Thermos

[GlutenGalAZ]

I am looking into buying a thermos to use at work and day trips. There is a microwave at work that I use off and on but with so many other people using it and then making sure it is clean each time is time consuming.

What type of thermos and size have you found is useful?

I was thinking Wide Mouth so I can eat out of it and not have to worry about a bowl/plate. What about thermos size -- the 10oz might be too small so maybe a 17oz type size? Thermos brand Stainless Steel -- good investment?

I think the last time I ever used one was Elementary School -- lunchbox thermos.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[stolly]

DD uses a thermos for lunch at preschool. She's 2.5, so 10 oz works well for her. It's a wide mouth Thermos brand and it's great! I definitely recommend Thermos brand. One tip is to fill it with hot, hot (or microwaved) water for at least 5 minutes in the morning so the food will stay hot longer. I usually go downstairs and fill it with the water while brushing my teeth, let the hot water sit while we get dressed for work/school, so it's nice and toasty when I put her heated food into it.

[GlutenGalAZ]

DD uses a thermos for lunch at preschool. She's 2.5, so 10 oz works well for her. It's a wide mouth Thermos brand and it's great! I definitely recommend Thermos brand. One tip is to fill it with hot, hot (or microwaved) water for at least 5 minutes in the morning so the food will stay hot longer. I usually go downstairs and fill it with the water while brushing my teeth, let the hot water sit while we get dressed for work/school, so it's nice and toasty when I put her heated food into it.

Thank you for the info. That is a really good idea to put hot water in the thermos while you are making the food or getting ready in the am to make it hotter longer -- thanks

I saw at the store the 10oz Thermos the other day, I am thinking then that I would get the 17oz or so wide mouth thermos (saw online).

Thanks again

[Guhlia]

Keep in mind that with the Thermos stuff you get what you pay for. I bought a $25 food jar and then I bought a $35 food jar and the more expensive one works SO MUCH better. I never even use the cheaper one anymore. I know it seems like a big investment for a little jar, but its well worth it to spend the extra money and get the top of the line model.

[Juliebove]

My daughter has several of the 10 oz. ones. They are a bit small (she's 10 and has a big appetite), but they only get 15 minutes to eat so by adding some fruit and veg and maybe some chips to round it out, it is enough food.

[GlutenGalAZ]

Thank you everyone for your input

Yes, the prices are kind of scary but I do agree good investment in the long run if used. So I have been looking at the sizes etc and will probably have to order it somewhere online b/c I am not having luck finding a good size for eating (not drinking) out of. I have seen the 10oz one so I am thinking next time I make something that I would use the thermos for I will put it in a measuring cut and see how many oz it would be.

Thanks again

[gf4life]

Has anyone tried the All-in-one food carrier? It is made by Thermos and has 4 smaller microwavable containers that stack on each other and fit inside the larger insulated jar. I am curious how well it works keeping hot food hot. I have a dire need to provide my 9 year old daughter with a hot, healthy gluten-free dinner two nights a week while she is out of town at dance classes and do not have access to a microwave. So the food would have to stay warm for about 5 hours in this container. It also works for cold food, just not both at the same time...but if I had two I could provide hot and cold foods for the same meal, and I have to have two so I can eat too while out of town with her...

Any info anyone has on these would be greatly appreciated before I spend that kind of money!

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[Darn210]

Has anyone tried the All-in-one food carrier? It is made by Thermos and has 4 smaller microwavable containers that stack on each other and fit inside the larger insulated jar. I am curious how well it works keeping hot food hot. I have a dire need to provide my 9 year old daughter with a hot, healthy gluten-free dinner two nights a week while she is out of town at dance classes and do not have access to a microwave. So the food would have to stay warm for about 5 hours in this container. It also works for cold food, just not both at the same time...but if I had two I could provide hot and cold foods for the same meal, and I have to have two so I can eat too while out of town with her...

Any info anyone has on these would be greatly appreciated before I spend that kind of money!

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That's pretty cool . . . I had not seen that before . . . Have you seen anywhere where they have broken down the capacity/sizes of the individual containers?

Ever so slightly off-topic . . . your post reminds me of this joke (no offense to any blondies):

A blond woman walks into a store. Curious about a shiny object, she asks, "What is that?"

The store clerk responds, "It's a thermos."

The blond then asks, "What does it do?"

The clerk says "It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold." So she buys one.

The next day, she brings it to work with her. Her boss, also a blond, asks, "What is that shiny object?"

She replies "It's a thermos."

He asks, "What does it do?"

She says, "It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold."

He then asks, "What do you have in there?"

"Two cups of coffee and an ice cream."

[Darn210]

That's pretty cool . . . I had not seen that before . . . Have you seen anywhere where they have broken down the capacity/sizes of the individual containers?

Went googling to try and answer my own question . . . which I didn't . . . but I did find it cheaper here than in the link you provided. Of course I didn't check shipping, so that could void the difference.

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[Juliebove]

Interesting! I have not tried that one, but... Two years ago, I bought Thermos microwaveable containers. I thought this was a great idea because I could put leftovers in there after dinner then just microwave them in the morning before school. Sounded like a great idea, but twice the jars wouldn't open. The teachers tried and couldn't get them to open, so daughter didn't get much to eat that day. The second time it happened, *nobody* could get the jar open. I even tried tools.

So my suggestion to you if you do get this is not to microwave the food *in* the jar. I think what happens is the food gets too hot in the jar and when you put the lid on, it makes steam and creates a vapor lock. That's the only thing I can figure.

[gf4life]

Hi Janet,

I saw that one for $35 at the kitchen store, but also found it cheaper than that ($28) at TotalVac.com and they offered free shipping over $50, so I went ahead and ordered two from them.

I was trying to find a site that would list the individual cup size. I will look around a bit more and post it is I do find it. I did read somewhere that the actual metal "thermos" part of the food carrier is not intended to be used without the cups inside of it.

[MaryJones2]

The Mr. and Mrs. Bentos are similar but I think they are a little more expensive than the Thermos.

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[gf4life]

I can't seem to find the actual amounts of each cup, but the total jar holds 48oz total. Judging by the photo and the different sizes of containers it looks like the largest one is about 16oz, then maybe 14, 12 and 6. But again these are just guesses. I can tell you for sure when they get here. Here is the link to the place I ordered from. The lowest price online, and free shipping over $50!

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I did look at the Bento products, but they said they only keep food "warm" and the main site says heat retention for 6 hours, and the Thermos says it can keep food hot for 12hours! I sure hope so. I will have the food as hot as possible when I put it in just to make sure. I don't like cold food that is supposed to be hot!