HeatsBox Review: Heat Up Your Lunch Without Having To Use A Microwave!
Updated: Aug 19, 2021
Written by Lin (Tech360.tv Community Creator)
Smart heating lunchbox that allows you to preset temperature and timing
Performs admirably with rice and softer foods that require moisture to be retained
Pastries retain the crisp, flaky exterior while ensuring that the filling doesn’t dry out
Sometimes you just need some alone time or you want to avoid the lunch crowd. You check GrabFood thinking about what to eat to escape this warm weather, but nothing new pops up around your workplace.
Looking through your Insta-feed, you see gym and health enthusiasts doing meal preps with balanced servings of protein, carbs and fruits. It gets you thinking, should I bring prepare my own lunchbox to work?
Yet traditionally the way to heat up food in the office is with the communal microwave. But you seen the nasty effects of what microwaved water does to plants, so you resign yourself to just eating out and jostling with the crowd.
Hold that thought! I found a fast heating lunch box, that works with an app that allows you to set the temperature, food portion and notifies you when it is ready.
Just a little before 9am, I bought a curry puff, left it inside the HeatsBox and started the app, setting it to medium portion and fast heat. I had my usual coffee at the pantry and checked through some emails. Ding ding. “Your meal is ready”. I was a little busy, so I let another 5 mins run past before I took out this warm curry puff for a bite.
Personally, I’ve used the microwave and oven options for curry puffs before. Those either made it too soft or too dry. But for the HeatsBox, the temperature was just nice and it did not lose any of that crunch or dry out the curry filling. Plus point!
For lunch, I prepared stir-fried tomato egg with broccoli and rice. It was what I could manage in the morning before I had to start work. I scheduled it to heat up just before noon. During my meeting, I couldn’t stop wondering about how my food would taste like.
Soon enough, it was noon. The food was heated up to 85 degrees celsius and kept warm for 30 minutes. I opened up the lid. Wow. My meal that I prepared 5 hours ago smells fresh out of a kitchen. I took a go at the tomato eggs. Another spoonful of that Japanese short grain rice.
I was afraid it might harden the rice, but no. The texture of my rice was unexpected – moist but not soggy. I believe it was because of the water vapour trapped inside the lunchbox. The tomato egg was reasonably good as well, with the heat evenly distributed. It tasted like I just made it an hour ago. How delightful it is to have a simple home cooked meal at my desk.
But the HeatsBox doesn’t come without flaws. I had trouble fitting on the red lid for the food container. I had to stretch it slightly to snap it on. But since it is a leak proof design, so I suppose the lid has to be tight to prevent spills.
Next, it doesn’t have any built-in batteries or USB power option. So, you will need a powerpoint to heat it up. And unlike your conventional lunchbox, it is a little bulky to bring this entire case around. Since it has a separate lunch box, I suggest leaving the exterior heating case at your desk or in your car.
What about the clean up? As long as there is rice, it will be hard to thoroughly clean it if you don’t have access to water and soap. A temporary solution is to grease the lunchbox base with a thin layer of olive oil to save you from having to scrape off sticky leftovers.
Overall, this lunch box is definitely a new spin to having home cooked meals out of your home and I can’t wait to try it again. I’m thinking, bread, muffins or even cookies?
More information about the HeatsBox and purchasing options can be found here.