The Lunch Box Cookbook

Note: This edition of The Lunch Box Cookbook has been updated to include Metric equivalents.


An uninspired collection of leftovers is never a welcome sight to anyone. But a lunch well planned, attractively packed and excitingly varied from day to day will interest even the most listless eater. Whether eaten in a school room, factory or office, lunch should be as tempting and appealing as any meal of the day. At the same time, it must supply about one-third of the daily food needs.

Remember to include foods that are easy to eat and carry. Never send foods that tend to spoil. Include a hearty dish (soup, sandwich or main dish), a salad or raw vegetable, a beverage, a dessert and a surprise food. The basic pattern should be varied to suit the individual.

All this need not take much extra time if food for the packed lunch is planned, purchased and prepared with food for other meals. Buy extra fruit with the breakfast supply, prepare extra breakfast cocoa or hard-cooked eggs and utilize the home freezer.

Organize work and have all equipment on hand. Basic equipment to have on hand includes a wide-mouth vacuum bottle; small jars with wide mouths and screw tops; plastic containers with tight-fitting covers; no-spill salt and pepper shakers; plastic, paper or wooden forks or spoons; plastic or heavy paper cups; colorful paper napkins (include at least two), waxed paper and aluminum foil or moisture-vapor-proof material for wrapping.

With imagination in planning and packing, the carried lunch can become the most anticipated meal of the day.