How Does an Electric Lunch Box Work?

It so happens that quickly heating up the inside of a container that's about the size of a Kleenex box (and then maintaining that heat) is a relatively easy thing to do using a wall outlet. And that is exactly what an electric lunch box does. Some of them will also plug into the 12V socket in your car.

Some higher-end models will heat up to a temperature of 300 F, which means they will actually cook frozen meals (or so they claim). But these are bigger units, about the size of a small camping stove, and they do seem like they're more designed for car camping as opposed to eating lunch at work.

The more common variety heats up to between 170 and 180 F, which is enough to warm up your food and keep it in a safe temperature zone so that you shouldn't have to worry about foodborne illness. You'll want to read the manufacturer's instructions to make sure you're using it correctly.