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Oct 22, 2024

I Tried The World's First Smart Heating Lunch Box - HeatsBox Go Product Review

Is it time to say goodbye to the microwave? Plenty of people enjoy eating cold leftovers; I am not one of them. When someone grabs cold pizza from the fridge, I’m the one hovering over the stove and

Is it time to say goodbye to the microwave?

Plenty of people enjoy eating cold leftovers; I am not one of them. When someone grabs cold pizza from the fridge, I’m the one hovering over the stove and meticulously reheating it to revive its crispy crust. If a dish is best served warm, you better believe that I’m heating it up.

I thought I was beholden to the microwave for all of my office lunches going forward, but then I encountered a lunch box called HeatsBox Go. This isn't your average lunch box. it can be controlled through your phone to preheat your meals in as little as 15 minutes.

HeatsBox Go was first launched in 2019 by a Swiss startup and is the world’s first smart heating lunch box. Everything about the experience is customizable, from the temperature to the timing. The brand claims that you can enjoy hot food anywhere you go, but it almost sounds too good to be true.

Is it actually a life-changing solution that will spare me from cold leftovers? Does it actually deserve the hype? I decided to put it to the test and find out for myself

My first impression is that the HeatsBox Go is bulkier and heavier than the average lunchbox. It weighs nearly three and a half pounds, not including any of the food inside. The container takes up a lot of space in my work bag, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to carry around.

It’s important to note that you can’t use the HeatsBox Go straight out of the package. You need to first wash the food storage compartment and then charge the box for seven hours in advance. Once it’s fully charged, it’ll last for up to two uses.

The package includes a USB-C charging cord, but no plug that connects it to an outlet. The brand says the lack of a plug gives you “maximum flexibility” in terms of travel. But if you’re paying $250 dollars for a lunch box, most people would prefer to receive all of the necessary equipment instead of scrounge for an available plug.

Cut to seven hours later and my HeatsBox Go was ready to use. I filled the dish with pasta that I previously cooked and refrigerated (to really test the heating mechanism). Once I connected the machine to the mobile app, I set the temperature to around 165°F, which is the minimum temperature for reheat leftovers safely according to the USDA.

The app estimated that it would take about 30 minutes to heat the food, so I just sat and waited for the HeatBox Go to work its magic. Aside from quiet whirring and a mild warmth on the exterior of the box, the heating process seems gentle and unobtrusive. The timer eventually went off and I unearthed my meal to discover...a steaming bowl of pasta!

I definitely needed to stir the food around to evenly distribute the warmth, but my meal was at the perfect temperature and ready to eat immediately. And because of the more gentle heating mechanism, the pasta didn't end up mushy or dry around the edges.

Is a slightly better texture worth the $250 price tag, seven-hour charging period, and the 30-minute cook time for your food? If you have access to a microwave, I'd say no. I would, however, use this on a camping trip or long travel day. And if you happen to work outside of a conventional office and lack access to a workplace kitchen, I think this would definitely be worth the investment.

Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture

Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education

About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like Dirty Martini Pasta and Aperol Spritz Trifle. Her features cover online trends like the Millennial Shopping Cart, rank everything from hard seltzers to frozen French fries, and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her three-part series about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views. She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can.

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