The Best Bags, Containers, and Boxes to Upgrade Your Brown Bag Lunch

There's nothing wrong with taking your lunch to the office in a brown paper bag or a plastic grocery bag, but you could do much better. Depending on what you like to eat, there are bags that will keep hot food hot and cold food cold, have separate containers to keep your sandwich from getting soggy and have built-in bowls for soups and salads, and more. Let's take a look at some great reusable containers that'll help you upgrade your lunch.

Like we said, there's nothing wrong with a simple, cheap pack of brown paper bags, and you can recycle or toss them at the end of the day without bringing something home to clean out. However, a nice insulated bag, a set of tiffins, or a bento box can each open up some tasty, healthy lunch options way beyond a sandwich and a bag of chips, or a frozen microwave meal. Let's look at each option one at a time:

An Insulated Bag is Reusable, Easy to Clean, and Keeps Food at Temperature

The beauty of insulated bags, aside from being reusable, is that they can keep hot food hot and cold food cold for longer than a plain old brown or plastic bag. Toss in an ice pack with your sandwich or leftovers, and if you work somewhere without a fridge or have a long commute your food will survive until lunchtime without spending too much time in the danger zone, where bacteria grow and make your food unsafe to eat. Similarly, insulated bags are easy to clean?just wipe them out with a paper towel and a little soap and water, and they're ready to hit the road again.

Here are a few insulated lunch bags and carriers you might want to check out if you're thinking about ditching those plastic grocery bags for something better:

• The Packit Lunch Sack: For $20, you get a nicely sized bag that closes firmly with a velcro strap down the front. It looks like a lunch bag, so you don't have to worry about carrying around something that looks out of place, and it has an adjustable strap so you can sling it over your shoulder or carry it in your hand along with a briefcase or laptop bag. Best of all, it has its gel "ice" in the liner?just pop the whole bag in the freezer at home, load it with food, and trust the bag will keep everything nice and cold?no need for an additional ice pack. When it's not in use, it folds down neatly and can slip into another bag.
• The Lunch Carrier: For $13, the Lunch Carrier is a flat lunch bag that you can load up with other containers. It has a mesh pocket in the lid for sandwich bags or ice packs, and a loop enclosure inside that you can slide a water bottle into without worrying about it moving around in the bag. It's spacious, affordable, and also has an adjustable strap.
• The BUILT Crosstown Lunch Sack: If you're looking for a lunch bag that's reusable, easy to clean, and is still a little rugged (and has looks to match), this is the bag for you. The Crosstown has a long, adjustable strap, mesh pockets on the sides for water bottles or cans, and a nice, deep main pocket for small containers and other food. The top folds down and closes tightly with an actual latch, so your food won't fall out if the bag tips over.

You don't have to go with these strictly, they're just a few examples. After all, most department stores have similar insulated lunch bags in their housewares department. Just pick one that's nicely sized and large enough for a good meal. You don't want to over stuff the thing just to fit a decent meal inside, and we'd suggest getting one large enough to fit a reusable water bottle inside (or with a pocket on the outside for one) so you can get in the habit of staying hydrated.

A Set of Tiffins Lets You Pack Multiple Dishes and Mix Up Your Meals

If you're trying to eat healthier or just wish your lunch had a little more variety than a sandwich and a bag of chips, a set of tiffins can give you the flexibility to take a sandwich, soup, salad, or leftovers from last night in separate containers you can eat from. They almost always stack on top of each other, and some are even thermal to keep the warm items warm and the cool items cool. Most importantly though, they'll keep your soup away from your salad, and keep both away from your sandwich, chips, or crackers so they doesn't get soggy.

Here are a few we like:

• The Rome Belly 3-Tier Tiffin System: Wider at the bottom and narrow at the top, this set is ideal if you want to pack a big sandwich in the bottom, a salad in the center, and a soup on the top?or in any order you prefer. Maybe you want the salad on the bottom, it's up to you, and it'll set you back $29. All of the components nestle together and lock neatly to their carrying handle for easy transport. The tiffins are stainless steel, and easy to clean out.
• The To-Go Ware 3 Tier Food Carrier: If you're not a fan of the fat-bottomed variety, this traditional tiffin set is straight from top to bottom with containers of equal size. Like all tiffin sets, the containers nestle together and lock into their handle for easy carrying (or storing in an insulated bag!) and are easy to clean out when you're finished eating. This set will cost you $25. If you want a smaller set, this two-tier model is $15, and if you want to go bigger, this four-tier is $37, and they all look and work the same way.
• The Zojirushi Mr. Bento Lunch Jar: We haven't gotten to bento boxes yet, but the Mr. Bento is still more a tiffin than anything else. The bowls nestle into one another inside of a vacuum insulated "jar" that keeps your food warm until lunch time. The bowls themselves are microwave safe, clean up easily, and the container they all fit into opens and closes easily. The whole thing even fits into a sleeve for easy transport. The Mr. Bento will set you back $45. If you want a similar model that's a little bigger, has larger serving bowls, and is stainless steel instead of plastic, try the $46 Zojirushi SL-XCE20HG. It's also vacuum-insulated and comes with all the same features.

Are you familiar with the Ploughman's Lunch? You may see them on menus in pricey cafes, but the lunch?a mix of tasty cheeses, a hunk of bread, some jam or chutney, and maybe some pickles or boiled eggs to go with it?started as a way for people who worked in fields or with their hands to get a hearty, healthy lunch that also offered a little variety. A set of tiffins are the perfect set of containers if you're interested in trying it. Our friends at The Kitchn have written a few guides to get your shopping list started.

A Bento Box Lets You Bring a Little Bit of Everything

If you're a serious variety-hound and love having a little of everything, or just want a food carrier that really will force you to upgrade your lunch to something with a bit more variety, a bento box gives you a nice and tidy package that you can pack with lots of different small dishes. It's perfect if you want a little of everything to spice up your lunch. They're usually plastic, come with tons of mini-containers for different types of foods, so you could load it up with lunch and snacks for a long day. They almost always come in carrying containers as well, just for easy transport.

Here are a few to check out:

• The Bentgo Stackable Lunch Box: The Bentgo is a great container to get started with the whole bento idea. The containers are plastic, stackable, and have plenty of room for a good amount of food. This model comes in multiple colors and will set you back $15. It's microwave, dishwasher, and freezer safe, and even comes with its own flatware so you don't have to pack any. Cleaning it out is a snap (or just toss it in the dishwasher), and when you're done, the top container nestles into the bottom one for even easier transport.
• MonbentoTM MB Original Bento Box: $36 gets you the original bento box that inspired more people on this side of the ocean to experiment with adding some variety to their meals. The containers are generously large, stack easily and fasten together so they won't fall apart or slide around, and they're completely airtight. The containers are microwave and dishwahser safe, and the top and bottom containers have internal segments you can leave in or remove depending on what you want to pack. They also come in a ton of color combinations.
• Bento & Co. More a retailer of bento boxes and lunch containers than a specific model, they have a massive selection of bento boxes, including all of the ones we've mentioned here. You'll even find wooden options that have a bit of a classy look about them. Some are simple, modern, and unassuming. Others have...more personality, with bright colors, designs, and shapes (and would be great for kids). We'd suggest taking a look at the Basket Bento for a nice option that walks the line between simple and personal.

If you're looking for something a little more traditional, check out Pearl River's lacquered plastic bento boxes. They're larger, flat, have tons of compartments, and while they may be a little more trouble for your office lunch than some of the other options, they might be fun for a picnic in the park. Remember, just because it's a bento box doesn't mean you can't pack a sandwich, some chips, some carrots or sliced veggies, cheese, or whatever you like inside it. Those containers can hold anything you want, that's the beauty of a bento box.

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We should note there's no reason to stick to these specific suggestions. Look around and find a set of tiffins or a bento box or a lunch bag that works for you, how you commute, and what you like to pack and eat.

Once I got a nice set of tiffins, I actually made a point to pack my leftovers (and cook more the night before so I had some to pack), make small salads to pack for lunch, and try more interesting things with my lunch than I ever had before. I went from eating dull, bad-for-me frozen dinners that I took to work in a plastic grocery bag to fresh fruits and veggies, hot soups in the wintertime, and yes, I still packed sandwiches whenever I wanted them. Sure, you can do the same with a grocery bag and some tupperware, but at the end of the day, it was a little investment that made my lunches healthier and much more fun.

Title photo made using Mega Pixel (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/uwej-Vb2DFM/the-best-bags-containers-and-boxes-to-upgrade-your-br-915843552

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