Thermos dinner
A whole takeout-style dinner eaten with a fork in the bleachers.
Practice ate the dinner hour and the only table is your lap on a cold metal bench.
You open the thermos to warm fried rice that smells like sesame, and it tastes like you somehow ordered out at the field.
Ingredients
Gather the food for thermos fried rice before the clock starts crowding the kitchen.
- 4 cups cold cooked rice, preferably day-old
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 2 cups cooked chicken or ham, diced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions, sliced
How to Make It
Keep thermos fried rice focused on cooked food, simple assembly, and one clear stopping point.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble until just set, then scoop them out.
- Add the remaining oil and the frozen peas and carrots and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cold rice and press it into the pan, letting it crisp for a minute before stirring.
- Stir in the chicken or ham, the soy sauce, and the sesame oil and toss until everything is hot, about 3 minutes.
- Fold the eggs back in along with the green onions and toss once more.
Pack It Hot Safely
Rice needs careful handling, so pack it piping hot in a warm thermos and it stays safe and tasty.
- Fill the thermos with boiling water and let it sit 5 minutes, then empty it right before packing
- Spoon the fried rice in steaming hot, straight from the pan, so it starts well above 140F
- Keep hot food at 140F or above; a preheated thermos holds that heat for hours
Pack the Sides Separately
Crunchy extras lose their snap in the steamy jar, so send them on the side.
- Pack orange segments or a few crunchy snap peas in a separate box
- Tape a fork to the lid for easy eating at the field
- Send extra soy sauce in a tiny container for anyone who wants more
- Serve with: orange segments, snap peas
Parent Tip
Cold day-old rice fries up firm and separate; fresh rice turns mushy in the pan.
Make It Fit Tonight
Small Tweaks That Help This Dinner Land
Use shrimp
Add cooked shrimp at the end for a quick, protein-packed twist.
Make it veggie
Skip the meat and double the eggs and frozen vegetables.
Add pineapple
A handful of diced pineapple gives a sweet pop kids love.
Swap in leftover takeout rice
Day-old rice from any meal fries up best and saves a step.
Go low-sodium
Use reduced-sodium soy sauce so the jar is not too salty for little ones.
Plan The Next Step
Plan the away-from-home nights
Use the planner to figure out which nights are thermos nights and which can wait for the stove.