My Dad bought this electric lunch box many years back and our family use it to cook rice. Thus, I always thought that this was called a rice cooker – but, of course, a mini one. After shifting out to a new place, they passed me this ‘rice cooker’ along with the other accessories and parts.
As I wanted to know how to maximise the use of the ‘rice cooker’ and utilise the other accessories, I went on Google search. That’s when I know that I’ve been labelling this EuropAce product incorrectly. Electrical lunch box? It’s my first time hearing it. I may be tech-savvy but not exactly kitchen-savvy after all.
This is the best lunchbox ever.
This invention is not new and there are many several versions and brands of the electrical lunch box. I also learn that besides using it to cook rice, you can steam chicken, cook curry and even bake a cake. Doesn’t that sound like a must-have kitchen device to you? That’s why my Dad was decided to buy it after his friends rave how wonderful it is.
Let’s make lunch with the electric lunch box.
After doing some research to find out how I could use the other components to cook (sadly, we lost the box and the instruction manual), I decided to cook a proper lunch with it.
I’ve also listed out my step-by-step instructions on how I prepare lunch so that you can witness the wonders of this electric lunch box. I just wish I knew this earlier.
How to use an electric lunchbox?
Before we move on to the steps, you will need to know the components of the 2-tier EuropAce electric lunch box (ELB273P).
Step 1: Fill up the base (or body) with some water.
This device actually employs a steaming technique to cook the food. Thus you will need to fill the base with some water. The amount of water to pour in will depend how long you want the food to cook for. Once all of the water has evaporated, the device will automatically turn off by itself. I usually fill just enough water to cover the entire base when I cook rice. Since I will be cooking some meat and vegetables along with the rice, I decided to add just a tad more bit of water to the base.
Step 2: Add some rice and water to the big pot (or rice bowl)
Stack the metal pot with rice on top of the base. Over here, I am cooking this expensive rice called Riceberry. It’s a nutritionally-dense form of dark purple rice which tastes quite sweet. It doesn’t require much water and doesn’t take very long to cook.
Step 3: Layer the pot with another small metal dish plate
Place the dish plate onto the pot and fill it up with your favourite ingredients like chicken, tofu or fish. I’m finally cooking some chicken meat for the first time today. (I don’t enjoy cooking meat in my kitchen because I don’t like to touch raw meat?)
Step 4: Fill up the dish plate and steaming bowl with all the ingredients and condiments required.
Toss in all your ingredients together with some seasonings and sauces like sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper. These three condiments make any meat or vegetables taste better. Trust me.
Step 5: Stack up the dish plate, middle shelf and steaming bowl!
Place the middle shelf over the base then stack the steaming bowl on top of it (as shown in the photo above).
There will be three layers worth of food. There’s the rice (bottom), meat (middle) and vegetable (top). I will try place ingredients which require a longer cooking time at the bottom so that it gets cooked first.
Step 6: Place the lid over the electric lunch box and switch it on!
It’s literally that easy and convenient. This lazy form of cooking requires little prep time. I did everything in 5 minutes.
The cooking time, however, takes about 40 minutes because you will need some time for the rice to be cooked.
But just before you turn it on, it is good to cover the pan and pot with a plastic lid provided with the electric lunch box. The lid will prevent water (form during condensation) from mixing with the food. I made this mistake of covering the pans with a lid and my dishes ended up looking very watery.
Step 7: Wait patiently for the next 40 minutes and then EAT.
It’s all looking good after 40 minutes!
Remove the second tier and the trick to remove the inner pan from the pot is to slot a chopstick through the small handles. It is cleverly designed in such a way that you don’t have to use your bare fingers remove the pan from the pan. Genius.
The rice is nicely cooked through and everything looks good. Cooking a proper healthy lunch has never been easier before. Do you even need to learn how to cook to use this device?
My Review on EuropAce Electric Lunch Box
I call this a multi-purpose cooker which is so versatile and easy to use. I’ve also tried ‘cooking’ a banana cake with it during the Circuit Breaker period. The cake turns out to be really lovely!
You can also bring this portable electric lunch box anywhere with you, even to your office. You can prepare the ingredients at home and then bring it to the office. An hour before lunchtime, just plug the device in and let it cook the ingredients.
You don’t have to buy any particular brand of electric lunchbox because they all are somewhat constructed similarly with the same functions. A typical electric lunch box costs between SGD25 to 50.
This electric lunch box comes with a vacuum pump where you can use it to remove air from each lunch box compartment. But I did not really use it because I don’t usually store or keep any leftovers.
It’s really great for home use especially if you’re staying alone or with your partner. Also, it doesn’t take up much space on your kitchen tabletop too. I’ve been using this EuropAce electric lunchbox for years now and I’m loving it!
