As the colder months arrive, demand for hot food increases across cafés, restaurants, takeaways, and other foodservice businesses. From soups and curries to hot takeaway meals, the right packaging needs to keep food secure while withstanding the heat.
In this article, we explore some of the best hot food packaging, including what to consider when choosing packaging and how the right solution can make food preparation and service more efficient.
Key Takeaways
- When choosing hot food packaging, consider factors such as temperature resistance, coating, cooking method, ease of use, end use, and sustainability.
- Hot food packaging options include cook-in-the-pack packaging, soup containers, food bowls, burger boxes, pizza boxes, and windowed hot food boxes, with each option suited to different foods and serving requirements.
- easipac offers a wide range of sustainable hot food packaging, with options for different foods, preparation methods, and serving requirements.
What Should You Look For in Hot Food Packaging?
Choosing the right packaging involves more than simply finding a container that can hold hot food. Consider the following factors to make sure your chosen packaging is suitable for its intended use:
| Consideration | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Temperature resistance | Hot food packaging needs to withstand the temperatures required for cooking or heating without losing its strength, shape, or integrity. |
| Suitable coating | The right coating helps protect the packaging from heat, moisture, and grease, particularly when food is cooked or heated in the pack. |
| Cooking method | The packaging needs to be suitable for how the food is prepared, whether it is cooked or heated directly in the packaging or added to it afterwards. |
| Ease of use | Packaging should make it easy to prepare, fill, transport, and serve food, helping staff handle orders efficiently during busy periods. |
| End use | Think about what happens once the food has been prepared. Packaging may need to keep food secure during transport, prevent spills, and make it easy for the customer to eat. |
| Sustainability | Choosing recyclable or other more sustainable packaging options can help businesses reduce the environmental impact of their food packaging, while still meeting the practical requirements of the food. |
Hot Food Packaging for Different Dishes
The best packaging will depend on the type of food and how it needs to be prepared and served. Let’s take a closer look at some of the available options.
Cook-In-The-Pack Packaging
With cook-in-the-pack packaging, food can be prepared and cooked directly in the container it will be served or transported in. This removes the need to move food between different containers during preparation, helping to reduce handling and save time.
It can be particularly useful for food businesses preparing larger quantities or handling busy periods, where reducing unnecessary preparation steps can make a difference.
Key benefits of cook-in-the-pack packaging include:
- Less handling and time savings: Keeping food in the same packaging throughout preparation reduces unnecessary handling, while removing extra transfer and packing steps can make food preparation easier and more efficient.
- Ready for service: Once cooked, the food is already in the packaging needed for serving or takeaway.
- Reduced cleanup: Fewer transfers between containers can mean fewer items to clean after preparation.
- Improved food hygiene: Keeping food enclosed in its packaging throughout the cooking process can help limit its exposure to the surrounding environment.
- Reduced food waste: Using the same packaging through cooking and service can help reduce food loss during transfers.
The packaging itself also needs to withstand the temperatures used during cooking. Paperboard can be coated with different plastics, including PET and PP, and these coatings have different temperature tolerances.
PET coating is suitable for higher-temperature applications, while PP coating is not suitable for these requirements. Paperboard can also catch fire at around 234°C, so both the board and coating need to be carefully considered when selecting packaging for cooking.
Did You Know? At easipac, we provide PET-coated cook-in-the-pack solutions for food businesses looking to simplify preparation and make better use of their packaging.
Soup Containers
Perfect for soups, stews, and pasta dishes, soup containers provide a practical way to serve hot food for takeaway, delivery, and catering. Their sturdy construction helps keep food contained during transport, while a leak-resistant lining is particularly useful for liquid and sauce-based dishes.
easipac’s disposable soup containers are specifically designed to help retain heat and keep hot food securely contained. Our heavy-board, PE-lined soup containers are available in 8oz, 12oz, 16oz, and 32oz sizes, with matching lids available, so they can accommodate different portion sizes and serving requirements.
Food Bowls
Food bowls are a practical option for serving hot meals, providing plenty of space for dishes such as pasta, rice dishes, curries, noodles, and stir-fries. Their shape also makes them easy to fill, close, and transport, making them well suited to takeaway and delivery.
At easipac, we offer a range of disposable bowls with lids to suit different food-to-go requirements. For instance, our Kraft rectangular bowls bring a natural, premium look to hot food-to-go, with a sturdy PE-lined board that helps prevent them from going soft, and matching PP lids for a secure fit.
Burger Boxes
Burgers can be messy to package, particularly when they are hot and packed with sauces, fillings, and toppings. A well-structured burger box needs to hold its shape around the food, provide enough space without being unnecessarily large, and cope with the heat and grease from the meal.
Material choice can also make a significant difference. For instance, Fluted burger boxes provide a lightweight, rigid structure that helps protect the burger, while fibre-based disposable burger boxes, such as bagasse made from sugarcane, offer a sturdy alternative with good insulation properties.
Pizza Boxes
Pizza boxes are an absolute staple of hot food packaging, but there are several things to consider when choosing the right option:
- Material: Recyclable cardboard can provide a sturdy structure for freshly cooked pizza, while also offering heat retention and durability.
- Size and structure: The box should provide enough room for the pizza and its toppings without allowing it to move around inside.
- Heat and grease: Pizza brings heat, melted cheese, sauces, and oil into contact with the packaging, so the box needs to cope with these without becoming weak or overly greasy.
- Ventilation: Allowing some steam to escape can help reduce condensation inside the box and prevent the base and crust from becoming soggy.
A pizza box liner can add another layer between the pizza and the packaging, helping to manage grease and food residue while providing a suitable surface for the pizza to sit on. Together, the box and liner can help keep freshly cooked pizza protected from preparation through to serving.
Windowed Hot Food Boxes
Presentation is an important part of food packaging, particularly when customers want to see what they are ordering. Windowed hot food boxes make this possible without opening the packaging, making them an excellent choice for foods such as loaded fries, fried chicken, warm pastries, and other hot meals.
Fluted cardboard is a useful choice for hot food boxes, providing insulation and helping to retain the box’s shape when filled with hot food. Its layered construction gives the packaging added rigidity, helping it cope with the weight and heat of freshly prepared food while also making it easier to stack and handle.
Did You Know? At easipac, we also offer Christmas market packaging, helping traders efficiently serve everything from loaded fries and burgers to hot chocolate, mulled wine, and seasonal bakes throughout the festive season.
Find Your Hot Food Packaging Solution with easipac
The right packaging can make a real difference to how food is prepared, presented, and enjoyed. But with so many materials, formats, and options available, finding the right fit for your business isn’t always straightforward.
At easipac, a premier food packaging supplier, we provide a wide range of food packaging, with options to suit different foods, businesses, and budgets. Whether you already know what you need or need a little help choosing, our team can help you find packaging that works for your requirements.
There are plenty of reasons to choose easipac, including:
- Fast, reliable delivery: We deliver across the UK using our own drivers and logistics network. Stock orders placed before 12 noon on a working day are delivered the next working day, with free UK delivery on orders over £150.
- Custom branding: Put your own stamp on your packaging with custom printed designs featuring your logo, colours, and other brand elements.
- Sustainability in mind: We offer recyclable and compostable packaging choices, helping businesses consider the environmental impact of their packaging when selecting the right solution.
- Personal service: As a family-run business, we value building strong, long-term relationships with our customers. That means you can speak to a real person, get straightforward advice, and receive support based on what your business actually needs.
From choosing the right material to creating packaging that reflects your brand, we’re here to help you find a solution that works for your business.
Get in touch with easipac today to discuss your food packaging needs.
