The arithmetic and the habit
The savings are real only if the lunch gets made, and lunches do not get made at seven in the morning. Pack it the night before, ideally while you are putting dinner away, when the food and the containers are already out. Cooking one extra portion at dinner is the least effort of any method. You do not have to pack all five days. Three packed lunches and two bought ones still keeps most of the money.
A formula that works
A lunch you look forward to has a base, a protein, a vegetable and a sauce. Rice, pasta, grains, greens or bread will do for the base. Chicken, beans, eggs, canned tuna, tofu or cheese will do for the protein. Add roasted or raw vegetables, and carry the sauce or dressing separately. Add a piece of fruit and something crunchy, because the afternoon will ask for a snack whether you planned for one or not.
Keeping it from going soggy
- Carry dressing in its own small jar, and add it when you eat.
- Layer a jar or box salad with the wet and heavy ingredients at the bottom and the greens on top.
- Spread butter or mayonnaise to the edges of the bread, which keeps moisture out of it.
- Put lettuce or cheese between the bread and anything wet, such as tomato.
- Pack crackers, nuts and croutons apart from everything else.
Keeping it safe
Perishable food should not spend more than two hours between 40 and 140 degrees, the range in which bacteria multiply fastest. If there is a refrigerator at work, use it as soon as you arrive. If there is not, the USDA recommends an insulated bag with two cold sources, such as an ice pack and a frozen water bottle, which will be thawed and drinkable by noon. For hot food, fill an insulated container with boiling water for a few minutes, empty it, and add food that is steaming hot. When you reheat leftovers in a microwave, stir them halfway and heat them until they steam throughout, which is 165 degrees.
Equipment worth buying
Two or three glass or sturdy plastic containers with lids that lock, one small jar for dressing, and an insulated bag cover nearly everything for under thirty dollars. Glass goes in the microwave without staining. Keep a fork, a spoon, salt and hot sauce in your desk.
Tip Foods with strong smells, fish above all, are best kept away from a shared office microwave. Eat them cold or save them for home.
