Does the top mounted ice pack actually keep the food inside the container cold for few hours ? Does it need to touch the food to keep it cold ?
1557356
Yes the ice pack does work. Heat actually rises and cold air lowers. This keeps your food cold and doesn't have to be in close contact with the food.
1557357
I would estimate that it keeps it cold for about 3-4 hours. And no, the ice pack doesn't have to touch the food.
1557358
It keeps the food cold when kept in a lunch bag or desk drawer for awhile. It won't keep things really cold if it's in the sun or in warm temperatures like an un- air conditioned location. The food does need to touch it to stay cold. I use these primarily for fruit or salad mix. I'm not sure if I would trust it for a long period of time (say from the time you pack it for work and then till lunch at noon) for things that go bad easily such as mayo. Just my opinion. I hope it helps.
1557359
It does keep the food cold for a few hours, and it does not need to touch the food. I usually put together my son's and husband's lunches around 7:30am and they are still cold at lunchtime (11:00am and 11:30am). I am not sure how cold food will stay longer than 4 hours though.
1818042
The lunch jar we ordered can keep food warm around 6 hours. My daughter brought hot food for lunch during the winter time. She never complain about the "cold food".
1625133
The cooler bag is insulated but is not designed to maintain heat for several hours. A thermos is recommended for keeping hot food hot. Additionally, I do not recommend putting an extremely hot container inside the cooler bag as the inside could be damaged by excessive heat. If a cold lunch is packed, an ice block should be included to maintain a cold temp for several hours. Food should already be chilled when packed. Do not store in the sun or a hot car. - Kelly Lester, ceo, EasyLunchboxes
964859
Hi. I have never tried to keep the ice pack in the cooler bag for more than 7 hrs. So im really not sure how to answer your question. I really doubt though, that the ice can last that long
1912737
Yes. If it is plugged in, it is a cool as a fridge. If unplugged overnight, have ice packs in the cooler and a blanket on top of the lid for insulation and your food will stay cold and fresh for the next day. If concerned, put a thermometer in it.
1449469
I havent had much luck keeping my food as cold as it should be for the price. Have had to replace the ice packs and buy my own and some days I use 4 ice packs. I wouldnt think of carrying milk around since my yogurt gets a little cooler than room temp rather quickly.
91980
I use cold packs in the lunch bag with the Lunch bot and it stays very cold. My kids have loved them.
1506163
I use the ice packs in a insulated lunch bag & it keeps my drinks & food cold but I don't think it would keep ice cream cold enough so it wouldn't melt. My ice packs in the my closed lunch bag is melted after 8hrs.
2086920
It works pretty good if you use plenty of ice. I generally use a blue ice pack and have a 32oz nalgene bottle that I freeze with drinking water. The cooler tends to sit in my very hot work truck all day, but by the time I break for lunch the nalgene is unfrozen but still cold and my lunch is still cold. If I don't eat my yogurt at lunch though it is usually too warm to eat within a few hours of lunch. So it keeps things cold about 6 hours, but only with at least 2 ice packs. It also seems like even frozen plastic bottles of water keep it cool longer than the hard blue packs.
371527
I have only used it for cold items. With an ice pack it stays cold for about 6 hours.
714443
Generally, the lunchbox is quite good at keeping things cool. There is a removable plastic tray that fits snugly into the outside rectangular box. I make my lunches the night before, then store the tray in the fridge overnight. When I put the tray in the outer box in the morning, everything is very cold and seems to stay chilled until lunchtime. I think the silicon seal acts as a bit of an insulating layer. If I wanted to keep foods cold for more than a few hours, or if the weather were really hot, I would put the entire lunch box inside a soft-sided lunch bag along with an ice-pack. However, this makes it pretty cumbersome for the kids, who then have two separate containers to open (and lose!) which is another reason I don't find this lunchbox very practical.
1387629
The box is not thermally insulated, so the food will be room temperature. When I want to keep the yumbox colder, I freeze a drink, one of those collapsible pouches and pack it next to yumbox. Then the kid has a "slushy" and his lunch stays cold. I the yum box and frozen drink pouch inside a thermos soft sided semi thermally insulated lunch box.
382491
I usually only use it for cold. The lunch box keeps cold for hours. We love this lunch box soo much I purchased 3 more.
1049736
Ice packs definitely help keep items cold. None are included. I use mine as an adult lunch box, holds plenty
186686
No, not really hard, just somewhat stiff. It is not intended for keeping food in a cooler; it is intended for cold therapy. I suggest you look for a different kind of ice pack that is intended for coolers.
1279625
If you put a cold pack in it, it might stay cold, but it is just like a regular Tupperware container when it comes to keeping food warm or cold.
1905748
No, it does not keep food hot; but it has a built in ice-pack to help keep food in the top section cool for a few hours.