The Mini Crock-Pot Lunchbox That Lets Me Take Cozy, Cold-Weather Meals On the Go and It’s on Sale
As my coworkers will tell you, I am hit-or-miss (but mostly miss) about bringing my lunch into the office. And if I do, it’s usually a sad Trader Joe’s salad — don’t get me wrong, I love Trader Joe’s and its salads, but they are not enough food for an entire lunch. Now that it’s chilly in NYC and I vastly prefer cozy foods like soups, stews, and pasta, I’m going to endeavor to bring my lunch. Here’s another thing I’m picky about though — I don’t like leftovers very much. I don’t like the way they turn out after a trip to the office microwave. They never seem heated evenly, and I swear the leftovers lose some of their original flavor.
But I can’t use that excuse anymore, because I found a cute little gadget that warms up leftovers as if I were heating them on the stovetop at home. Enter: the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box. I saw this while I was browsing Amazon a few months ago and thought it’d be interesting to try, but I’m not the only person who was intrigued by it; 20,000 Amazon shoppers bought it during the past month. That’s a pretty big number, even for Amazon.
What is the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box?
The Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box almost looks like a mini-slow cooker. It has a removable basin and inner lid (both of which are dishwasher safe) and then the warmer itself and outer lid, which has a handle for easy carrying. These two lids work in tandem to keep your food from spilling into your backpack, tote bag, or purse. The inner layer can hold up to 20 oz., which is basically a bowl of soup or maybe a dip serving for 3-4 people. It also comes with a cord, which is removable and storable at the bottom of the outer warmer. Basically — you need an outlet to warm your food, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing this on a camping trip unless you have access to electricity. It comes in four retro colors, which at least makes taking food to work a little more fun.
Why I Love the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box
After a few uses, the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box won me over and I joined the throngs of fans on Amazon. It boasts more than 16,000 5-star reviews. Truthfully, I’m not a huge lunch meal prepper (despite my goal to be one) and this lunchbox makes it easy to dump a can of soup in and then trot off to work. It heats soup more quickly than meals like chicken and rice, which reviewers agree with, and it doesn’t burn anything. I can let my soup sit there plugged in for 15-20 minutes, and it’s fine. My quick lunches and warmed-up leftovers taste so much better than they would have in the microwave.
The lunchbox is surprisingly lightweight and not difficult to carry for multiple blocks to the subway. Some people leave the outer part of the Crock-Pot at their desks and just commute with the inner container and lid, which I think is genius and something that I will be doing moving forward.
As it’s on sale for under $30, I think this compact, stylish, and practical lunchbox is worth every penny.
