The Best Electric Lunch Box Keeps Meals Piping Hot
Whether in the office or on the road, this handy tool allows you to heat leftovers (or cook a meal) anywhere.
Lunch always seems to be the most difficult meal to plan. Breakfast and dinner are normally eaten at home, where you have full reign of your kitchen and all of your preferred equipment and ingredients. Lunch, however, is often brought to work or school, and can be tricky to plan if you don’t have easy access to a microwave. While sandwiches and salads are fine, they get old really fast—and sometimes, you just want a hot meal. That’s where electric lunch boxes come in.
Powered by either a corded plug or car adapter, these nifty gadgets rely on water to create steam at the bottom of the lunch box, allowing food in the included container to cook or reheat without drying out. A quick search for electric lunch boxes on TikTok will show you videos of users preparing shrimp ramen, ground turkey-stuffed lettuce wraps, and even a tray of brownies in their offices and cars. Though we can’t promise every meal will impress your coworkers (perhaps skip the fish and cabbage), there’s not much these lunchboxes can’t do, no matter the setting.
The Best Electric Lunch Box to Buy
To find the best electric lunch box, we sifted through models on TikTok and scoured reviews from online retailers. After significant searching and several comparisons, we were most impressed by the A-1ux Electric Lunch Box. There were several factors we took into consideration when choosing the best lunch box: capacity, power source, carrier case, and included accessories. The A-1ux model can hold up to 1.5 liters of food, which is the perfect amount for a substantial lunch. Additionally, it includes power sources for both electrical outlets and car adapters, allowing it to be used virtually anywhere. Furthermore, we love that the lunchbox comes with its own insulation bag, multi-compartment inner container, and a stainless steel fork and knife. Plus, at $28,98, it’s an affordable electric lunch box that can handle it all—and you’ll save money by bringing lunch from home everyday.
Pros and Cons of an Electric Lunch Box
As stated, the A-1ux Electric Lunch Box satisfied all of our requirements in terms of storage, power, carrier case, and accessories. It takes between 30 minutes to an hour to heat your meal, which could be a pro or con depending on your needs. Some electric lunch boxes require several hours, which isn’t ideal if you forget to plug it in early. However, it’s definitely not as fast as a microwave would be. The inner container is made of stainless steel with a food grade plastic compartment, ensuring that your food will be safe to heat and eat. It also relies upon recycled heating in low power settings, so you never have to worry about your food going cold.
The biggest downside of this model is that the lid is not secure enough for very thin liquids, like broths or soups. If you are heating soup in the lunch box, we suggest bringing the soup in a separate vessel and pouring it into the lunch boxes' container once the appliance is on a steady surface. Additionally, the inner container is not dishwasher safe, so it must be washed by hand after each use.
Final Thoughts
An electric lunch box is never going to be as fast as a microwave. However, if you’re looking to enjoy a hot meal wherever you are, an electric lunch box is useful and practical. Plus, it won’t dry out your food like a microwave would. For an unbeatable price, capacity, and extras, we recommend the A-1ux Electric Lunch Box on Amazon.
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