Airplane food has been maligned for decades, and for good reason. Meals are cooked hours in advance, stored, and then blasted with heat in a galley oven that barely qualifies as an oven. For frequent flyers, the trick isn’t expecting fine dining but figuring out what survives that process without turning into punishment.
Ben Shlappig, who writes for One Mile At A Time, recently shared his own rules for eating in-flight. A “lazy pescatarian” who mostly eats fish and vegetables, Shlappig admits he still experiments with chicken now and then but won’t touch pork. His advice boils down to one guiding principle: imagine everything as leftovers. “If you go to a restaurant and bring food home, what’s going to reheat best, and taste best the next day?” he wrote.
With that in mind, here’s how Shlappig approaches eating at 30,000 feet.
1. Do choose meals that reheat well
Soups, curries, and Asian vegetarian dishes are safe bets because they hold their flavor even after hours of storage. “I love Indian food, and when I order takeout, it tastes every bit as good the next day as when it arrives,” Shlappig explained. Signature items also tend to be reliable, such as Singapore Airlines’ chicken satay or Emirates’ Arabic mezze, featuring tabbouleh and pita.
2. Don’t count on fish to impress
Anthony Bourdain once warned about ordering seafood on Mondays, when freshness was questionable. The same skepticism applies while on planes. Etiquette coach Jamila Musayeva told the New York Post that fish can stink up the cabin and carry more risk if it hasn’t been stored properly. Shlappig still orders it because of his diet, but even he admits it’s “challenging to serve a good fish dish on a plane.”
3. Do skip the entrée if you want to
Premium cabins offer more food than most passengers can finish. Shlappig often fills up on appetizers and dessert instead of forcing down a reheated main course. On airlines like Lufthansa, he says the mezze and soups beat the bigger plates anyway.
4. Don’t touch the burger
Burgers rarely survive the reheat cycle. Shlappig warns they’re usually made from low-quality meat, and the bun turns soggy in the oven. Unless you enjoy a gray patty in a damp roll, the burger is one of the worst in-flight traps.
5. Do keep it simple on domestic flights
With budgets stretched thin, domestic first-class meals often fail to meet expectations. Shlappig plays it safe with grain bowls or other basics. Or, grab something delicious from the terminal and bring it onboard. Just remember, you’re on a plane, with very close neighbors sitting all around you. Choose wisely.
In-flight dining may never be great, but you can make it tolerable. Stick to what reheats well, avoid what doesn’t, and save your splurges for when you’re back on the ground.
The post 5 Tips for Eating Airplane Food the Right Way appeared first on VICE.
