[jenoline]

If you have or have used a tiffin, can you tell me you thoughts on it? Good, bad, neutral? I am almost sold - I've been wanting to get one for some time. I actually bought a couple cheap ones at Cost Plus/World Market, and then looked online a bit more. I think I'm going to return them and get a higher quality one.

Here are the two main kinds I am considering
Happy Tiffin

and
To-go Ware
, also sold at Reusable Bags

Thoughts? Anything that sticks out for you as you look at those two brands that one might be better than the other? There are a couple negative reviews of To-go Ware on RB's site - stuff about them getting dented easily, etc. Mostly positive though.
TIA!

 

[weliveintheforest]

Your first link doesn't work, but I googled it and they look pretty similar to me. I have a tiffin I got cheaply at an Indian restaurant and I like it. It's handy to have something I can put hot food in, but I admit I don't use it very often since liquids would leak and it won't keep things hot for long..

 

[jenoline]

Fixed the link.

Yeah, they are very similar. I guess that's why I'm having a hard time choosing. The couple neg reviews on Reusable Bags have me questioning the quality of the T-Go Ware ones, and wondering if the Happy Tiffin are really any better. I think I'm overthinking it. I like the pyramid style of Happy Tiffin's a lot, but the cost a good bit more.

 

[reillys_mom]

I got the To Go ware ones last November at the SF Green Festival and they cracked under very light use. I wrote them and they acknowledged that there had been some manufacturing problems and they've changed manufacturers to fix it. They also sent me a replacement of each of the sets I had bought. The new ones have been working fine, though my 4 yo still thinks he can't open it since he couldn't open the broken ones.

 

[cristeen]

I have 4 of the Cost Plus ones, and we've been using them daily for about a year now. We love them. The main drawbacks to them are that they are not water tight, and it's difficult to find a bag to fit them. I wound up getting a neoprene Built bag - it fits the 2 tin one nicely, and will stretch to fit the 3 tin one also, along with a medium Klean Kanteen.

 

[MommaShark]

If the to-go ware ones break - they replace them promptly! I had a handle from the first batch break - the new ones are sturdier! Love mine!!!! Got the extra sidekicks too

 

[swd12422]

Not to hijack, but is there anything like these that are square/rectangular instead of round? DH's lunches are usually a sandwich, chips, fruit, and cookies so round doesn't quite cut it for the sammie. (And he refuses to use my WrapNMat....)

 

[jenoline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swd12422 Not to hijack, but is there anything like these that are square/rectangular instead of round? DH's lunches are usually a sandwich, chips, fruit, and cookies so round doesn't quite cut it for the sammie. (And he refuses to use my WrapNMat....)

Yes, here's a site with some
http://angelinhome.com/index.php?categoryID=12
They are a bit smaller than the actual tiffin boxes, but they look nice. Also, you should take a look at the "blog" section of the Happy Tiffin site - they have pics of lunches, and people often put sandwiches and stuff in them. But maybe square feels more masculine or something. I also saw these LunchBots while I was looking around. They look pretty nice, too.

Then there are these, but they are plastic (melamine)

 

[cyncyn]

I bought 2 on ebay, shipped from India and I love them. They are smaller than I thought, mostly too small for DH. They work well for dd and I. I have had them for almost 2 years and they are in great shape. I sent dd's with her every day for preschool but haven't been sending it to k this year. I have to put a frozen cool pak in the bag and that plus the Sigg plus the tiffin was too heavy for the backpack for walking to school. The fabric wraps weigh a lot less and hold the types of food she eats fine.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

I have heard a great deal of good things about this company....
http://www.laptoplunches.com/ They are BPA free, in case you need to know.
But in the stainless side of things, www.tickletrunk.com also sells lunch carriers.
Might be the same as the ones the OP linked to.

 

[pantrygirl]

I'd love to hear recommendations on how to keep things warm as that's the main reason i've been holding off on getting a tiffin.

i'd really like to move away from the plastic container I've been using but how do you reheat or keep things warm enough to eat your meal in it?

 

[gmvh]

To keep things warm for my children, I use a steel thermos. We have to-go ware carriers but ours are the old pyramid style. For myself, I bring my food to work and pack it (the to-go ware) in a Built gourmet getaway bag and pack a small porcelain plate or bowl. I reheat food on that.

 

[texmati]

awww... these bring back memories! A teeny tower of food! My mom & aunts used this all the time when I was growing up. They dont leak if you don't fill them up all the way and keep them upright-- we used them for liquids all the time.

Also, the ones we have are large enough for a family to eat out of... or two if you are really hungry.

 

[cristeen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pantrygirl i'd really like to move away from the plastic container I've been using but how do you reheat or keep things warm enough to eat your meal in it?

For reheating, a toaster oven works just fine. And every company I've ever worked at has had one. Set it to 300 for 15 minutes, pop the dish in (without the lid), come back in 5 minutes and stir it. Be sure to pack a cloth napkin to use as a hot pad.

 

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

We use ToGo tiffins from reuseable bags, but our style is different. Right after I received them and realized how much I loved them, I went to buy more and discovered the style change...so I must have been one of the last with the old style.

We LOVE them. Absolutely wonderful. We are able trash-free lunches since I combo them with cloth sandwich bags (if we need them). For daycare, I pack the kids' lunches in the bottoms and their afternoon snacks in the top. The bottom will hold a full sandwich, several graham crackers, a small banana and some grapes. Days that require bagging are a little harder to arrange but that's the bulk of the cloth and nothing against the tiffin. They are so easy to use and store. We rinse them out at night and wash them once a week. We've been using them for awhile - maybe last September? - and have had no complaints with them. And the quality is excellent - no dings, no dents, no breaks, no loose hinges, nothing. Perhaps it was an issue with the newer style?

 

[pantrygirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristeen For reheating, a toaster oven works just fine. And every company I've ever worked at has had one. Set it to 300 for 15 minutes, pop the dish in (without the lid), come back in 5 minutes and stir it. Be sure to pack a cloth napkin to use as a hot pad.

Thanks for the tip Cristeen. We don't have a toaster oven at my office but I'm sure if I request one, they may comply.

I've ordered my Tiffin and I can't wait to receive it.

I love my wrap mat but a warm meal would be really nice.

:

 

[karne]

I just looked at the two tier Tiffin for DS yesterday, so I'm glad to see this thread! We've been using the laptop lunch, but twice the clasp on the plastic insert has broken, so now we're holding the container together with a rubber band. I'm not happy with that

:.

I wonder with the Tiffin, whether the clasps that you have to unlock to open the container pose a problem for kids at all? My ds is 6, so I wonder if it would be manageable? I think he'd love it-it looks like camping gear!

 

[L+A]

I recently purchased the to-go wear tiffin and I have been loving it. They do make a bag that fits it very snugly, along with the reusable silverware they sell- Bags

One thing I wanted to add- is I usually supplement my Tiffin with a reusable glass container for anything I want to heat. I pack the food in one of the compartments of the Tiffin and the transfer it to my glass bowl at work. Here are the ones I use (they have a plastic lid though don't know how you would feel about that)

Have fun with your Tiffin!

 

[karne]

L+A, I love those bowls. I'm a big fishseddy fan!