When the K-Mart near Westfield Louis Joliet mall was doing the crazy clearance to prepare for their transformation to a MyGofer store, we couldn't stay away.
My favorite purchase: Martha Stewart Everyday storage containers. I saved 30 percent on top of the marked-down price. They are small glass containers like Pyrex's old brightly colored refrigerator sets, but they have plastic tops so you don't break them on the trip to and from work. The glass means I can heat up leftovers without having anything leech into my food. I can leave the plastic tops off, or set them loosely on top while microwaving because, ta da, they don't contain Bisphenol A. BPA leeches into the body from plastics and can mimic our hormones, possibly causing problems.
And I love my little glass storage. I use the Pyrex at home because I am a sucker for those colored containers of yore, but for lunch at work, Martha is king.
Until Sunday.
Sunday was the day we stopped at World Market (when did these stop being "Cost Plus World Market"?) on our way to Whole Foods in Naperville.
And there they were, gleaming and beckoning: stainless steel lunch containers. Turns out they're called tiffins. I've seen these stackable sweethearts in local health food stores and online. But these were cheaper, came in two sizes and, I swear to God, they made eyes at me.
I managed to get out without buying one, but now I wish I had picked one up. According to the store's Web site, "A tiffin tin is a traditional Indian lunch box designed to keep foods hot until lunchtime. Our stainless steel versions have black handles and are available in two designs. Dishwasher safe."
I'm not sure how well they'd keep stuff hot, and you can't exactly pop stainless steel into the microwave, but I really, really want these. No leeching, no breaking, no garbage for landfills. Has anyone tried this one or a variation? Let me know. I suspect I'll break down next week and get one of these ultrasafe cuties.
If you're a psyched as I am and can't hop to your local World Market, it looks like you can order them online here.
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
I received something similar to these as a gift a few years back. They are great for leftovers from restaurants but I have never thought about using it as a lunch box. I suspect they won't hold the heat well in our climate in the winter. I do like that they are compartmentalized for separating food types.
As with my wonderful recyclable shopping bags, the key to using these is to keep them in the car so when you go out, they are ready. I can't tell you how many times I've asked for a to-go styrofaom container after mentally smacking myself, because my tins were NOT in the car. UGH! A few times I decided against taking the small portion of food home instead of using styrofoam.
Can't we just outlaw styrofoam now?
Check out http://www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com - the author uses a tiffin as well as other really neat eco-friendly lunchboxes!