We take our lunch pretty seriously here at Bon Appétit. Although we don't bring a homemade meal every single day, if we do, we want it to be healthy, satisfying, and decidedly more than a green salad. Here's a secret: You don't need kitchen access to have a hot and hearty lunch in the office. All you need is hot water. We like using an electric kettle, but your favorite mug and a regular old microwave will do just fine, too. Ditto for the "hot" lever on the water machine. Here are our six favorite ways to use hot water for a better weekday lunch. What are yours?
There's a time and a place for hard-boiled eggs (hello, egg salad), but most of the time, we prefer our yolks a little runny. After all, nothing dresses a salad, grain bowl, or coats fried rice quite like a perfect six-minute egg. To take the magic from your morning toast to the office, cook your egg per normal in the morning, and shock it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Skip this step, and it will be overdone. When you're ready to eat lunch, fill a mug with hot water and gently drop the egg in. Let it sit for 30 seconds as the egg reheats, then peel and proceed. You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner!
Instant. Rice. Noodles. If you don't know, now you know: These will change your office lunch routine forever. They're partially cooked then dried until brittle, just like regular rice noodles. To prepare them, add a tangle into a heat-proof bowl, add boiling water, cover, and let sit for 2-3 minutes, using a spoon or chopsticks to stir the noodles every so often. Then, either add seasoning (curry paste! miso!) and have noodle soup, or drain out the water and add flavoring agents, like sesame oil, soy sauce, and fish sauce for a hearty noodle bowl.
Infinitely customizable, we love miso soup (pictured at the top of this page) for an easy office lunch. The best part about it is that it's best made a la minute—no need for exhaustive prep the night before. Add a tablespoonful of your favorite miso, a chopped scallion, some grated carrot, and a couple ounces of tofu to a jar or lidded container. When you're ready for lunch, all you have to do is pour in hot water, stir, and sip. Other miso riffs that we'd happily slurp: spring onions, garlic scapes, leftover takeout rice, turnip greens, celery…
If last night's takeout has transitioned to today's office lunch, take heart: You don't need to chow down on cold leftover white rice. Hot leftover white rice is much more enjoyable! Just add a small stream of boiling water to the rice (be sure to transfer it from the cardboard container to a bowl) and stir, allowing the water to both loosen the clumps and heat the grains. Voilà!
Sure, it might seem precious to bring a one-serving French press to the office, but if good coffee is your jam, it's worthwhile real estate at your desk. Skip the overpriced cuppa and the crappy cafeteria joe in favor of a freshly-brewed mug al desko. Grind your beans in the morning, and store at your desk in an airtight container. (If you want to grind it in weekly batches, we wouldn't fault you; it may not be the freshest coffee ever, but it's infinitely better than that vending machine swill).
If coffee's not your thing, might we suggest matcha? The entire process of brewing and drinking matcha takes under five minutes, which makes it perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or mid-morning perk. All you need, in addition to the hot water, is a small bowl, matcha powder, and a miniature whisk.