Crock-Pot Lunch Crock review: a tiny slow cooker for your desk

Crock-Pot Lunch Crock at a glance

Our picks at a glance

Our pickTest score 9.2

EAST OAK Cordless Electric Lunch Box

Battery-powered, with a 1.3-liter container and scheduled heating, so you can have a hot lunch with no outlet nearby.

Check price on Amazon

Best for big appetitesTest score 9.0

LISHZEN Electric Lunch Box

A 2.8-liter, two-layer box that keeps the main dish and sides apart, and the quickest to heat a cold meal in my tests.

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Best for driversTest score 8.6

TRAVELISIMO Electric Lunch Box

A 100W, 1.5-liter warmer with 12V, 24V and 110V cords, so it works in a car, a truck or at the office.

Check price on Amazon

Best for soupTest score 8.4

Crock-Pot 20oz Portable Electric Food Warmer

The simplest box I tested: a compact 20-ounce plug-in warmer that shines with soup and chili, with a dishwasher-safe container and lid.

Check price on Amazon

Prices change often. Click through to see the current price on Amazon.

First impressions of the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock

I've eaten a lot of lukewarm desk lunches over the years.

Either I queued for the office microwave, or I gave up and ate my leftovers cold.

The Crock-Pot Lunch Crock is Crock-Pot's answer to that problem, and the idea couldn't be simpler.

It's essentially a miniature slow cooker built for one bowl of food.

You spoon your lunch into the container, plug the base in at your desk, and let it warm up gently while you work.

When I unboxed it, the first thing I noticed was the size.

It's small and light, about the size of a large mug with a lid on, and it weighs only 1.7 pounds.

The outside has a matte, soft-touch finish that feels nicer than the glossy plastic on most budget lunch boxes.

There's a sturdy carry handle, a tight outer lid and a single small indicator light on the front.

That's it: no screen, no buttons and no menu.

My first thought was that it looked almost too basic.

After a few weeks of using it for lunch, I see that simplicity as its biggest strength.

The Lunch Crock takes up about as much desk space as a big coffee mug.

What the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock actually is

The Lunch Crock is a portable electric food warmer.

It's designed to reheat food that's already cooked, not to cook raw ingredients.

That distinction matters, and Crock-Pot is clear about it.

This isn't a slow cooker you can fill with raw chicken in the morning and expect a stew by noon.

Think of it as a gentle reheater for leftovers, soup or last night's chili.

The unit has three main parts.

There's the heating base with the handle and outer lid, a removable 20-ounce food container, and an inner lid that sits on top of the container.

Crock-Pot describes the food container as stainless steel, and the capacity works out to about 591 milliliters.

The power cord detaches from the base, which makes it easier to pack and store.

Crock-Pot recommends using it with a standard household outlet only, and it doesn't offer a car adapter for this model.

It comes in several colors, including black, a muted blue, sage green and pink.

I used it in more than one color during testing, and they're identical apart from the finish.

Crock-Pot backs it with a one-year limited warranty.

That's a small thing, but it was the only clearly stated warranty among the electric lunch boxes in our electric lunch box guide.

Design and build quality

The Lunch Crock looks more like a kitchen appliance than a lunch box, and I mean that as a compliment.

The rounded body, the soft-touch exterior and the brushed metal band around the lid give it a tidy look on a desk.

The carry handle is sturdy.

I carried it by the handle with a full container more times than I can count, and it never felt flimsy or loose.

The outer lid closes securely.

With the inner lid in place underneath, I had no leaks from soup or chili while carrying it to work.

I still kept it upright in my bag, and I'd recommend you do the same with very liquid soups.

The one design point that deserves attention is the cord.

Because it detaches, it's easy to store, but it's also easy to leave at home or lose in the bottom of a bag.

On a couple of mornings I had to double-check that the cord was actually packed.

If you use it every day, it's worth keeping the cord with the unit at all times, or giving it a dedicated spot at your desk.

Over weeks of daily use, the finish held up well and the parts still fit together snugly.

For a lunch box at this price, it feels well made.

With the outer lid closed, the Lunch Crock looks more like a small appliance than a lunch box.

How the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock works

Using the Lunch Crock takes about ten seconds.

Fill the container, put on the inner lid, set the container into the base, close the outer lid and plug it in.

The light comes on and it starts warming.

There are no temperature settings, no timer and no on or off button.

If it's plugged in, it's heating.

That's why I gave it a perfect score for ease of use.

There's nothing to learn, nothing to set and nothing to get wrong.

The flip side is that there's also no automatic shutoff.

The warmer keeps going until you pull the plug, so you need to remember to unplug it once your food is warm.

I made that a habit quickly: lid off, plug out, then eat.

It's a minor routine, but if you're forgetful, it's worth knowing before you buy.

Plug it in and the light comes on. There's no switch, so unplugging is how you turn it off.

Heating performance: how long does it take?

This is where you need to adjust your expectations.

The Lunch Crock warms food gradually rather than heating it rapidly.

It's a gentle warmer, not a microwave.

In my tests, a small refrigerated portion took about 30 to 45 minutes to warm up.

Soups and stews were the quickest and most even.

The liquid spreads the heat around, so the whole bowl comes up to temperature together.

Dense meals took longer.

A thick portion of pasta bake or a packed scoop of rice and meat warmed at the edges first, while the middle lagged behind.

Stirring partway through made a big difference.

I'd open the lid once, give it a good stir, close it again and let it finish.

Crock-Pot itself says heating time varies with the type of food and its starting temperature, and that matched my experience.

Food that came straight from the office fridge took the longest.

Food that had sat in my bag for the commute warmed noticeably faster.

How I timed my lunch

The trick with the Lunch Crock is to plan ahead.

I got into the habit of plugging it in about 45 minutes before my lunch break.

By the time I was ready to eat, the food was warm all the way through, without me having to think about it.

If you only remember lunch when you're already hungry, this won't work for you.

A microwave will always win when you need food in two minutes.

But if you can start it before a meeting or in the middle of the morning, the wait doesn't matter at all.

I scored heating 8 out of 10.

It's reliable and even with the right foods, but it's slower than larger 100-watt lunch boxes like the TRAVELISIMO, especially with denser meals.

After about 30 to 45 minutes, a small portion was steaming. Stirring halfway helps thick meals.

Food quality: what tastes best from the Lunch Crock?

Food quality is where the Lunch Crock surprised me most.

Because it heats slowly and keeps the lid closed, moist food comes out tasting freshly made rather than reheated.

There are no rubbery edges or scalding hot spots, which I often get from a rushed microwave session.

Soup and chili

Soup and chili were the stars of my testing.

Lentil soup, tomato soup and a beef chili all came out evenly warm and kept their texture.

The gentle heat suits food that was slow cooked in the first place, which makes sense for a Crock-Pot product.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal was an unexpected favorite.

I packed overnight oats with a splash of extra milk, plugged the warmer in when I got to my desk, and had warm porridge before my first meeting was over.

It's a nice way to use it for breakfast as well as lunch.

Pasta with sauce and leftovers

Pasta in sauce reheated very well.

The sauce kept the pasta moist, and a stir halfway through made sure the middle wasn't cold.

Saucy leftovers like curry with rice, stew and casseroles worked well too.

Dry foods

Dry foods were the weak spot.

Plain rice, plain pasta or a piece of meat without sauce became less appealing when I left them heating for too long.

The edges started to dry out, and the texture suffered.

A spoonful of water, broth or sauce on top fixed most of that.

Crispy foods are a lost cause, as with every electric lunch box.

Fries, breaded chicken and pizza come out soft, so I'd leave those for the oven at home.

I gave food quality 9 out of 10.

For moist food, it's as good as any lunch box I've used, and better than most microwaves.

You can eat straight from the container, which saves a plate and some washing up.

Capacity: how much food fits?

Capacity is the Lunch Crock's main limitation.

The container holds 20 ounces, or about 591 milliliters.

That's about one large bowl of soup or a modest serving of leftovers.

For me, on a normal workday, it was enough.

A bowl of chili with a piece of fruit on the side made a satisfying lunch.

On days when I was very hungry, it felt small.

If you have a big appetite or you're used to eating a full plate at lunch, you'll likely find it too little.

There's also only one compartment.

You can't keep rice and curry apart, or a salad away from your hot food, inside the warmer.

I packed sides and cold items in a separate container next to it.

If you want a full meal in one box, a larger lunch box such as the LISHZEN, with 2.8 liters over two layers, makes more sense.

I scored capacity 7 out of 10.

It suits a modest individual lunch, but not much more.

A full 20-ounce container makes a modest lunch. Big eaters will want more room.

Portability: taking it to work

The Lunch Crock is easy to carry.

At 1.7 pounds with a compact body and a solid handle, I carried it in one hand on the way to work without thinking about it.

It also fit in a tote bag or the main section of a backpack.

The removable container is a nice touch for commuting.

I could fill it in the kitchen in the morning, put it in the fridge at work, and drop it into the base when I wanted to heat lunch.

Some colleagues leave the base on their desk all week and only bring the container back and forth.

That's probably the smartest way to use it if you can.

The real limit on portability is power.

The Lunch Crock needs an electrical outlet to heat food, and Crock-Pot recommends standard household outlets only.

There's no battery and no car cord.

So while it's easy to carry anywhere, it only heats at a desk, in a break room or at home.

If you eat in a car or on a job site, look at the EAST OAK cordless lunch box or the TRAVELISIMO, which has 12V and 24V cords.

I still gave portability 9 out of 10, because for its intended use, at the office, it's about as convenient as it gets.

Cleaning the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock

Cleanup was the easiest of every electric lunch box I've tested.

The food container and the inner lid both come out, and Crock-Pot says both are dishwasher-safe.

Most days I simply rinsed the container at work and put it in the dishwasher at home.

The heating base is different.

It holds the electronics, so you should never submerge it in water.

I wiped it with a damp, soapy cloth when needed and dried it off.

With the inner lid in place, very little food ever reached the base, so that didn't happen often.

My one tip is to rinse the container soon after eating.

Chili and tomato sauce are easy to wash off while they're fresh, but much harder once they've dried on.

If something does stick, Crock-Pot suggests soaking the container in warm, soapy water to loosen it.

I scored cleaning 9 out of 10.

It only misses a perfect score because the base needs a careful wipe rather than a quick wash.

Food safety tips for the Lunch Crock

Because the Lunch Crock heats slowly, it's worth thinking about food safety.

Bacteria grow fastest between 40°F and 140°F, so you don't want your lunch sitting in that range for hours.

Keep your food in the fridge until you're ready to heat it.

If there's no fridge at work, pack the container with an ice pack and plug it in when you get to your desk.

Food safety guidance says to reheat leftovers to 165°F.

A cheap probe thermometer is the best way to check, especially with dense meals.

Only use the Lunch Crock for food that's already cooked.

It's a warmer, not a cooker, so leave raw meat and eggs for the stove.

Once your food is hot, eat it, and unplug the warmer.

There's no automatic shutoff, so it's your job to switch it off by pulling the plug.

Is the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock worth the money?

The Crock-Pot Lunch Crock usually sells for somewhere between about $25 and $45, depending on the color and whether it's on sale.

That makes it one of the more affordable electric lunch boxes you can buy.

For that money, you get a well-built, simple warmer with a dishwasher-safe container and a one-year warranty.

If you buy lunch out a couple of times a week, it can pay for itself within a month.

It also uses very little electricity, so running costs are negligible.

The value depends on how you eat.

If you have a desk, an outlet and a taste for soup, chili and leftovers, it's an easy recommendation.

If you need more food, faster heating or power on the road, you'll get better value from a larger 100-watt box, even if it costs more.

I scored value 8 out of 10.

It's a worthwhile way to enjoy a warm lunch without a microwave, as long as its limits suit you.

Prices change often, so check the current price on Amazon before you buy.

Crock-Pot Lunch Crock specifications

From Crock-Pot's product page and the Amazon listing.

Crock-Pot Lunch Crock vs TRAVELISIMO vs EAST OAK vs LISHZEN

I tested the Lunch Crock alongside the other electric lunch boxes in our guide. It's the smallest and simplest of the group, and the easiest to clean, but it gives up capacity, speed and power options.

Best Crock-Pot Lunch Crock alternatives

If the Lunch Crock's small size or need for an outlet puts you off, there are good alternatives.

The EAST OAK Cordless Electric Lunch Box is our overall pick.

It runs on a built-in battery, holds 1.3 liters and can heat lunch on a schedule, so it works far from any outlet.

The LISHZEN Electric Lunch Box is the one for big appetites.

It has 2.8 liters across two layers and was the fastest to heat in my tests.

The TRAVELISIMO Electric Lunch Box suits drivers.

It comes with 12V, 24V and 110V cords and a 1.5-liter stainless-steel container plus a side dish.

And if you only ever eat soup, an insulated food jar is the low-tech option.

You heat the soup at home in the morning and it stays warm until lunch, with no power needed at all.

How I tested and scored the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock

I used the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock as my everyday lunch box at my desk, packing refrigerated meals and heating them before my break.

I reheated soups, chili, stews, oatmeal, pasta with sauce, rice dishes and plain leftovers, stirring halfway with denser food, and judged warmth by stirring and tasting.

I carried it to work, washed the container after saucy meals and paid attention to how it held up. I scored eight things:

• Heating (8.0): how long a refrigerated meal took and how evenly it warmed.
• Food quality (9.0): whether food stayed moist and kept its texture.
• Capacity (7.0): whether a real lunch fit in the 20-ounce container.
• Portability (9.0): how easy it was to carry and where I could use it.
• Ease of use (10): setup and day-to-day operation.
• Cleaning (9.0): how easy the container, lid and base were to clean.
• Build quality (9.0): how the exterior, lid, handle and cord held up.
• Value (8.0): what you get for the price compared with rivals.

The overall score of 8.4 is an editorial rating that weighs heating, food quality and capacity most heavily, because those decide whether it's a good lunch box for you. I also checked Crock-Pot's published specifications and compared them with the other boxes in our guide. BrasQ editor-in-chief Ryan Mitchell reviewed the facts and figures before publication.