Although we've been talking a great deal about making your own ice packs and items you can freeze to pull double duty, that doesn't always mean we want a chilled lunch. Sometimes a warm bowl of soup or stew or a container of leftovers will do the trick, but the microwave can be a hassle (or absent, in some workplaces). Here's a tip for preheating your lunch at home instead!
Aside from having a big fat high school sized crush on insulated food and beverage containers, they're super handy and far better for you than those thin flimsy plastic containers. Even the ones that say they're safe to put in the microwave have been known to melt a bit, or overheat, and that's a risk we're not willing to take — come on, this is lunch we're talking about!
Instead, use an insulated container (tall or short) and preheat it before you leave home.
Pre-Heat Your Lunch Box
Let's say you had lasagna the night before. Heat it up at home in the microwave or toaster oven on a microwave-safe plate.
While your lunch is warming up, boil a kettle of water and fill your empty lunch container with the boiling water. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes and then pour it out. Adding warm food to a warm container makes much more sense don't you think?
We've kept warm food, well... warm, for up to 6 hours before with this method and it means no waiting in line to use the smelly communal work microwave. It also means that your break time can be spent doing something other than heating your food and checking it. Heating it some more and then checking it.
You can sit back and catch up with some blog reading while enjoying a hot, home cooked meal!
Related: Lunch On-the-Go: Cool Thermoses to Keep Food Hot
(Image: Target)
10 Low-Budget Pantry Items Everyone Should Have
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Monterey Pitcher fr...
Dindi's Original Architectural Details
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Does this really keep food hot enough to ward off bacteria? Or just warm enough to allow it to grow?
ok, so I know this post is more about hot foods, but, do you know of any containers that would keep ice cream frozen until lunch time? I.e. if I put the container in the freezer the night before and then put ice cream in it in the morning and brought it to work... is there anything that would keep it cold enough to not be a soupy mess come lunch/dessert time?
I suppose in some situations this would be useful, but the case that boiling water, waiting 5 minutes, emptying the container and adding food is somehow LESS of a hassle than using a microwave is a difficult one to accept.
@caeebe- just warm. I do the boil the water method as stated above and the food does stay warm but cools rather quickly once the container is opened. Ok for 2 of my kids but my other reheats it all agian, so not worth the effort for him!
@caliH What if there isn't a microwave available where you eat your lunch?
That's the case with my school, so a good thermos is absolutely necessary for me.
Recently, I've bought pyrex lock and lock, so now most of the times I'll be using those instead of plastic containers; they heat well and don't melt :) I have microwaves at work, but I guess it's not a bad idea to heat before leaving work. Might try it one day, if I need to go somewhere that won'th ave a microwave.
Those who worry about bacteria...I have been doing this for years and nary a food poisoning episode. I remember friends in high school that had the Zojirushi Bento thermos that kept their food piping hot, and we are all doing well 20+ years later.