I Heart My Tiffin

On a recent foray to Whole Foods, I spied a stainless steel tiffin.  Tiffins, also known as dabbas or bentos, are stackable lunch kits. At less than $20, I bought it on a whim - and - after a week of road testing, I'm glad I did! Why?

• It gets me even farther away from plastic (I've been taking my lunch to work in glass Pyrex containers with plastic lids (that tend to leak in my backpack- eeewww!);
• though it's ended up upside down in my backpack with food that included liquid, it did not leak (yay!);
• the buckle mechanism is cool and makes a nice "clunk" noise when engaged;
• it's a great conversation piece at work;
• it encourages me to bring my own lunch;
• it will be a practical way to carry food to potlucks with out risking spilling food on my the floorboard of my car (which has happened too many times); and
• it can double as a drum in a pinch.

While I can't use it in a microwave, I usually put my food on a plate before microwaving to get a better distribution of heat anyway. 

Tiffins originate from India and Japan - but many other cultures likely figured this concept as well. There's a whole history of the evolution of tiffins here!  While mine is two tiered, it functions just fine using only one of the tiers.  There are MANY options out there...check on line...but also check in your local kitchen store!