Stop Making These Common School Lunch Mistakes!
Rochelle Bilow, photo by Alex Lau
Packing a school lunch doesn’t have to be complicated. But the pressure of making a nutritious, easily transportable, tasty, and appealing lunch that will make it through art, history, and science class without getting soggy or smushed can make even the calmest parent crack. If you pack your kid’s lunch, you’ve probably got the routine down to a science. But as the back-to-school season fires up again, it’s worth taking a look at the most common (and often overlooked) ways brown baggers go wrong. Avoid making these common school lunch mistakes, and your lovingly packed lunchbox will never get traded again.
1. They’re Gonna Be So Hungry!
We know: seven hours without your little angel is a long time. What if they miss you? What if they don’t make any friends? What if they get hungry?! Resist the urge to freak out and overpack their lunchbox. “Don’t be surprised that a kid comes home with half their lunch if you packed two sandwiches and snacks,” says assistant food editor Claire Saffitz. There’s no need to be austere, but consider your child’s eating habits as you pack things up: Are they a nibbler? Don’t pack a stack of leftover lasagna. Do they only eat half a wrap at home? Don’t make a full-size one just for school. And consider this: Most kids are doing a little sampling from their friends’ lunches, too.
SEE MORE: 19 School Lunch Ideas That Are Healthy (Mostly)
2. Everyone Loves a Sandwich
Sandwiches may get the best press as lunchbox fare, but they’re not the only option. In fact, most everyone in the test kitchen agrees heartily that leftovers can actually make the best lunch. “I’m into the sandwich made with leftover roast chicken,” says senior food editor Dawn Perry. Test kitchen manager Brad Leone agrees: “I would eat that right now.” When it comes to leftovers, dinner casseroles take the cake. They’re brilliant because they knock out two or more meals in one go—and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t totally dig on a Tupperware of day-old mac and cheese. Other ways to think outside the (lunch) box: an antipasti platter with salami, cheese, and crackers, and an assemble-it-yourself trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and granola. A word to the wise: Do a trial run of unfamiliar recipes on the weekend, lest your kid discover he hates finocchiona with four classes to go and no backup plan.
3. Old School Is Not Cool
Kids these days may have refined tastes—but don’t be afraid to recall your favorite school lunches andrecycle some classics. Ants on a log (peanut butter-smeared celery sticks topped with raisins), tuna salad, egg salad, and peanut butter and jelly taste every bit as awesome today as they did 20-plus years ago. One word of caution, however: Some of these options can quickly turn, uh, pungent after a few hours in a cubby. Take measures to keep it cool—more on that in a minute—but ultimately don’t worry too much about a little eau de egg salad. Says Leone: “If you pack a tuna sandwich, yeah, you’re the stinky kid. But boy, does it taste good with a pickle.”
SEE MORE: Back to School Recipes, Tested on Real Kids
4. What’s Cooler than Being Cool?
Yes, food safety is important. No, you don’t want to stink up the entire classroom with warm tuna. But the BAtest kitchen agrees: There’s no need for excess alarm. One possible solution: “Don’t pack food that needs to be refrigerated,” says senior associate food editor Alison Roman. (Nut butters, this is your time to shine.) Still insist on a highly perishable meal? Many lunchboxes are insulated now, making overly cautious refrigeration advocates’ lives a little easier. Roman also offers another a-ha idea for keeping your cool: Freeze a juice box, water bottle, or bag of fruit, like watermelons or blueberries. It’ll be thawed and ready to eat by lunch, while serving the function of an ice pack in the meantime.
5. A Squished Sandwich Tastes Just as Good
A squished sandwich does not taste just as good. It might be a placebo effect, but darn it if that ham-and-cheese just seems “off” after being crushed by a soda can. Invest in a few Tupperware or Pyrex to-go containers if you’re packing heavy or bulky things: Although a plastic baggie is slim and doesn’t take up much room, it’s a wasted save if a rogue apple crushes your main course. Bonus: Plastic or glass to-go containers are washable and entirely reusable. Your kid’s earth science teacher would approve.
6. Notes Are So Last Year
Perhaps the most important component of any school lunch is the well-crafted note. Perry’s mother rarely let a day pass without an encouraging letter signed with a “curly-haired smiley face.” Did it make Perry roll her eyes in embarrassment? “I loved it!” she says, adding that one of her friends was actually so jealous she forged notes from her mother. Scribbling a few loving words on the morning of a major exam, big game, or just a random Wednesday is what separates cafeteria tray lunches from the real deal. And hey: While we’re on the subject of sweet endings, don’t underestimate the morale-boosting power of a square of chocolate, a sliver of leftover pie, or, Leone’s suggestion, an oatmeal cookie.
More from Bon Appetit:
7 Fried Chicken Mistakes You’re Making, and How to Avoid Them
21 Peach Recipes Perfect for Summer
