How To?

For the discerning individual, a packed lunch is more than just a convenience—it's an opportunity for a perfectly balanced, delicious, and cost-effective meal. The secret to a successful packed lunch lies not only in what you pack but in the quality of the homeware you use. At mahahome.com, we understand that a well-equipped kitchen leads to a better dining experience, even away from home. Here's our expert's guide on how to pack the perfect lunchbox, focusing on the best food containers and savvy packing tips.

The Foundation: Choosing the Right Food Containers

The cornerstone of a great packed lunch is the container itself. Different meals require different solutions, and an expert meal prepper knows the value of having a variety of high-quality food containers at their disposal.

• The Bento Box: The Master of Organisation A bento box-style lunchbox is a game-changer for those who appreciate variety and structure. Featuring multiple compartments, it allows you to pack different food groups—a main dish, a side salad, and a snack—without anything touching. This is the ultimate solution for keeping ingredients crisp and fresh, preventing soggy sandwiches, and encouraging portion control. Look for bento boxes that are both leak-proof and microwave-safe, ensuring maximum utility.
• Glass Containers: The Reheating Champion For meals that need to be reheated, such as curries, soups, or leftover pasta, a glass food container is the superior choice. Unlike plastic, glass doesn't stain or retain odours, and it can be safely and easily microwaved without any concern about chemical leaching. Glass containers also look incredibly smart and are a durable, long-lasting investment.
• Insulated Flasks: The Hot Food Hero There’s nothing quite like a warm, comforting meal on a cold day. An insulated food flask is a must-have piece of kitchenware for this purpose. It keeps soups, stews, and hot pasta dishes warm for hours, giving you a proper hot meal without needing access to a microwave. A quality flask is a versatile item, capable of also keeping cold items chilled on a warm summer's day.
• Small Pots: For Sauces, Snacks, and Sides Don't underestimate the power of a small, leak-proof pot. These little homeware heroes are perfect for keeping dressings separate from your salad leaves, storing dips like hummus, or holding a small portion of nuts or seeds. This simple addition is a key tip for expert lunch packers, ensuring every ingredient stays exactly as it should until it's time to eat.

The Expert's Packing Tips

With the right tools in hand, here are a few final tips to elevate your packed lunch game:

1. Meal Prep Like a Pro: Dedicate a short amount of time each week to plan and prep your lunches. Chop vegetables, cook grains, and prepare dressings in advance. This makes the daily packing process quick and easy.
2. Think in Layers: When building a salad, for example, place the dressing at the bottom of the container, followed by hard vegetables, then grains, and finally, the delicate greens at the top. This keeps everything fresh and prevents sogginess.
3. Invest in an Ice Pack: For fresh salads and chilled items, a small, reusable ice pack will be your best friend. Tucked into your lunchbox, it ensures that your food remains at a safe temperature until lunchtime.

A perfectly packed lunch is an act of self-care, a way to ensure you're fuelling your day with nourishing, delicious food. By investing in the right food containers and a few simple pieces of kitchenware, you'll be well on your way to mastering the art of the packed lunch. Explore our full range of food storage and homeware essentials at mahahome.com today.

Everyone loves butter, everyone understands the importance of butter and everyone knows how simply wonderful it is when spread it on a piece of freshly baked bread, or when it is mixed with some freshly minced garlic and smothered over a steak.

Now how on earth could you possibly make butter any better? Well…. You could always make it yourself…? And what if we were to tell you that you could make your very own fresh butter in just over 10 minutes?

We are going to show you exactly how you can make your own butter.

You Will Need:

• Kilner Butter Churn
• A Butter Dish
• 2 x Butter Paddles
• A Jar (for collecting the spare buttermilk)
• Spatula (recommended for scraping out your butter)
• 300mls of Fresh Double Cream (Left at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours)
• Any Flavourings of your choice

Step One:

Add your room temperature cream to the Kilner Butter Churn and tightly attach the lid (make sure it is secure, you don’t want to paint your walls cream)

Step Two:

Now for the fun part, get your guns ready for some churning! Turn the handle on the top to start turning the cogs. You want to churn for approximately ten minutes and watch the cream get thicker and thicker

Step Three:

Just keep churning, just keep churning. You will know when your butter is ready as you will see it start to turn from a thick cream to clumps of butter (the solid) and buttermilk (the liquid).

You now want to separate the liquid from the soild, you could do this by holding a Spatula against the side of the jar and allowing the liquid to flow into a spare jar or you could place a sheet of Muslin over a jar and allow it to drain through, really it is up to you.

Step Four:

The next step is to give your butter a good ole squeeze in a bowl of ice cold water whilst using the Butter Paddles to get rid of any excess buttermilk that may have got caught in the nooks and crannies, this is also a good opportunity to give your butter a light knead so that it is super smooth.

Step Five:

Lastly, you may want to mould the butter using the Butter Paddles.

Here is where you could leave it as it and place it a Butter Dish or you could flavour it will salt, pepper, chilli, honey you choose! However, we would highly recommend this recipe from Kilner that uses Chilli and Lime for flavouring.

Chilli and Lime Homemade Butter

Ingredients:

• 115g unsalted butter
• ½ tsp crushed chilli flakes
• 2 tsp grated lime zest
• A squeeze of lime juice
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature and free from excess buttermilk.
2. Place your butter in a bowl and add in the chilli flakes, lime zest, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Using your Butter Paddles to combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. At this point, you should test the flavour of the butter.
3. If you want to make it fierier add in more chilli flakes. Your butter is ready to be served. Serve straight away or place in a Butter Dish store in the fridge.
4. Consume within a week.

With Shrove Tuesday just days away, the supermarket shelves are getting stocked full of pancake mix, lemon juice and golden syrup in anticipation. Let Mahahome make your Pancake Day a little easier…

Are you getting in a bind over batter? Are you frightened of ‘The Flip’? Anxious about getting the filling just right? Don’t panic! Pancake recipes can look so simple, you’re often left wondering what the catch is - but they really are that easy. Even if you aced pancake day last year, you may have already forgotten what you did right. With a few essential tools, we can help you make Pancake Day 2016 perfect.

Don’t flip out

Everyone thinks that the first pancake is always going to be awful. And of course, it will be...with that attitude. There are a few “scientific” reasons to account for the poor quality of the dreaded first pancake: the batter needs to sit for around ten minutes - partly to allow it to get to room temperature, and partly to allow the ingredients to mix properly. The pan also needs to be hot enough (around 375°F), and not too oily.

One solution to an overly-oily pan is investing in a top-quality non-stick pan, and the Pendeford non-stick pan is one of the best on the market. As for flipping - every wannabe chef’s annual nightmare - try this spiffy Oxo pancake turner, with a wider spatula head, and a soft rubber grip to ensure you don’t slip-up under the pressure.

Batter up

Getting the pancake mix right is an artform in itself, and while anyone can buy packet mix, it’s hard to beat the sense of pride that comes with successfully whipping up your own batter. The ingredients are simple enough, but getting the proportions right can be a bit tricky.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail” - at Mahahome, we recommend getting ready with an accurate Pyrex measuring jug, a top quality Tala sieve, and a sturdy Mason Cash whisk to mix everything together. And while a mixing bowl is important, we suggest using a specially-designed batter bowl, which has a handle and spout to ensure your batter hits the pan without wasting a drop.

Top it up

Obviously the pancake is the star of the show, but a plain pancake is like an undecorated Christmas tree - a thing of natural beauty, but ultimately lacking. So, if you thought nailing the mixture, flipping 360° batter stunts and delivering an intact pancake was enough, think again.

Getting the toppings right is a tricky business in itself. You may have to contend with the rare breed of people who prefer their pancakes savoury - in which case, a classic ham and cheese would be a surefire crowd-pleaser.

If you’re rocking the cheese and ham option - as well you should - make sure you get your hands on a top quality cheese grater, such as Premier Housewares’ Omega 4-Way grater. Not only will you get your cheddar grated to perfection, but you’ll be able to use one of the other sides to zest your oranges for a classy crêpe suzette. Of course, if you’re going down that route, you’ll also need a juicer to finish off the syrup to go on top. With two attachments to cater for oranges, lemons and anything else squeezable, the OXO Good Grips juicer would be the best choice.

So make sure your Shrove Tuesday isn’t a flat affair, and look to Mahahome for all your Pancake Day accessories.