Packing Lunch to Go Basics: Containers

There are many reasons people choose to pack lunches to take with them to work or for children to take to school. Whether those reasons include wanting to eat certain foods from home or trying to save money, all of those who pack lunches know there are several things to decide upon when embarking on such an endeavor. I,myself, have been collecting ideas, tips and tricks for lunch packing for my entire marriage-over 16 years now-because my husband likes to take his lunch to work most days. The remainder of this article addresses several things to consider when packing lunch for yourself or one you love.

The very first thing to consider is a container in which to pack the lunch. What type on container is preferred to get the job done right? There are quite a few options out there. For young children, the most popular choice is often a plastic lunch box with bright pop culture characters splashed on the outside, a matching thermos inside. Insulated lunch bags that are available in various colors are a good choice in that their shape allows for flexibility in the shape and size of containers you place inside the bag. Coolers of various sizes are another good option, a bonus being temperature control.

In addition to a container in which the entire lunch will be packed together, consideration also needs to be give to the types of containers inside the lunchbox/bag. Thermoses will serve for carrying beverages or foods such as soups, casseroles and chunky foods and also give temperature control to whatever the food item or beverage happens to be. Particularly, wide mouth thermoses are best in that they are versatile to any of the above items that might be packed in the lunch. Other containers to stock up on for packing lunches are zip-top or flip-top plastic bags and small, reusable plastic tubs that are available in various sizes. Small, reusable containers can be bought new or they can be empty, clean yogurt cups, sour cream bowls and the like. Reusing and saving money.

Once the containers are chosen, the next challenge in packing lunches for the workplace and/or school, is how to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot until mealtime. In this day and age, this is definitely much less of a challenge than it used to be. For cold food items, there are the above mentioned thermoses that are found as 'cold keeping only' and best of all, those ice blue cold packs. The ones that are put into the freezer overnight and ready to place in the lunchbox/bag the next day. These usually do a good job keeping things at at cool temperature. As for keeping hot foods hot, again the thermoses are top choice. The key is to heat the foods to very hot at home before placing them in a hot-water warmed thermos.

Whatever the personal reason for packing lunches for work or school, with just a little thought and preparation, the right container situation can be set up and lunch is good to go.