Whether you’re packing chili for lunch or oatmeal to eat after your morning commute, a great food thermos will keep hot foods at safe temperatures for hours and won’t leak into your bag. After comparing 22 food thermoses and testing 10, we’re confident that the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Food Jar is the best for most people. It has excellent heat retention, is durable and easy to clean, and comes in three sizes ranging from 12 to 25 ounces. We like the 10-ounce Thermos Funtainer Food Jar for packing kids’ lunches or for people who prefer smaller portions.
The 10-ounce Funtainer is durable and easy for small hands to open. Plus it comes in lots of colors and prints.
Why we love it: In our tests, the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Food Jar was one of the best at keeping soup hot. The 12-ounce thermos kept tomato soup above a food safe temperature (140 °F) for a full 6 hours, dropping from 193 °F to 144 °F. The only thermoses that did better were the 17-ounce Stanley Classic (larger volumes of liquid take longer to cool) and the Black and Blum Food Flask (which has an awkward strap around it). Zojirushi says that its thermos will keep foods at a safe temperature for about 6 hours, and we were glad to see that for liquids, the thermos exceeded the estimate (it will also keep foods cold for 6 hours, although we didn’t test for this). I use the Zojirushi Stainless Steel Food Jar multiple times a week to transport my morning green smoothie to work, and I’ve also used it to hold chili, soup, and oatmeal. It continues to keep foods at temperature and it has survived many commutes. Zojirushi’s travel mugs have reigned as our top pick since 2013; the company makes the best insulated mugs and thermoses we’ve found.
When shaken or held upside down, the Zojirushi didn’t leak (though none of the thermoses we tested did). A screw-on cap is easy to get on and off, and the narrow container fits easily in one hand, unlike the wider and unwieldy Thermos Stainless King. The Zojirushi is also durable, surviving our drop test unscathed. Other metal jars dented upon impact. Plus, the heat retention of the Zojirushi is covered by a five-year limited warranty.
The Zojirushi has a four-piece lid that comes apart, which allows you to deep-clean all its crevices. We liked it better than the single-piece lids on most of the other thermoses we tested, which have hard-to-reach threads that look like they would trap gunk. After long-term testing this thermos, I ended up losing a small rubber stopper that plugs into the top part of the lid. This hasn’t affected heat retention, but sometimes foods will leak into the thermos’s cap, so I prioritize unscrewing all of the parts of the lid to make sure I can get it really clean. Despite this minor leak due to the missing piece, the Zojirushi has never leaked outside of the container itself. I’ve also seen it survive trips through the dishwasher without a ding, even though Zojirushi recommends hand washing the thermos. We also like that the Zojirushi comes in a range of sizes, including 11.8-, 16.9-, and 25-ounce jars, and an array of colors, including pink, aqua blue, dark brown, cream, and stainless steel.
The Stanley Adventure Vacuum Food Jar and the slightly smaller Thermos Stainless King Food Jar will keep your food hot for hours (or at least until lunchtime), and you won’t need to pack any extras.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
We found that after just 2 hours, cold milk in the Zojirushi rose to 46 °F (after 6 hours, it was 52 °F). Tuna rose to 49 °F after 2 hours; after 6 hours, it was 63 °F. None of the thermoses we tested, however, did any better, even after prechilling them with ice water (Zojirushi recommends filling the thermos with cold water for one to two minutes before filling with food). Packing the thermos in a bag or lunch box with ice packs can help foods stay cold, but ultimately we found that these thermoses are best for retaining heat (apologies to our reader who requested a thermos to keep ice cream frozen while hiking).
Although we like that the Zojirushi’s multi-part lid is easy to clean, it’s a bit more difficult to put back together afterwards. The rubber gasket is tricky to get on, and keeping track of the small four parts takes effort. Also, unlike some larger thermoses, the Zojirushi’s lid also doesn’t double as a cup, so you will likely eat straight from the jar.
Plain pasta also cooled more quickly in the Zojirushi, dropping from 178 °F to 82 °F over 6 hours, but the results were similar in all the thermoses we tested. Solids like pasta cool more quickly than liquids, so any thermos is most effective when used with soup, stew, oatmeal, or other liquidy foods. To keep foods hotter for longer, we recommend preheating the thermos.
We tested a jar with the stainless finish, but have read several Amazon reviews noting that the coating on the blue, pink, and tan versions of the food jar can scratch. We’ve also found that the finish on Zojirushi’s travel mugs develops small nicks and scuffs over time, but this wear and tear doesn’t affect performance.
The 10-ounce Funtainer is durable and easy for small hands to open. Plus it comes in lots of colors and prints.
Why we love it: In our tests, the 10-ounce Thermos Funtainer kept food hot, didn’t leak, didn’t break when dropped, and was easy to clean. We prefer it for kids over the 12-ounce Zojirushi because it comes in an array of fun prints and colors, and we think the slightly smaller size will be easier for kids to use. The Thermos also costs less in case it gets lost and needs replacing. The Funtainer fits neatly into smaller lunch boxes like the L.L. Bean lunchbox we recommend for both kids and adults, and can hold a 10-ounce serving of noodles, veggie chili, or hot cereal. Although the Funtainer kept foods hot, it didn’t do as well as the Zojirushi: after 4 hours, soup in the Funtainer had cooled from 193 ºF to 147 °F, and at 6 hours, it measured 130 °F. In comparison, the Zojirushi kept soup at a hotter 144 °F after 6 hours.
None of the thermoses, including the Funtainer, leaked in our tests. The Funtainers plastic lid didn’t break during our drop tests, faring much better than the competition. The Funtainer’s lid doesn’t get slippery when wet and is also easier to twist on and off than the raised triangle-shaped lid on the Contigo. With its uniform, cylindrical shape, the Funtainer fits easily into all of our lunch box picks. It also comes in a variety of prints and colors that will appeal to kids of different ages (and adults can select a solid color option). Thermos offers a 30-day warranty period for defective products.
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FAQ
What container keeps food hot the longest?
How do you keep food warm for 24 hours?
What food container keeps food hot for 12 hours?
What is a container that keeps things hot?
How long do you keep hot food warm?
It’s imperative to strictly adhere to the instructions for use, such as warming the interior with hot water for five to 10 minutes before adding any food that will be eaten later. We found that when we did, this kept hot food warm for five hours, even if it was opened every hour to test the temperature.
What food provides more energy?
Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are sources of energy, but what gives us more energy in a faster time is the carbohydrate, which is present in foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, cassava and in fruits in general.
What types of food containers keep food hot for hours?
There are a number of different containers that can keep food hot for hours. Some of the most popular models include the Thermos brand containers, as well as the Stanley and Rubbermaid models. These containers typically have a double-walled construction, with a vacuum seal between the walls that helps to keep the heat in.
Does a funtainer keep food hot?
Although the Funtainer kept foods hot, it didn’t do as well as the Zojirushi: after 4 hours, soup in the Funtainer had cooled from 193 ºF to 147 °F, and at 6 hours, it measured 130 °F. In comparison, the Zojirushi kept soup at a hotter 144 °F after 6 hours.