3 ms·

While that instantly got a "so cooool" reaction out of me, I'd be concerned about chemical byproducts either from the primary reaction itself or leaching of che

While that instantly got a "so cooool" reaction out of me, I'd be concerned about chemical byproducts either from the primary reaction itself or leaching of chemicals from the packaging caused by the heating effect. Couldn't be much worse than microwaving a plastic or styrofoam package I suppose.

icegreentea2 6y ago
I just tried one of these this weekend! It was quite fun. The self heating reaction generates magnesium hydroxide (and hydrogen gas... but that just goes away) as its byproduct. It's not awful for you, but it's definitely not good either. Anyhow the physical setup of the box I had basically had a lower heating reservoir, and then a tray holding the food untop. I don't think any of the heating liquid was going to get into the food. Leaching of chemicals from packaging though... ya. This is probably not ideal for every day eating. Ok, that all being said, for the food experience itself, it was actually really fun. I got some mala hot pot, and the relatively limited serving size was perfect given that while I love that flavour, I really can't take that much of it. All of the non-noodle ingredients were vacuum pouched (not dried), so aside from the noodles, all the other ingredients were already cooked - you're just reheating them. Hot pot is an ideal food for this format since: a) In normal hot pot, the food itself is cooked by boiling in broth, and flavoured by the broth. This means there are little to know "technique specific" flavouring or texture to recreate. Aside from the thinness of the vegetable slices (they're thinning then I would prepare for myself for hot pot), I could not distinguish the ingredients as coming out of pouch by taste or texture b) When scaled down to single serving size, a well balanced hotpot consists of a relatively small amount of many different ingredients. If you're living alone (or even with two), it can be challenging to deal with the extra amount of all the ingredients you want (this is why hotpot restaurants were so successful to begin with).
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  Thanks for the detailed explanation! Was it worth the extra cost? Possibly a novelty item or will it catch on? I was wondering if flameless stoves will become a thinb
  - icegreentea2 6y ago
    I think it was 9 Canada bucks (which is shockingly close to the 40RMB in the article actually). We bought it kind of as a gag. I'd not heard of it before I saw it at the supermarket and I just couldn't resist something called "instant hot pot". I didn't even know that it was self-heating =P Oh, something I should have stated was that the hotpot was heavily supplemented with other food (and was also split between me and my girlfriend). It's definitely just barely suitable for a North American male single serving. At 9 bucks, I definitely think it's too much for everyday consumption for my tastes, but I can see why it'd be attractive. It's absolutely a premium option. I'd definitely try again, especially with the broth options available. I feel like the 'at home single serve hotpot' market isn't quite fixed. I'm certain somewhere in China someone is already selling versions without heaters, designed with increased broth volume to be cooked in a pot, so that people can toss in some amount of their own extra ingredients. Or maybe I'm just articulating my dream =P

icegreentea2 6y ago

I just tried one of these this weekend! It was quite fun. The self heating reaction generates magnesium hydroxide (and hydrogen gas... but that just goes away) as its byproduct. It's not awful for you, but it's definitely not good either. Anyhow the physical setup of the box I had basically had a lower heating reservoir, and then a tray holding the food untop. I don't think any of the heating liquid was going to get into the food. Leaching of chemicals from packaging though... ya. This is probably not ideal for every day eating. Ok, that all being said, for the food experience itself, it was actually really fun. I got some mala hot pot, and the relatively limited serving size was perfect given that while I love that flavour, I really can't take that much of it. All of the non-noodle ingredients were vacuum pouched (not dried), so aside from the noodles, all the other ingredients were already cooked - you're just reheating them. Hot pot is an ideal food for this format since: a) In normal hot pot, the food itself is cooked by boiling in broth, and flavoured by the broth. This means there are little to know "technique specific" flavouring or texture to recreate. Aside from the thinness of the vegetable slices (they're thinning then I would prepare for myself for hot pot), I could not distinguish the ingredients as coming out of pouch by taste or texture b) When scaled down to single serving size, a well balanced hotpot consists of a relatively small amount of many different ingredients. If you're living alone (or even with two), it can be challenging to deal with the extra amount of all the ingredients you want (this is why hotpot restaurants were so successful to begin with).

jelliclesfarm 6y ago
Thanks for the detailed explanation! Was it worth the extra cost? Possibly a novelty item or will it catch on? I was wondering if flameless stoves will become a thinb
- icegreentea2 6y ago
  I think it was 9 Canada bucks (which is shockingly close to the 40RMB in the article actually). We bought it kind of as a gag. I'd not heard of it before I saw it at the supermarket and I just couldn't resist something called "instant hot pot". I didn't even know that it was self-heating =P Oh, something I should have stated was that the hotpot was heavily supplemented with other food (and was also split between me and my girlfriend). It's definitely just barely suitable for a North American male single serving. At 9 bucks, I definitely think it's too much for everyday consumption for my tastes, but I can see why it'd be attractive. It's absolutely a premium option. I'd definitely try again, especially with the broth options available. I feel like the 'at home single serve hotpot' market isn't quite fixed. I'm certain somewhere in China someone is already selling versions without heaters, designed with increased broth volume to be cooked in a pot, so that people can toss in some amount of their own extra ingredients. Or maybe I'm just articulating my dream =P