Eating homemade meals is a happiness. Opening a tiffin with warm dal or hot rotis makes you feel like home. Surprisingly though, keeping food warm without the help of a microwave is challenging for many people. Offices and colleges often lack proper options to warm food up.
Travelers also face the same challenge. If food is cold, the taste is diminished. Not to worry! There are simple tips and tricks to keep food warm for a long time, all of which you are able to do without any elaborate gadgets. Simply experiment with these ideas so you can enjoy freshly made warm meals whenever you want!
Everyone agrees that warm food tastes better. Especially with Indian food! It’s hard to argue that a warm bowl of dal or pilau isn’t better then its cold chin of love. Cold food is thick, has bleaker flavor and texture. Ayurveda explains that warm food is easier to digest, regenerate energy levels and reduce the bloating sensation. Eating hot food brings a sense of normalcy to an otherwise hard day.
Heat is transferred in food in three ways: conduction – from the food to the walls of the container, convection – allows air at the top of tiffin to circle, and lastly, radiation – heat escapes into the air. Insulation reduces heat through conduction, convection, and thermal reaction. By packing food smartly inside the tiffin, you can also hold all the warmth and expose minimal air to keep food warm.
The best insulated tiffin sets and containers are made from steel. Insulated steel tiffin sets tend to hold heat for longer when compared with plastic and glass options. For instance, gravies in insulated steel tiffins will stay hot 4-6 hours.
Stainless steel tiffins are best for dry items. Avoid plastic tiffins as they are uninsulated/ plastic tends to lose heat quickly. Glass needs extra wrapping to stay warm. Don’t forget to use thermal lunchbox containers that are insulated, if travelling long distances to school or the workplace.
Fill tiffin with hot water for 5 minutes, dump and fill with hot food. Seal tight, which keeps the heat in.
Wrap the tiffin with thick cotton cloth. If you have a thermal lunch bag, that would provide extra protection. Add a finally layer of a zippered pouch. Old scarves can work great too.
Fill the containers as much as you can. Less volume will slow the cooling down due to the air. Keep the hot items together. Keep salads in separate boxes. Wrap roti or chapatti in a muslin cloth.
Reheat all leftovers before packing. Cold food cools down the tiffin quicker. Reheat them on the stove/top at low so you get the food piping hot into the tiffin as soon shortly as possible.
Take a couple of gel based heat packs on an out-of-town trip with transporting larger amounts of food. Boil the heat pack and place them near your tiffin. USB heated lunch bags works nicely on a desk at work, but do find out what not to do if something goes wrong.
Use a thermos for transporting soups or dals, which can keep liquids hot for 8 hours, and there’s no spills or loss of flavour.
Get your packing done 10 minutes before you leave. Make sure the food is steaming and hot. Seal it straight away so the heat stays in.
Pack khichdi, rajma, or pulao. Avoid dry sabzis and curd-based foods. Foods with more moisture will stay hotter.
Choose tiffins that have tight silicone seals. A separate portion will not mix. For longer heat duration, keep dry and wet items separate.
These hacks will keep your lunch warm and delicious. Try it for a cozy meal experience anywhere you go.
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