Last year my husband went through a phase where he would only bring sandwiches/salad to work only because he was tired of waiting in line to use the microwave at work. It takes him almost 5 minutes to walk to the lunch room and from there, there would be a line. Since the microwave is small with low watts, it takes longer to heat up foods so the line barely gets going. By the time he's done heating his foods, he only have about 5-8 minutes to eat before walking back to his work station. He feels rather rushed.
After complaining about being so sick and tired of sandwiches and salad, I did some research and came upon the zojirushi lunch jar. There were so many option to choose from but I decided to get the classic bento vacuum lunch jar. My husband was iffy about it since it was about $50, which is pretty pricey, but I rather have him eat regular foods than eating sandwiches that won't fill him up. On the side note, we're asian so rice will fill us up better rather than sandwiches/salad.
The reason upon deciding on the brand zojirushi; there's thermos and tiger brand, I bought a zojirushi rice cooker on amazon two years ago and love it. I had no problem with it at all so my thoughts on the brand was positive.
Once the lunch jar came in, I use it immediately the next day. There was no need no carry lunch cooler as it came along with a bag already. You don't even need to refrigerate the food and just leave as if in the jar.
As shown in the picture, it came with 3 container. The smallest one is basically for soup which I use for the main dish. If there's liquid, it will leak a bit but not enough to cause a mess; you just need to wipe it. It's small but enough to fill my husband up till he comes home from work; yes he does have a big appetite. The second/middle container is the biggest of the three. I use it for rice. As for the the third/top container, I don't use it often unless I have extra cookies lying around for hubby or if he wants to pack pepper to work. The container do have a smell to it after a while but it doesn't bother me as much. It's not incredibly smelly but enough to bother some people. Once filled with food, it's not noticeable. I usually microwave with the lids off and that was the first couple of months only.
The whole container itself or the jar (the one you put all three small container/tupperware in it) is really easy to clean. If I pack food with liquids, there will be a small spill; more like leaks, it won't stain there or cause it to be smelly if not clean after a few days and comes off easily. The soup/liquid container is sometime hard to twist open. I love how the whole container itself have a place to put the chopstick; the only thing that I wished was another place to put the spork instead of having to put it in the bag. The chopstick is plastic while the spork is a very good quality spoon/fork that will last for a long time. For the bag,it fits in everything nicely and I was even able to fit in a can of pop at the top along with a few napkins on the inside pocket. So far, its been a year and a half and still no rip or any type of wears from the bag. Everything is still in good condition.
**So the question is: Does it keep hot foods hot?
The first couple of months, before I put in the three container filled with food, I would fill the jar with hot tap water first to ensure that it keeps the food hot/warm longer by the time my husband eats which on the instructions, it says up to 6 hours. I pack an hour or two before he goes to work, he drives 45 minutes to work, and doesn't eat till 6 hours later. From what my husband says, the food are still hottish warm when he eats. He doesn't need to microwave anything and just eat it right off the bat. The last few months, I've been packing a few hours early and didn't heat up the jar like I usually do which the food are still hottish warm but not cold enough to need reheating.
** Does it keep cold food cold?
I have not yet tried it with cold food at all. I don't even think it will fit a sandwich unless you cut it up into small pieces.
Overall, to me, it's definitely worth the money spent. I saved money on food and my husband gets a good meal during work without the need to wait in line or having to eat in a rush. The price may steer most away but I assure you that it's worth every penny. His coworker had asked him about it since it's different and they actually like the idea of not having to reheat their foods again but the price factor steer them away. I too wouldn't had spent money on it if not for my husband complaints about having to wait in a long line to reheat his food and not having enough time to eat by then.
Click link to the Zojirushi Classic Bento Vacuum on Amazon.com
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