A leakproof lunch box is designed to prevent liquid and moisture from food from escaping during transport. However, when a lunch box has several compartments, there is an important distinction: it can be leakproof on the outside without necessarily being leakproof between the individual compartments.
If you want to pack juicy fruit, vegetables, dips, or dressing alongside bread and other dry foods, you should therefore consider both the outer seal and the construction between the compartments.
What does leakproof mean?
A leakproof lunch box has a lid and seal designed to keep moisture inside the container when the lunch box is properly closed. The leakproof function does not normally come from the stainless steel itself. Instead, it is created by the combination of the lid, closing mechanism, and a flexible gasket or silicone seal.
The overall construction is therefore what determines how leakproof a lunch box is.
A leakproof lunch box or leakproof compartments?
There are two different types of sealing that are easy to confuse.
| Type | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
| Leakproof on the outside | The contents stay inside the lunch box and do not leak into your bag. |
| Leakproof between compartments | The contents of one compartment cannot flow into the other compartments. |
For example, a lunch box with a removable divider can be sealed around the outer edge even if the divider itself is not liquid-tight. In this case, juice or dressing can move between the two sections without leaking out of the lunch box.
If each compartment needs to remain separate, the design must allow the lid to seal around each individual compartment.
How do SteelMate's leakproof lunch boxes work?
SteelMate's lunch boxes with 3 and 5 fixed compartments have a moulded platinum-cure silicone insert on the underside of the lid. When the lunch box is closed, the silicone seals around the edges of each individual compartment.
This means the construction is designed both to keep the lunch box sealed on the outside and to keep the contents of the individual compartments separate.
This can be particularly practical when your packed lunch contains fruit, vegetables, dips, or other foods with a higher moisture content.
Explore SteelMate's range of leakproof lunch boxes with 3 and 5 fixed compartments.
Is a lunch box with compartments always leakproof?
No. Compartments and leakproof performance are two different features.
A divider may be designed to keep sandwiches, vegetables, and snacks organised without being intended to prevent liquid from passing between sections.
SteelMate's models with removable dividers, for example, allow you to adjust the layout to suit your needs. The divider is useful for organising food, but it does not create a separate liquid-tight container in each section.
If flexibility is more important than having individually sealed compartments, you can choose a lunch box with an adjustable divider.
When are leakproof compartments useful?
Individually sealed compartments are particularly useful when different parts of a packed lunch need to remain separate during transport.
For example, this can be helpful when juicy fruit is packed alongside bread or when a small portion of dip needs to be carried with vegetables and snacks.
For children, this type of compartment layout can also be practical because the entire packed lunch can fit into one container without the need for several separate small boxes.
For completely liquid foods such as soup, however, you should choose a container specifically designed for transporting liquids.
3 or 5 leakproof compartments?
The choice depends on how you normally pack your food.
A lunch box with 3 compartments provides more space for a larger main meal and two smaller items. A Bento lunch box with 5 compartments distributes the available space between several smaller portions.
If open sandwiches on rye bread, regular sandwiches, or a larger main meal make up most of your packed lunch, 3 compartments will often be more practical. If your packed lunch consists of many smaller items, 5 compartments can provide a better layout.
How do you keep a leakproof lunch box sealed?
The seal must be clean and correctly positioned for the lunch box to work as intended.
Food residue along the silicone insert or the rim of the lunch box can interfere with the closure. Seals and removable silicone inserts should therefore be cleaned regularly and correctly refitted after washing.
Also check that the lid and closing mechanism are not damaged.
Conclusion: look beyond the word leakproof
When choosing a leakproof lunch box, you should investigate exactly what is sealed.
If your main concern is preventing moisture from escaping into your bag, a leakproof outer seal may be sufficient. If different parts of your packed lunch also need to remain separate, choose a model in which each compartment is individually sealed.
SteelMate's leakproof lunch boxes with 3 and 5 fixed compartments are designed for this type of organisation, while models with removable dividers offer greater flexibility when sealing between compartments is not necessary.
