I use the glass Pyrex dishes. They're heavy in my backpack, but good for microwaving at work.

Same as heather77 - we use glass, as it can be microwaved (while stainless steel obviously cannot). It is heavier, but worth it to stay away from microwaving in plastic.

What's with all of the stainless steel? No glassware? What do you do with the stuff once you get where you're going and need to heat it up?

I'm with @heather77. Pyrex dishes are a bit cheaper and can be at least microwaved if the dish is better hot.

I use a Built neoprene lunch bag and glass Pyrex dishes. I LOVE my lunch bag. It holds my lunch, my water bottle, my cloth napkin and silverware, and a piece of fruit with room to spare.

I don't understand the stainless steel, either. I think tiffins are cool, but not very practical if you eat hot food for lunch.

I'd rather use old plastic than buy new anything. That's the greenest way.

I'm with Palmetto. I use old plastic storage containers for food, and "upcycle" plastic bread bags to carry them in. I'll always buy more bread so in theory I'll have new ones available for when the old ones have to be recycled.

I love tiffins! Mine is from World Market. If you bring just cold stuff to work, they are nice and compact. I've been bringing a sandwich, fruit or french carrot salad, and rice pudding. They're nice for liquidy things, too.

In winter I eat a lot of hot/leftover food, so I use glass containers. IKEA has some nice compact ones that are not too heavy.

I just love the tiffin because it has a handle and looks like a miniature vintage pie carrier. :) Plus it's so neat and organized! If only it had a cutlery carrier. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to sew one and tie it on!

Most of the lovely boxes displayed here are for bento. Bento is traditionally made in the morning and kept room temperature until it's time to eat. So from a western point of view, they're impractical, but from an eastern viewpoint, they make perfect sense.

In one way I regret the passing of CRT monitors and the new era of flat screens. The old CRT monitor was a great place to warm my lunch. Put the container [ usually stainless ] over the louvers in the back and cover with a meaningless report in the morning and by lunch time it [frequently rice and beans] was at a perfect temperature.

Anyone think of other sources of heat in the office? Xerox panini? Perhaps some of those USB coffee cup warmers?

Another vote for glass containers. In my household we use Glass-Lock (lock-n-lock in glass), Pyrex, or mason jars for packed lunches depending on the size, shape, and solidity/liquidity of the meal.

A piece of wax paper over the top of the Glass-Lock and Pyrex before I put the container top on tightens the seal and helps with leaks during transport. The wax paper is also good for covering the top during reheating in the microwave.

another vote for glass here. i, too, use pyrex dishes for most lunch items that aren't too liquid-y (i wrap my cloth napkin around it then secure with a rubber band). or mason jars (or repurposed food containers such as salsa or peanut butter jars) for foods that are apt to leak. glass cleans up so much easier than plastic - food smells don't absorb, etc... love it.

I have a bunch of Ball and Mason jars around, and I just use those with Ball brand plastic lids you can buy at the hardware store. Leak-proof, microwave-safe, and they don't hold odors like plastic. Also, a yogurt parfait looks quite cute in a mason jar, if I do say so myself =).

http://operagirlcooks.com

@phoxx -- I know what you mean! A long time ago a co-worker taught me to place one of those wrapped Lindt truffles on top of my old CRT monitor for 3 or 4 minutes, just enough to melt the ganache in the center to a molten state while keeping the shell completely intact. Pop entire truffle in mouth and get a huge chocolate rush.

Pyrex has done me well for the past 3 years. I got a set on sale at Target, even regular priced they are good, and when I cook a sauce based meal as a single guy, I usally end up with two lunches and one dinner. The two lunches go straight in the pyrex portioned out over their "grains" (whether it's a rice dish, pasta dish, whatever) and into the fridge. Then I eat my dinner and my call it a night. The rest of the sauce goes in the fridge in the pot I cooked it in, to be divided with the rice or the pasta later when I have to cook more.

This also prevents over-eating!

I just ordered the wool insulated lunchbox. Pricey, yes -- but bring my lunch EVERY DAY. I've used my LLBean lunchbox for years now. Yesterday, I poked the plastic lining with my paring knife and made a nice long cut. I shall now move to a sustainable lunchbox.

I bought a tiffin from my local non-profit store for under $20. No only is it lightweight and convenient (it can be a 3-tier or single tier), it can also be set directly on a stove or campfire.

I like the bamboo and steel containers. Lunch boxes with compartments are fun and give me a chance to make bento lunches! I've started eating clean and have a cooler now with me everywhere instead of my bento box and bag, but I still love to cram some bento in whenever I can :)

Check out http://www.lunchinabox.net for bento lunch ideas!

i thought about getting a lunchbots, but they got such poor reviews on amazon i passed. I'm still using my plastic tupperware.

Laura, I'm still using my Tupperware as well. :-( I want to find something non-plastic that doesn't weigh a ton and is microwavable. The tiffins are just not workable for my office's microwave. I might give the Mason jar idea a try. If I put that in a Neoprene lunch bag, it might work well.

Now if I could just get my husband to remember to bring those home from the office, I might be set. :-)

Has anyone heard of sillicone lunch containers? I like being able to heat up my lunch in something other than plastic but I'm a preschool teacher, which means no glass! Sillicone is the best of both worlds--it's sturdy AND heatsafe--they even use it to make bakeware!

Check out weangreen.com @weangreen They make amazing glass containers that are pretty much indestructable! Perfect for school lunches - believe me!

I adore our Lunchbots, I was surprised to see someone above say they got poor reviews. I use them for packing kids lunches (sandwhiches and snacks, fruits and veggies) and in the two years we have been using them they have been absolutely bomb proof. I was just looking on their website yesterday and saw they have new shapes and sizes since I first discovered them.

You can find fantastic stuff at casabento :)