work well in lunch boxes.

Hot dogs. Surprised? I have tried them and my husband says they don't stay hot long enough. If you cut them up, heat them and pack them tightly they will stay hot longer. The air space around the hot dog cools them off. French fries or fried potatoes lose their heat too fast too.

Packing hot winter meals for the lunch box is not hard. Just remember to preheat the thermos, heat the food until it is hot all the way through and completely pack the thermos!