What are thermoses and how to choose the best one

The ability of a thermos to maintain a high or low temperature of food for a long time is very valuable quality, thanks to which such products are very popular from the moment they inventions. However, choosing a product that best suits its purpose and keeps the temperature as long as possible is quite difficult. But this article will help to solve even such an interesting problem.

What are thermoses

Before starting to study the assortment of options presented on store shelves, it is worth deciding on the type of food that is supposed to be stored in the vessel. By this criterion, two basic options can be distinguished: for drinks and food.

Thermos for drinks notable for its narrow neck. This feature allows you to reduce heat loss through this rather vulnerable part of the structure. When it comes to small-volume dishes, the neck is usually closed with a screw cap, which can be supplemented with a valve to facilitate the use of the vessel.

Large-volume beverage flasks designed for tabletop use are equipped with a pneumatic pump plug and an outlet on the side. A separate, miniature version of representatives of this category, aimed at home use, is called a thermo mug. Its characteristic features are a small volume and a special valve on the lid.

Food thermoses have a wide neck, which is only slightly smaller than the body diameter. Thanks to this feature, it is much more convenient to put food products into the flask and get them out of it. But there is also a minus - due to the wider neck, such a thermos keeps the temperature somewhat worse than its counterpart designed for liquids.

Food thermoses can be simple, stand out only by the width of the neck, and with vessels - options, supplemented by 2-3 plastic containers that allow you to simultaneously store several dishes in one vessel. This group also includes models positioned as universal, because the only a distinctive feature of this option is the design of the plug, in which a hole for pouring is provided drinks.

Regardless of the purpose, thermoses also differ in the material from which the inner flask is made. There are only three options:

• glass - the flask holds the temperature well, but it can break;
• plastic is a budget option, which is still not recommended for frequent use, since the material does not tolerate frequent temperature changes;
• metal is the most durable and practical modern option, which still has a higher thermal conductivity than glass.

Depending on the filling between the inner and outer walls of the flask, thermoses are divided into vacuum and air. Models with evacuated air do better with thermal insulation, but they are also more expensive than slightly less efficient air counterparts.

How to choose a thermos

When choosing a much-needed item, it is important to take into account the type of food stored, the capacity of the flask, the operating conditions of the thermos and the heat retention time declared by the manufacturer. And only after it is possible to determine these paramount parameters, the turn of such criteria as the material of the bulb, the type of insulation and the design of the plug comes up.

With a focus on such a priority, ratings are compiled in which the indisputable leadership belongs to such foreign brands as Thermos, Zojirushi and Tiger. The only significant drawback of the products of these companies can be called only its immodest cost.

Those looking for quality at a more affordable price should pay attention to the ranking, led by such European brands as EMSA, LaPlaya and Tatonka. They produce thermoses a little worse than the companies mentioned earlier, but the cost of their products is, on average, half that of the leaders in quality.

Well, among those who give preference to domestically produced goods, disputes about the quality of brand thermoses do not subside. Arctic and Biostal. The first is quite capable of competing with European counterparts, and Biostal, slightly inferior to the Arctic in terms of quality, also pleases with the quite affordable cost of its products.