Monday, December 8, 2014

How To Maximise the Heat in a Food Jar

A few mummies have asked me what they should do if they want to pack hot soup and stews for their children. The solution is simple - use a food jar. They come in different sizes, so get one that you are sure your child can handle the weight and operation of.


This is a Thermos Foogo, one of two I have (the other is out with Takoyaki, haha!). I bought them fairly cheaply at Jusco in Malaysia when they were having a super sale, so the price, converted from Malaysian Ringgit, was about half that of what the major department stores in Singapore were charging. Great deal!

There are many brands of thermal food jars out there, among which the most popular and recognised-as-effective brands are Tiger, Zojirushi and Thermos. You gotta admit it, the Japanese know how to make it right since they use this so much!

Whether you purchase a "good" (read "expensive") brand or a cheaper brand that may lose heat faster, there's one important thing you MUST do to maximise the heat retention of your jar. 

Before you put your soup or stew into the jar, ALWAYS pour boiling water into the jar, cover it up and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

This allows the inner walls of the jar to heat up so they don't start cooling your hot stew or soup down as soon as it is poured in. After about 5 minutes (or as long as it takes to heat up the stew/soup itself), pour the hot water away into a mug and use it for washing stuff. Mine usually has a metallic taste after that so I don't use it for cooking or drinking.

I have tested this with Takoyaki and she said the food was still rather hot by lunchtime. 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...