How do you carry your food when hiking?

What's better than a hot meal for your hikes? But then you have to carry it... Follow our guide to eating a hot meal without a stove with our stainless steel food box!

Eating a hot meal isn’t always easy.
Especially if you don't want to be stuck carrying a stove or savouring a freeze-dried dish...
However, if you're hiking in cool weather (or not), a hot meal is always comforting both for the body and morale.
What's the answer?
The isothermal food box - just like a Thermos but for your food!
So what is a food box?
Why and how do you use it?
How do you choose the food box to suit you?
We’ll tell you everything!

Why use a food box?

If you need to - or just want to - eat a hot meal on your hike then it's totally possible.
Without a stove that’s difficult to carry.
Without taking a freeze-dried meal.
And without using your isothermal flask (because struggling to catch your food in the bottom is seldom part of the pleasure)!

The food box is your friend!
Compared to the lunch box which keeps your food chilled, the food box keeps your meal hot (or cold) for several hours.
The most efficient food boxes are made from double wall stainless steel with an air gap to guarantee better insulation.

Their wide neck differentiates them from a standard Thermos and is perfect for better filling and cleaning.
But also, and above all, it is much more practical for enjoying your meal!

Why choose a stainless steel food box?

As well as providing extremely good insulation, stainless steel has the benefit of being durable and “safe”.
Stainless steel is a kitchen essential and the preferred material for food contact.
Resistant to intense heat and changes in temperature, it doesn’t react to direct food contact and doesn’t alter the taste, smell or appearance.
It resists corrosion such as rust and is really easy to clean.

Stainless steel meets all food safety standard requirements.
Moreover, all our stainless steel products are tested in the laboratory and in use to meet the standards and restrictions that daily product use can cause.
Quechua food boxes, as with other products, strictly comply with European and French food contact standards and don't contain Bisphenol A (BPA) in accordance with current regulations.

What’s even better is that stainless steel is of genuine ecological interest!
Unlike plastic, its qualities change very little over time.
This makes it very durable, particularly for hikes.

Added benefit?
It’s easy to recycle.
Stainless steel products collected from your recycling waste have a good chance of being reused for a second life!

How to use a stainless steel food box?

It’s not exactly rocket science to use.
Nevertheless, here are some tips to get the most out of using your food box on your hike:

Warming up our food

The capacity of the food box to keep your food warm will depend on the food's base temperature.
So remember to properly heat up your meal before you leave.
Fill your food box to the maximum

Be sure to fill your food box to the maximum. The fuller it is, the longer it will keep your meal hot (or cold).
It’s better to go for a smaller model if you know you won’t be carrying too much food with you.
Hot water tip

Here's a little tip for prolonging the insulation of your food box:
Fill your food box with hot water for 5 minutes then replace the water with your food (also hot, obviously) and close the box.

Final tip: when you’re out, be careful not to increase the openings and closings of your airtight box.
You could reduce the insulation.

Instruction video:

Tips: you can even use it at the office!

The perfect partner for your hikes can also be used at the office.
It’s very practical if you don't have the option of keeping your food cool (or heating it up).
Be careful if you go for a stainless steel food box as it can't be used in the microwave.
As well as losing your meal, you could cause a pretty firework...