Japanese Electric Lunchbox

[Psyckosama]

Just picked up one of these. It's a strange little thing but its small and uses a relatively low amount of power (200W) meaning it won't kill a battery.

One I picked up was the double decker. It can cook two to three separate items at once, depending on if you use the second level and the thing is reasonably tiny.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09893VLB7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
This is the one I bought. Build quality is a little eh, but it does it's job and if you like the idea, the actual non-brand-x version is on sale.

https://www.itakico.com/products/itakijumbo-lunchboxbento

 

[frater secessus]

Thanks for sharing. I'd gladly read any recipes you might post, or power testing if you have access to a kill-a-watt type device. There is a subreddit centered on cooking in vehicles with such devices, if you do Reddit. Not a busy sub but good ideas do pop up.

I do think small appliances can be useful for those with excess power. If nothing else it helps save cooking fuel. Analog devices like it run well on inexpensive MSW inverters, as they are resistance heaters with no electronics.

For the interested but financially-challenged (like me) used thrift store crocks and similar handle many jobs for ≤$10. Here are my crockpot and rice cooker recipes, and the electric gear I use.

uses a relatively low amount of power (200W) meaning it won't kill a battery.

Depends on how long one cooks, I suppose. I regularly cook unsoaked dried beans, 150w x 5 hours = 750Wh, plus inverter losses. In reality I do electric cooking when there is excess solar power so there is no effect on the battery bank. It does require some planning but means one can get away with a smaller bank.

Anecdote: today I will be lazy and make some Rice-A-Roni (pilaf) for dinner. It will cook for ~40mins at 300w, so will consume 200Wh. I'll time it to finish cooking about the same time I run out of meaningful solar.

 

[jacqueg]

Just picked up one of these. It's a strange little thing but its small and uses a relatively low amount of power (200W) meaning it won't kill a battery.

One I picked up was the double decker. It can cook two to three separate items at once, depending on if you use the second level and the thing is reasonably tiny.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09893VLB7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
This is the one I bought. Build quality is a little eh, but it does it's job and if you like the idea, the actual non-brand-x version is on sale.

https://www.itakico.com/products/itakijumbo-lunchboxbento

What's the difference between this gadget and an ordinary rice cooker?

 

[WanderingRose]

3 layers as opposed to 2 in a rice cooker.

 

[GypsyJan]

Those layers remind me of an old fashioned, non-electric gadget. It was a pot with the top 2 layers being round bamboo-basket inserts with the lid on top: rice in the bottom, then veggies, then fish or chicken on top, all cooked on the stove top. The steam from the rice cooked the upper layers.

 

[Psyckosama]

Thanks for sharing. I'd gladly read any recipes you might post, or power testing if you have access to a kill-a-watt type device. There is a subreddit centered on cooking in vehicles with such devices, if you do Reddit. Not a busy sub but good ideas do pop up.

Don't have access to a Kill-a-watt sadly. Though I do use this little thing regularly. Makes a mean chicken curry.

What's the difference between this gadget and an ordinary rice cooker?

A lot. This thing can do rice but it's designed to do entire meals.

The three layer like I got has three containers. One 200ml, one 1000ml, and one 700ml. The 200ml nests inside the 1000ml.

200ml is a decent amount of rice, enough for a single meal while the remaining 800 is enough to make basically anything you'd heat up in a sauce pot. The upper compartment doesn't get as hot and is good for other smaller items like, for example, vegetables that you might want to be a bit more crisp.

It cooks by adding water to the base to use as a transfer medium to the lower while steam heating whatever on the second stage. If you get the double decker like I did you can also use the upper compartment to steam things like chinese buns or even eggs as the inlets on it are designed to fit 7 eggs. Just don't do eggs and rice. It'll change the drip pattern and flood the rice.

It also has a 5 egg steamer that fits in the base inside the 1000ml container. Between the 2 you can hard-boil a dozen eggs by steaming in one go.

All the containers have plastic lids as it is technically a lunchbox (one shared between the 1k and 200).

If you're looking to make a single, multi-course meal, this is useful for that.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

It has been reported previously on this forum that local libraries may have Kill-A-Watts to lend out.

 

[Psyckosama]

It has been reported previously on this forum that local libraries may have Kill-A-Watts to lend out.

Kill-A-Watt averages ~180w.

It starts low, building up to to about 300w over a minute, and then starts to dip down leveling out at ~180w by the second minute.

 

[Psyckosama]

Depends on how long one cooks, I suppose. I regularly cook unsoaked dried beans, 150w x 5 hours = 750Wh, plus inverter losses. In reality I do electric cooking when there is excess solar power so there is no effect on the battery bank. It does require some planning but means one can get away with a smaller bank.

Unsoaked beans are not really what it is designed for. It's built for small, single serving meals with sub-1h cook times. Now soaked beans mixed into rice or your main, it would be fine.

Anecdote: today I will be lazy and make some Rice-A-Roni (pilaf) for dinner. It will cook for ~40mins at 300w, so will consume 200Wh. I'll time it to finish cooking about the same time I run out of meaningful solar.

This on the otherhand is its ideal work case. It would use about 120 wh of power.

 

[abnorm]

^ 40/60 Hours X 300 Watts = 200 Wh

 

[Psyckosama]

^ 40/60 Hours X 300 Watts = 200 Wh

Um... yes. 300w consumption for 40 minutes is 200wh of power.

Just saying an item that consumes 180w for 40 minutes would be ~120 WH of consumption which is less...