How do you manage hot/cold lunches?

[twowhat?]

DDs have been interested in bringing hot lunches in their thermoses and I've just been jamming them into their planetbox lunch bags (not ideal) along with an ice pack for their yogurt, cheese, fruit, etc. But I don't think it's working - the ice pack cools the thermos down so that the food is only lukewarm by lunchtime. How do you pack lunches where you have both a hot a cold component? Or do you just not? I almost feel like I need to get different lunch bags for hot lunches vs. planetbox lunches...

[georgiegirl]

Generally I don't do hit and cold together. Sometimes I will send a yogurt stick (frozen) with a small tubular ice pack, wrapped together in a paper towel and put as far away as possible from the thermos. We use PBK retro lunch boxes though. Inside is usually a lunch bot with silicone muffin cups to make it "bento."

ETA: I don't think my kids care if the food is luke warm. Do you preheat your thermos with boiling water for 15 min?

[ett]

I don't think it's the ice pack that's cooling the thermos down; I think it's the thermos not keeping the food warm enough until lunchtime. I fill the thermos with hot water before putting the food warm which helps a bit. Also DS2 is fine with eating lukewarm food so he's never complained about the temperature.

[twowhat?]

I don't think it's the ice pack that's cooling the thermos down; I think it's the thermos not keeping the food warm enough until lunchtime. I fill the thermos with hot water before putting the food warm which helps a bit. Also DS2 is fine with eating lukewarm food so he's never complained about the temperature.

I do that too - really hot (boiling) water, with lid on, for 15 minutes...then I microwave the food until hot, dump out the hot water, add the food, then put the lid on...

[okinawama]

I do that too - really hot (boiling) water, with lid on, for 15 minutes...then I microwave the food until hot, dump out the hot water, add the food, then put the lid on...

This is what we do as well, and DS says that his food is still warm at lunch time (however, he does eat pretty early...11am).

[Mikey0709]

My keurig gets used just as much for water to warm thermos's as it does to make coffee! We also don't do hot/cold together.

[gatorsmom]

My kids also say the cold pack cools down the thermos. They really like the food in the thermos to stay hot and they claim it does when there is nothing cold in the lunch sack. I too prep it in the morning by pouring boiling water in the base while I warming up the food.

[ray7694]

Curious what you pack for hot

[Momit]

I send hot stuff with DS pretty frequently. Leftovers, pasta, soup, meatballs. I also heat the Funtainer with boiling water and microwave the food until it's super hot before putting it in. Usually I will send an applesauce pouch, crackers or piece of fruit with it - I try not to do something that needs to be chilled in the same lunch.

[Kindra178]

We switched to LE lunch boxes for this reason. Some days I send a Large Lunchbot and other days I will use a thermos.

[gatorsmom]

Curious what you pack for hot

My kids love mini raviolis, chicken nuggets, mini corndogs, their favorite
casseroles, enchiladas, leftovers, etc.

[kali]

Does the cold really need to be cold or can it be room temperature? I don't worry about keeping yogurt or cheese cold for a few hours (they were invented to preserve dairy, after all). Fruit, veggies, hummos are also safe at room temp the same day, as long as your kids don't mind that it's not refrigerator-cold.

We use the Zojirushi Ms. Bento (http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SL-MEE07AB-Ms-Bento-Stainless-Lunch/dp/B004FN2L0A/ref=pd_sim_k_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HV66B5KJP39WDVRAD19). If you prime it with hot water, the bottom container stays warm (my son takes in mini ravioli and meatballs and he's never complained) and the top gets no warmer than room temp. I usually put fruit in the top container and my kids report that it actually stays pretty cool.

[vonfirmath]

DDs have been interested in bringing hot lunches in their thermoses and I've just been jamming them into their planetbox lunch bags (not ideal) along with an ice pack for their yogurt, cheese, fruit, etc. But I don't think it's working - the ice pack cools the thermos down so that the food is only lukewarm by lunchtime. How do you pack lunches where you have both a hot a cold component? Or do you just not? I almost feel like I need to get different lunch bags for hot lunches vs. planetbox lunches...

I'd do a hot lunch or a cold lunch -- as you stated, you are working against yourself here. (OTOH I don't see the need to keep cheese and fruit cold.)