Make warming up instant foods even easier than before!

In Japan, a lot of prepackaged foods come in special pouches known in Japanese as “retort pouches.” These packages, which often contain food like curries, sauces, soups, and meats, can generally be made in one of two ways. You can either boil a pot of water and then toss the unopened pouch in a pot of boiling water to heat up its contents, or you can heat it up in the microwave, which usually requires first emptying the pouch onto a plate or bowl and covering it with plastic wrap.

While those are pretty simple preparation instructions, sometimes there are days when even that is more trouble than we can be bothered with. That’s why we’re excited about this new kitchen gadget that lets you warm up retort pouches without bothering with pots and boiling water or plate wrapping!

The Retort-Tei is like a toaster for retort pouches. All you have to do is plug it in, slip the pouch into the slot, turn the dial, and let it do its thing.

It functions just like a toaster, in fact. Once inside, the pouch is sandwiched by two heating panels that operate at low temperatures to bring the food up to a good eating temperature. It works with most kinds of retort pouches, even the ones that you have to empty out before warming up.

Not only does it save you time by opening up the microwave for other side dishes, but it’s also eco-friendly because you’re no longer wasting plastic wrap or water when heating it up!

The makers of the Retort-Tei, Apix Intl, hoped to get the it off the ground through a crowdfunding campaign on the crowdfunding site Makuake, but its unbelievable popularity blew their expectations completely out of the water, and they collected over 22 million yen (US$202,000) when their goal was just 500,000 yen!

It proved so desirable that all reward options are already sold out. Never fear, though, as Apix Intl has announced that thanks to the great amount of support the project has received, the Retort-Tei will be available for general purchase in late November or early December.

So if you’re a regular consumer of ready-made food pouches, you’ll want to look out for them at the end of the year! And if you’ve never tried retort food before, here are some really delicious curry options that we highly recommend.

Source, images: Makuake
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[ Read in Japanese ]