One day, I found a lunch box in my fridge that my family member already bought it for me. At first glance, this ready-made meal seemed like a salad with prosciutto in a plastic lunch box. As it turned out to be the slices of raw pork, not prosciutto! I was about to eat it as the salad, almost. Then I realized that was my big misunderstanding and the dish wasn't completed yet. It simply needed to be cooked in the microwave for a few minutes. After just a few minutes, I got the perfectly ready stir pork with a vegetable type of meal. The process was surprisingly easy and I felt like being struck by thunder. It's revolutionary progress in the perishable pre-cooked food industry, isn't it?
After just a few minutes, I got the perfectly ready stir pork with a vegetable type of meal. Besides, I imagine that this innovative method will be developed sophisticatedly and more new products will be available as it created a new field of cooking style.
Furthermore, microwave cooking keeps more nutrition than boiling or steaming for vegetables. Everything is going in a good direction, I think.
Why? Never seen before?
A Japanese food tray container manufacturer has developed a single-use, heat-resistant and affordable container which is tolerable up to 110 degrees celsius for explicit microwave cooking purpose. Generally, plastic containers transform their shape after being microwaved for a long time. Nobody thought of those plastic containers as cooking tools like a pan. But this new heat-resistant container can hold its shape even if it is used in the microwave for a long time. On top of that, it does not get hot and is safe to take it out from the microwave even with bare hands as the outside of the container isn't heated.
You might know aluminum foil containers, which can be used on gas stoves directly. These containers are superior in heat resistance, but we can't see contents inside because it isn't transparent. Which means, it's difficult to stir the contents during cooking. Additionally, it lacks appeal for customers who want to buy a lunch box because they want to see inside before buying it, I think. The aluminum foil containers aren't so popular for those reasons.
Besides, this manufacturer has been paying good attention to environmental issues as well as a corporation according to their official statement.
Where can I get that?
Seijo Ishii is a top runner of these products based on my sole opinion. There are several products around 5 dollars there. Even at this affordable price, they use pesticide-free vegetables and offer a high-quality taste like a real restaurant, I personally like these points myself. Now, unfortunately, it's not easy to find the direct store of Seijo Ishii if you don't live in a big city as the number of shops is only about 200 in Japan.
However, I guess, sooner or later, major convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart and others, will enter this field and develop more attractive products using their abundant research fund. I'm really looking forward to that day coming!
