A silly question about how to use a thermos!

[dudsville]

I bought a thermos for taking lunch in to work and i have a question. I made a chickpea salad that can be eaten at room temp, but I would keep it in the fridge overnight. It's designed to keep cold things cold and hot things hot. If I put it in the fridge with the lid on, but the ingredients are room temp, will it just fester? In the end I left it opened in the fridge for a few hours and just now put the lid on, but now my fridge smells of the salad.

I would chill the covered salad out of the flask in the fridge and maybe put the open flask in the fridge to cool down too. In the morning put the cold salad in the cold flask.

If you are putting hot food in the flask then preheat the flask with hot water for 10-15 minutes before putting the hot food in it

You did the right thing. The food wont get the benefit of the cold fridge if the lid of the flask is on.

I would do the same as @dementedpixie

Thank you all very much, that makes sense!