The love language of packing a school lunch is strangely at odds with the most basic of food safety rules.
Namely, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would prefer us not to leave anything perishable outside a fridge for more than two hours, or one hour on hot days (how about a bologna sandwich cast into a cubby or piled outside a classroom for more like four?). And we’re told to take extra care with the especially risky (deli meats, pre-cut fruit) and the especially vulnerable (including young kids, particularly those under 5).
Fortunately, we’re in a golden age of meal inspiration and gear, and there are simple, inexpensive ways to keep bento boxes and bagged sandwiches safe through lunchtime. Read on for best practices and ideas that go beyond just peanut butter and jelly.
How do you keep the food in lunchboxes safe to eat?
Don’t introduce unwelcome bacteria in the first place, said Britanny Saunier, executive director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education: Wash your hands, the lunchbox and other containers with soap, and rinse fresh fruits and vegetables (even the ones with skins that won’t be eaten, like oranges) under running water. Dry everything well, and bacteria won’t have the moisture they need to survive.
Don’t repack food or unwashed packaging from the day before, tempting as it may be when the better part of a meal comes home untouched. (These five tips can help ensure your children are actually excited to eat lunch.)
Namiko Hirasawa Chen of the website Just One Cookbook also recommends practices that have long been used to keep bentos safe in Japan, including using ingredients with antibacterial properties like umeboshi (pickled plums), ginger, garlic and shiso (perilla) leaves, and seasoning with more soy sauce, miso or salt than usual to help preserve the food. Rubbing salt on your palm when forming onigiri isn’t just for seasoning, Ms. Chen said.
And, of course, pack cold foods to stay cold and hot foods to stay hot.
What are the best ways to keep packed lunches cool?
Ms. Saunier recommends tucking cold foods into an insulated lunch bag with two (yes, two) ice packs. Frozen water bottles, juice boxes or other liquids can also step in for an ice pack. When Ms. Chen was growing up in Japan, her mom would pack frozen barley tea in a plastic bottle to keep her bento cool.
How do you keep hot foods hot?
Give your thermos a head start. Ms. Saunier recommends filling the bottle with boiling water and letting it stand for a few minutes before emptying the bottle and filling it with hot food.
You’ll also want to tell kids not to break into the thermos at snack time and then return to it later. “Once that lid is open, heat is lost, and it may not last until lunch,“ said Katie Sullivan Morford, a culinary dietitian and author of “Best Lunch Box Ever.”
Growing up, my lunches never had an ice pack. Why did I never get sick?
The short answer is: Maybe you did. Food poisoning symptoms can take multiple days to show up, Ms. Saunier said, and kids in particular have less developed immune systems and are more vulnerable to food-borne illness.
“Just because you’ve been lucky, doesn’t mean you won’t get a bad batch,” Ms. Morford said, adding, “It’s like sending your kid off on a bike without a helmet because they’ve never had an accident before.”
What are simple, nonperishable school lunch ideas that don’t need an ice pack?
Peanut butter (or soy or sunflower seed butter for nut-free schools) and jelly is a classic, and adaptable. Priyanka Naik, author of “The Modern Tiffin,” adds chia seeds or flaxseed to bump up the protein. Ms. Morford sometimes makes hers on a bagel, in a pita or rolled into lavash.
Other low-lift options for when you forgot to freeze the ice packs: shelf-stable tuna pouches with crackers, sandwiches with hard cheeses like Cheddar or Gruyère (toasted or not), and pantry-snack assemblages like nuts, dried fruit and crispy chickpeas.
What are simple, perishable school lunches that should get an ice pack (or a hot thermos)?
Ms. Naik’s favorites: chickpea flour pancakes, pasta salad loaded with vegetables and grilled potato-chutney sandwiches, pressed in a panini press until crisp.
Ms. Morford likes to zhuzh up chili or instant ramen in a thermos, or nuzzle an ice pack next to a kind-of make-your-own sundae setup: a container of low-sugar Greek yogurt with goodies to add on top, like berries, granola, shredded coconut and mini chocolate chips.
How can packing lunch be less stressful?
Give kids a say, Ms. Naik suggested. “Build the week out with your child,” she said. Doing so can help them “feel like they’re choosing what they want to eat.”
And you can always get ahead. Ms. Chen fills her freezer with homemade food, portioned out for individual bento servings she defrosts in the fridge overnight before reheating and cooling in the morning. Ms. Morford likes to assemble lunches when she’s in the kitchen anyway — say, waiting for dinner in the oven — and makes extra at dinner to pack for lunches the next day. “That involves virtually no extra work,” she said.
“Part of it, too, is managing expectations,” Ms. Morford added. “Lunches don’t have to be the picture-perfect meals we see on Instagram to be tasty, nutritious and safe to eat.”
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
The post How to Keep School Lunches Hot (or Cold), and Other Food Safety Questions, Answered appeared first on New York Times.