Tips For Taking Food With You

[sandsurfgirl]

I posted these on another thread but I think it's good to have a thread for this.

Here are my tips. Post yours and spread the wealth of knowlege.

I use a cute cooler bag from Rachel Ray that looks like a purse. Not sure what guys can use, but maybe a smallish cooler in a backpack?

I have a small thermos for soup or pasta, etc.

Small stainless steel containers. If you search for them on a certain site we can't link to there are a whole bunch of different ones.

Tiffins are great little stainless steel bento box type containers in one or two layers. I just ordered some of those. It's circles that stack and interlock.

Mr. Bento or Ms. Bento keeps food hot or cold for hours and hours.

Bed Bath and Beyond sells an individual cupcake carrier. It's shaped like a cupcake with a dome lid so the frosting doesn't get ruined. I use it for my son to take a cupcake to parties.

All those containers aren't cheap but they will last forever. You don't want to carry hot food in plastic. Dangerous with the leaching chemicals. We don't use plastic at all in our house for food storage.

There is a microwave gel pack you can put in the cooler to keep hot food hot. Coolers are not only for cold food.

Here is my VERY BEST TIP!!! I found this by googling.

The BEST thing I've used for hot food is to heat bricks wrapped in foil in the oven, put them on a towel in the cooler and then the food on top in stainless steel or foil if its' solid like pizza. Then put towels over all of it and seal up the cooler. Keeps it smoking hot for hours. I put pizza in that contraption out of the oven and took it to a party. 2 hours later it was steaming when I unwrapped it and tasted so great nice and hot. I'm going to try breaking up a brick into smaller pieces for small meals and see if it works. Must heat in the oven, not in microwave!!!!

I bought small ice blocks and use more of them if I need more ice. They pack well in and around food. If I just want to take a small snack like a string cheese I put it on the small ice block and wrap both of them together in foil and throw it in my purse (backpack for guys.)

I've taken food to so many parties and get togethers and nobody knows the difference.

[dani nero]

I just have a bento box :-O I feel so unprepared!

[missy'smom]

Great tips.

Another that us moms use is to freeze a juicebox and use it as the icepack. Same with applesauce cups.

[Takala]

I've seen smaller (half) bricks at home supply stores, before you try breaking one. You could also contact a pottery maker and see if they could make you a custom one.

This is such great ancient technology, cooking with rocks is thousands of years old. We have so many rocks here, river polished granite types that came down from the great Sierra, that range in size from potatoes to grapefruits, that it would be easy for me to select one to use for this idea.

[sandsurfgirl]

I didn't know there are half bricks. I'll check that out. I'm not sure if rocks hold heat the same way bricks do because bricks are so porous. Try a rock or two and let us know if it works.

[sandsurfgirl]

I just have a bento box :-O I feel so unprepared!

LOL! I have a celiac child so I often have to bring food for both of us. My other child isn't celiac but she needs to eat too, so I end up bringing food along for 3 people.