It is important to know at least how the food should be stored after cooking and the type of containers that are most suitable.  Basic food safety and hygiene procedures during the cooking process should also be kept to as well.  You wouldn’t want all the money you saved from bringing lunchbox meals to end up at the doctor’s right?  LOL.

Here are some tips to share with you:

For items that should be kept chilled, like salads, sushi, cold cuts, yogurt, milk, always transport them in an insulated bag with a cooler pack.

For hot meals, it is most convenient to transport them in a thermos flask.  Single thermos flasks are great for a single-dish soup meal.  But if you have two dishes and rice, there are also thermos flasks with three or four compartments to separate them.  Just take them out one by one and it will look like you are having a feast!

For simpler meals like peanut butter sandwiches, muffins, cookies, or roast chicken pitas, that does not require any heating up, you can store them in a normal plastic container.

For lunchbox meals that are cooked in advance, for e.g., the night before, you have to be extra careful though in handling your food for the next day.

• Make sure the cooked food is allowed to cool before storing in the fridge.
• If you intend to reheat the food with a microwave at your workplace, remember to store your food in microwave-safe containers only as normal containers may melt during heating and contaminate your food.  In the morning, transfer your containers from the fridge directly into an insulated bag (preferably with a cooler pack) so that it stays cool till your lunch time.
• If you intend to bring your food in a thermos flask, reheat them thoroughly at home before transferring them into the flask.  Make sure the cover is sealed well to keep the food warm.

When reheating food in a microwave, make sure the lunchbox is steaming hot before taking it out.  I usually do a “Defrost” for 1 minute, followed by a “Medium High” setting for 2 minutes.  If you suspect that the food is not hot enough, do reheat another minute.  If you see steam coming out of the food, it should be ready.

These are what I usually take note of while preparing my lunch box meals and so far everything has been fine (no tummy aches and visits to the doctor).  LOL.

Looks like I must be doing it quite right?

You can too!

Fast forward 25 years later, this is the current lunch box that I have been recently using.

It is an improvised type of tiffin carrier which can keep the food warm.  There are three individual food containers in the set, great for a staple (rice/ noodles) and 2 dishes (meat/ vegetables) or even soup.

To transport it, just stack up the three containers, clasp the handles together and they will be secured in place.  It is very easy to carry around and best of all, the surface is not hot as the exterior is insulated by plastic.

Sometimes, I also use it as a dinner box for Hubby if he comes back late for dinner as the food can be kept warm for about four to five hours.

A tip to share about using food thermos containers:  Fill the thermos with some hot water before you use it.  Pour the water away just before putting the food in and it will stay warmer for a longer time.

I do use microwaveable food containers at times too, but this lunch box does without the need to heat the food up as long as it is consumed in a short time.

Sometimes I feel so lazy and hungry that the thought of opening up these boxes and being able to start eating immediately is just bliss!  Haha.

Almost 25 years of age!

My mum kept these in her kitchen cabinets all these years and when I got married, she gave it to me as part of the dowry.  Haha.  Isn’t it amazing?

Although it may look like any simple lunch box and water bottle, but they bring back fond memories for me.  We got this lunch box and water bottle for my first year of school.  I remember we went to a now-defunct Japanese department store to buy them.  At that time, Made In Japan products were pretty expensive but I liked them so much that we got them all the same.

The square lunch box is really very small and I remembered all I could fit in was a slice of peanut butter bread or some cornflakes.  I also remember an incident where this cute lamb water bottle leaked and my whole bag of books became wet as a result.  I was really scared then, being so new to school so I think I cried buckets.  Haha.  Fortunately, my teacher did not scold me but comforted me instead.  She even helped me lay the books out in the sun to dry.

Looking back, it’s really embarrassing right?  But kids will always be kids and at that age, I did not know how to handle the situation, except to cry and look pathetic.  And now it has become something that we always laugh at when we recall our childhood days!