As a baby boomer, you may be able to do cool things with your time like attend classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Northwestern University. These peer-led study groups cover a broad array of fascinating topics ranging from great short stories to Chicago theater and from quantum physics to world history. And if you find yourself back in class, you may also find yourself back to making “school” lunches for yourself and/or your spouse.
Heard recently about a new type of container for carrying lunch (or any food). The company makes a lot of important claims on its website for Frego food storage containers: No toxins. Shatter-resistant glass containers in super-padded silicone sleeves with airtight lids. After testing a sample, here are a few comments about those claims:
- Yes, leakproof. Packed some very juicy chili in the two-cupper (~$20), snugged the lid into place, and carried it on its side all day. Just to be safe, put it in a plastic bag since it was going to be turned over and jerked around in a wheeled case. Opened it for lunch and nary a drop had spilled. Ate, covered it up again, and took it home with still not a leak in sight.
- Yes, shatter-resistant. The silicone “sleeve” (kind of like a cradle, really) encases the glass and makes a cozy, padded nest for it. It feels really solid and significant inside that silicone.
- Yes, heat in the microwave. Nice that the silicone doesn’t get hot in the microwave, so you can pick up a heated container without oven mitts – but only the silicone part because the glass does get hot. This feature can come in handy especially for people who live alone and don’t want to dirty up more dishes than necessary. Store, heat, eat.
- Yes, easy to wash. Glass is just plain easy to get clean. The silicone container cleans up fine. We washed by hand, but all parts are said to be safe on either rack of a dishwasher.
- BPA-free. Mayo Clinic talks about possible BPA complications. Many reasons to be glad about not having it in materials that come in contact with your food.
- Yes, re-writable. Using dry-erase markers on the silicone case, you can write non-smearing notes to your loved ones when you send them off with food-to-go. Then later, wipe it off with a wet paper towel.
- Yes, good-looking. The whole ensemble feels very high quality and makes you feel good about putting food in there for yourself or your family.
The only downside may be that the whole ensemble – glass inner container, silicone outer container and silicone lid – when put together and filled can be fairly heavy. If you consider this for a kid, check it against how much weight he already has in his backpack. If you’re an adult who doesn’t want to lug too much extra weight around on your shoulder or back, carry it in a rolling bag because it won’t spill even if it sits sideways all day.
Frego storage containers are a handsome, practical, high-quality way to store and heat foods. Each has a lifetime guarantee, too, so it may be worth it to you to pay a little more.