Help me find a souper bowl

April 3, 2010 10:08 AM

I'm looking for the perfect bowl for taking soup to work.

The bowl of my dreams would be:

• Made of microwaveable ceramic or glass.
• Have a screw top lid (metal or plastic is fine). It has to survive a bumpy bike commute, so wimpy soft plastic covers are not going to work.
• Be reasonably cheap -- I'd like to buy several.

I'm aware of bowl-shaped thermoses. As far as I know, these are not microwaveable. I'm sadly not awake enough in the morning to heat something up and put it in a thermos.

Thanks!

posted by miyabo to food & drink (17 answers total)

What about taking the soup in a thermos or glass jar, and then pouring it into a microwavable soup bowl? I've found that mason jars are really quite sturdy. You could portion them into glass jars, and keep a bunch of old tube socks handy for little covers.
posted by barnone at 10:27 AM on April 3, 2010

barnone: good thinking. I forgot to mention that I have a bit of a hike from microwave to the place where I eat though, so I'm still looking for the bowl of my dreams.
posted by miyabo at 10:29 AM on April 3, 2010

Aladdin lunch bowl, $7-13 depending on retailer. Holds 12 oz, screw top, microwaveable, even comes with a spoon that slides out of a compartment in the lid. Ours bounces around in a middle-schooler's backpack for half the day without leaking. I toss the base into the dishwasher to clean. The only issue we've had with it is the size and slickness of the lid plus the tight-fitting seal can make it difficult to open for smaller hands.
posted by jamaro at 10:39 AM on April 3, 2010

I use these Ziploc brand containers (or something similar...mine are slightly squatter, more like these) to transport soups and haven't had a leak yet. I don't know if they're officially microwave-safe, but I heat them in the microwave all the time and nothing has melted. Maybe I'm being slowly poisoned--check back in thirty years or so. I'm sure it says on the packaging, I've just never checked. They also hold up well in the dishwasher and in the freezer.
Finally, they're super cheap and most grocery stores carry them (look near the bags and saran wrap and stuff).
posted by ethorson at 10:44 AM on April 3, 2010

Here's a tupperware container with screw-top. The base is supposedly microwavable at 50%. I'm pretty wary of microwaving plastics these days but this could be okay...
posted by barnone at 10:45 AM on April 3, 2010

How about this (the round one)? I swear by these (in a much smaller size) for baby food transport.
posted by Go Banana at 11:48 AM on April 3, 2010

Go Banana - are those totally spill-proof for liquids? I had a few older ones leak in my bag, but maybe the new versions have a better seal.
posted by barnone at 1:01 PM on April 3, 2010

Thanks, Banana, that looks perfect! Microwaveable glass and with a secure lid.
posted by miyabo at 1:02 PM on April 3, 2010

I've always used a mason jar and eaten my soup out of it, but Go Banana's link is great!
posted by OLechat at 3:23 PM on April 3, 2010

I have this corningware mug and it's great. The plastic lid is snug as hell.
posted by ODiV at 3:31 PM on April 3, 2010

Yeah - what about a glass mason jar? They have screw lids, I assume microwaving glass is fine, and just protect them in a sock or something?

I'm thinking those other glass ones might leak, just a guess though.

These pyrex 'no-leak lids' do have a plastic lid, which I know you said you didn't want, but I can't tell if they're super rigid or not. Thought I'd link to em either way.
posted by R a c h e l at 4:18 PM on April 3, 2010

I use the Pyrex glass bowls that R a c h e l links to above. I love them and haven't noticed any leaks from them. Of course, I tend to wrap things up, sort of as if they were a bento box. My desk-neighbor at work uses them, too.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:55 PM on April 3, 2010

I had the snapware plastic containers and found that over time the flaps that hold the lids down got looser and would not keep a tight seal.

These pyrex bowls have very tight fitting lids (and no vent as in R a c h e l's link). You might want to include a potholder in your lunch bag as the glass container tends to get hot in the microwave.
posted by zoel at 8:55 PM on April 3, 2010

We use peanut butter jars for our leftover needs. The natural peanut butter jars, seemingly any brand, use identical lids. We haven't done this but I suppose one could add a small rubber gasket fur extra protection.
posted by mearls at 7:36 AM on April 4, 2010

I use a very similar bowl to what Go Banana links above. Mine is made by Lock n Lock (I think that is how they spell it).

Here in Seattle, I find the best variety of this particular brand in the big Asian markets. I have many of the all plastic variety that are dishwasher/microwave safe and have interchangeable lids for a variety of different depths of containers. The one glass bowl I have, unfortunately, does not share the same lid design and thus doesn’t get to share its lid.

They are all water proof and daily commute with me in my car or with my GF on the train to work downtown. Often, she makes a huge pot of stew and freezes some in one, and then takes another (about the size of a short bread loaf) to work for several lunches.

Although they are somewhat pricey, they have lasted me for a couple years now and still are all going strong.

I am somewhat dubious of the whole marketing idea where you open the fridge and see all of one brand of container in a sort of unification theory of storage with everything in its place co-existing happily. Having solved all their leftover storage dilemmas, the owner of said fridge is left to live a perfect life and goes sky diving and whatnot knowing that their kitchen is spotless. However, upon inspection of my fridge, one might suspect such a marketing ploy (without the spotless or skydiving) as I own a lot of these buggers and do often recommend them to friends…and strangers on the internet.
posted by Chickenjack at 5:35 AM on April 5, 2010

I purchased a Pyrex container, a Glasslock container, and a Corningware Soup Mug. The verdict: the Snapware Glasslock and Corningware are sufficiently sturdy and leak-proof. The Pyrex was advertised as leak-proof, but the included plastic cover didn't really fit tightly enough. The Glasslock does get pretty hot, and I suspect the plastic tabs that keep its lid in place will eventually break, but it's a convenient size so I'll keep it. But the first prize goes to the Corningware Soup Mug.
posted by miyabo at 6:09 PM on April 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

OK, got an Alladin soup bowl too once I learned they are BPA free. It really does keep things warm until lunchtime. Downside: they only come in 12 oz and 24 oz sizes, and all my other containers are 16 oz which is a perfect lunch size. Also still somewhat paranoid about microwaving plastic.
posted by miyabo at 12:42 PM on May 17, 2010