Review on Stanley Heritage Vacuum Insulated Food by Nancy Levisay

First of all, I love its retro style! It's painted the vintage green that Stanley is known for. Probably our grandfathers carried such a food thermos to work in the 1940s. Although the container is stamped "Since 1913" it has been sold many times since then. In 2002 the brand name was bought by a venture capital firm based in Seattle, Washington and in 2002 all production was quickly moved to China. Heritage brands are more popular now so I like their look and color scheme. Stanley invented the vacuum sealed bottle to keep cold drinks cold and hot food/drinks warm. The quality isn't what it used to be. I remember my grandfather's Stanley thermos and how hard it was like iron and how much it weighed. I've seen Stanley's vintage green thermoses at antique stores or flea markets and they look brand new, although they've probably seen 50-year-olds knocking on jobs. I have ordered two items from Stanley. thermos and this food container. The thermos arrived crumpled and had to be replaced. I dented my food container the first day I owned it. I rinsed it out after unpacking it and it rolled off the counter and into the sink. When I picked it up it had a small dent where it fell into the sink. We're talking about a height, maybe 2 or 3 feet, and it's dented. The metal is lightweight and not really designed for anything other than a trip to the park in a hipster picnic hamper. Two items, both dented. Buy for looks. not durability. How does it work? I put very hot soup in for dinner the next day around 1am. I love HOT soup, so I crossed my fingers that it lived up to the label's stated claim of "keep hot meals warm until 3pm". I preheated the container by pouring hot water into the lidded container for 5 minutes. Then I drained the water and poured in the hot soup. Although it doesn't make much sense, it was described in the instructions and left in a 70 degree room overnight. Come the next day at noon, it was a lukewarm soup. i ate it but it definitely wasn't a hot soup after only 10 hours. I tried putting in a few scoops of ice cream and seeing how long it took to melt. After 2 hours it became very sticky and melted. I wasn't expecting the ice cream to stay fresh in a 70 degree room but was a little surprised that in under 2 hours it was basically ice cream soup. As mentioned, cleaning is a lot easier than with a thermos as you can easily wipe the bottom of the container with your hand. It is NOT dishwasher safe and it mentions not to put dairy, sauerkraut and other fermented foods in the container as this can cause pressure to build up. The cup, which can be unscrewed at the top, is lined with plastic and is quite thin. I don't think it will last 10 or 20 years. All in all, this is a cool retro piece that will look great at a picnic or on your table. Keeps hot food hot for about 10 hours. Good for soups, pasta dishes, etc. It will look great in a vintage picnic hamper, at an outdoor sporting event, or on a desk. It has an iconic look. what fun. I overlook its thin metallic outer layer because it keeps food warm. I would probably order it again. The size is perfect for lunch.