How to reheat a ready meal evenly in the microwave
The edges bubble, the middle stays fridge-cold. Why microwaves heat in patches, which dishes suffer most and the five habits that even the heat out.
Plate Mate Blog
What is in a ready meal, how to read its label, how long chilled food stays good and how to heat it well. Plus how food machines work in Bangkok and Pattaya condos.
All articles
No added MSG: what it means and what it does not
A "no added MSG" label means nobody put MSG in the recipe. It is not a safety claim and not a promise of glutamate-free food. What regulators say and how to read Thai labels.
Per pack, per 100 g, per serving: reading nutrition numbers
A meal that looks light per 100 g can be the bigger lunch per pack. What each basis tells you, how kcal relate to kJ and how to compare two meals fairly.
Preservatives and shelf life: what keeps a ready meal safe
A preservative is one of several hurdles that keep chilled food safe, alongside cold, heat, acidity, hygiene and packaging. Without it, the fridge and the use-by date carry more of the load.
Raw vs cooked weight: why 100 g of chicken is two different numbers
Boiled rice roughly triples in weight, pan-fried chicken loses about a fifth. Which weight you log decides whether your calorie and protein totals are right.
Salt and sodium: how to read the milligrams on a label
If a ready meal label says 920 mg of sodium, multiply by 2.5: that is about 2.3 g of salt, almost half of WHO's daily limit. How the conversion works and where the sodium hides.
Sealed, vacuum and MAP packaging: what each does, and where it stops
A vacuum or gas-flushed pack can keep chilled food fresh for longer than a simple sealed tray. None of them makes it safe out of the fridge, and some bacteria grow without oxygen at all.
Space, power and access: what a food vending machine needs from a building
One walk round the lobby with a tape measure and the operator's spec sheet settles most of it. Floor, outlet, heat, delivery route, service hours and residents' access, in the order you meet them.
What sous vide means, and why it keeps chicken breast tender
Pan-fry a chicken breast and the outside dries out before the centre is done. Sous vide cooks it in a sealed pouch in water held at the target temperature. How it works and what makes it safe.
Who does what: the vending operator, the building and the jobs you share
The operator runs the machine and the food, the building provides the place, and a few jobs are shared. The split in one table, plus the insurance and removal questions to settle before you sign.
Why the dishes in a machine change from visit to visit
The screen of a vending machine is a snapshot: what is left since the last restock, what that machine carries and what is still within its date. The full menu is on our website.
Your first Plate Mate purchase, step by step
Eight steps from the machine map to the first bite: what to check before you go downstairs, how to pay, where the meal comes out, how to heat it and what to do if the machine misbehaves.