NU12 for May 15, 2012 (KRaval) - Portable Food Chiller/Heater

Portable Food Chiller/Heater

Every morning I prepare my lunch which I bring to the office. I usually put it in an air-tight container to prevent spillage and so that it will be preserved "fresh" until break time. Food temperature has always been an issue to me because I prefer to have my food at the right temperature when I am about to eat. For instance, when it's a rice meal I have prepared for myself, I always make sure that I go to the pantry to use the microwave oven to heat it; or when it's a salad, I still go to the pantry but this time I get my food container which I have placed inside the refrigerator as soon as I arrive at the office in the morning. This takes so much of my time because the pantry is far from my workstation and also far from the designated eating area in the office – which is not efficient at all.

What I have thought of to make this all efficient and save me from the hassle of going back and forth to the pantry just to make sure that my food is heated or kept cold well, is a food container which has the capacity to keep the food fresh. It is a battery-operated food container and food preserver – so there are two knobs – one for heating the food and one for keeping the food cold. In keeping the food cold, it should be turned on the minute that the food is placed in it, so that there will be constant cool temperature until it is time to eat the food. This is sort of a portable mini-"refrigerator" which is actually a food container or a "Tupperware" for packed lunch. On the other hand, in keeping the food warm, the food container may not necessarily be turned on the minute the food is placed in it, but it has the capacity to heat the food on its own by the time it's to be served. In this case, it can turn into a portable mini-"microwave" which is again, actually a food container. The battery life can reach about 12 hours, notwithstanding the length the food container is turned on whether as the "refrigerator" or the "microwave". The battery can be replaced or recharged so we can use it anytime. A special storage or "bag" similar to a real lunch box or lunch bag comes with the container so that it will be well-protected. It should be lightweight, so even children can use it in school for their packed lunches.

This type of food container will definitely help us be more efficient and save on electricity because of the use of batteries only, and that we will always be guaranteed of fresh food at the right temperature, which it always should be. 4