All of my children take a pack lunch to school. For years I packed them sandwiches with a variety of different fillings; chicken, ham, cheese and occasionally egg. But, after all this time the youngest has started getting bored of sandwiches – and to be fair, I don’t blame him. I don’t enjoy having bread all the time, even when it is made in the bread maker.
So, the quest began to vary up what they were eating for lunch at school. These days I alternate it between sandwiches, soup (made in the soup maker) and now a rice or pasta meal.
Like the soup, the rice is tastier if it is eaten warm, so I needed to find a suitable flask for him to take it in. One that was wide enough to eat out of easily, and one that stayed warm until lunchtime.
Although there is a wide choice of models to choose from, Thermos pretty much dominate the hot food flask market. They produce high quality products, often guaranteeing their flasks for long periods of time, which is always a good sign.
When researching the best food flask on the market I did come across a few other manufacturers worthy of consideration. Ultimately however I was most impressed with the Thermos brand and the amount of positive reviews they continue to receive.
Food Flask Reviews
Thermos Stainless King Food Flask – 470 ml
MAIN FEATURES
- 470ml Capacity
- Stainless Steel
- Lid doubles as serving bowl
- Choice of 4 colours
- Dimensions: 14.8 x 9 x 8.6 cm
- 50 year guarantee
- Keeps food hot for 7 hours
- Foldable spoon
- BPA free
This is one of the medium capacity and one of the most popular Thermos food flasks available. It is available in a choice of 4 different colours; Metallic Blue, Midnight Blue, Cranberry Red and Matt Black.
The inclusion of a full size foldable spoon is ideal and the Thermos vacuum insulation technology ensures that food is kept hot for up to 7 hours, or cold for 9 hours.
The flask is made from stainless steel inside and out with the lid doubling up as a serving bowl. Everything you need is included.
The flask is brilliant for keeping food warm until it is ready to eat, it also works well at keeping food nice and cold.
The flask is compact so ideal for fitting into bags and transporting around. However, despite it’s compact size the 470ml capacity means it has ample room for holding a decent sized lunch. If you want to hold a larger more substantial meal you would be better off with the larger 710ml capacity model. The build is sturdy yet is light enough to carry with ease.
Thermos Stainless King Food Flask – 710 ml
MAIN FEATURES
- 710ml Capacity
- Stainless Steel
- Lid doubles as serving bowl
- Choice of 4 colours
- Dimensions: 20.4 x 9.6 x 9cm
- 50 year guarantee
- Keeps food hot for 9 hours
- BPA Free
This is the larger version of the previous model and is very similar in it’s capabilities. Where it does differ is it doesn’t come with a spoon – which is a shame as it is a useful extra.
The larger size also means a longer heat retention time, with the flask keeping it’s contents hot for up to 9 hours and cold for up to 12 hours.
This model also comes in a choice of 4 different colours.
Thermos Funtainer Food Flask – 290 ml
MAIN FEATURES
290ml Capacity- Stainless Steel
- Choice of 3 colours/designs
- Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 8.8cm
- 5 year guarantee
- Keeps food hot for 5 hours
- BPA Free
The smallest of the food flasks, this Thermos model holds up to 290ml, which is still sufficient for a smaller lunch or for a mid-morning/afternoon snack. They are aimed more at children, not only for the size but also the designs – this blue colour, a bright pink and a football themed flask.
Consider before buying the shorter time that food stays hot – 5 hours. This is fine for morning snacks and lunches but perhaps not for later on in the afternoon.
The smaller size makes it ideal for squeezing into lunch boxes.
Stanley Classic 709ml Food Jar Vacuum Flask
MAIN FEATURES
709ml Capacity
Stainless Steel
Lifetime Warranty
Keeps food hot for up to 15 hours
Dimensions: H35.2 x W11.6 x D9.8cm
BPA Free
Stanley are another manufacturer who produce high quality products. They are so confident in the robustness and ability of their hot food flasks that they come with a lifetime warranty.
This is the larger of the two Stanley flasks included here with a capacity of 709ml. The lid is also insulated with a capacity of 350ml – ideal for pouring food into eat from.
Food can stay hot for up to 15 hours although some reviews do state that it isn’t quite that long – but even half that length of time is long enough to last most of the working or school day.
Like the other food flasks listed in this guide, the Stanley Classic can also keep food and liquids cold.
Stanley Stainless Steel Flask Classic Vacuum – 500ml
MAIN FEATURES
500ml capacity
Stainless Steel
Lifetime Warranty
Keeps food hot for up to 12 hours
Dimensions: H18.5 x W9.8 x D9.8cm
BPA Free
The smaller capacity version of the Stanley Vacuum Food Jar, although it still holds an ample 500ml, making it perfect for snacks and decent sized lunches.
Again the lid doubles up as a 350ml serving bowl and the manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty, giving you the confidence that the flask is a robust and quality made product.
Pioneer Food Flask – 700ml
MAIN FEATURES
- 700ml capacity
- Stainless Steel
- Keeps food hot for up to 8 hours
- Dimensions: 17 x 11.6 x 11.2 cm
The Pioneer food flask is a great budget buy, whilst still producing good results. It holds 700ml, which compares well to the other models in this guide.
This model does come in a smaller 500ml capacity size should you not need one that holds as much.
Mummy Cooks – Insulated Food Flask 300ml
MAIN FEATURES
300ml capacity
Stainless Steel
Keeps food hot for up to 6 hours
Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.9 x 11.8 cm
BPA Free
Durable stickers to decorate the flask
This cute food flask from Mummy Cooks is perfect for transporting baby food, hot or cold. Due to it’s compact size it is also ideal for nursery and primary school aged children. Kids will particularly love being able to decorate their flasks with stickers to make them unique.