Product: Thermos® FUNtainer food jar
Pitch: This double wall vacuum insulated jar promises “maximum temperature retention” for hot or cold foods. The container, with durable stainless steel interior and exterior, is suppose to keep cold foods cool for up to seven hours and hot foods for five hours and hold up to 10 ounces. With an “extra wide mouth it‘s easy to fill, serve from and clean.”
Price: We spotted these food jars in a variety of colors and character themes at a number of retailers, including the Andersons, Toys R Us, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and several online dealers.Prices ranged from about $13.99 to $19.99.
The bottom line: Deal. Of all the containers we’ve tried over the years, the FUNtainer works best, when it comes to keeping food warm. Its small size is a good and bad thing. While it‘s easy to open and close and fits nicely into lunch boxes, it’s too small to hold a whole can of soup. Its claim of keeping hot foods hot for 5 hours is a bit of a stretch. The food remained warm, but not as hot as when it was first put in the jar.
Product: Fit & Fresh Kids' 14 Piece Lunch Container Set
Pitch: These stackable containers include removable ice packs that attach to lids, to keep food fresh and chilled. The set includes portioned containers in a variety of colors.
Price: $9.99 at Toys R Us.
The bottom line: Deal. These containers work about as well as any other container with an ice pack, as far as keeping food chilled. What we found most helpful was that the cups come with measurement markings and lids that fit snugly, ensuring that lunches are portioned and securely packed.
So you’ve got your eye on a new cleaning product that promises to rid your home of all things gross or a new nail polish that pledges to make your fingernails as tough as, well, nails. The pitch is perfect. The price is in your budget. But does it work? Consumers always want to know, so let us tell you: We’ll try it before you buy it. The Bottom Line will highlight some of the newest and trendiest items and tell you whether it’s a deal or dud. Got a product in mind? Contact Blade reporter RoNeisha Mullen at rmullen@theblade.com or 419-724-6133.
First Published August 31, 2014, 4:00 a.m.
