ColdCup

Tupperware CrystalWave Cold Cup

I think I bought this online somewhere about 3 years ago. Tupperware still carries them and they are widely available on Ebay, Amazon, etc. You might have a hard time finding this color, as Tupperware likes to change up their colors every couple of years. Be SURE you order the model with the cold cup. There is also a model without the cold cup which is not nearly as versatile. Don't order that one by mistake.

This is a pretty cool lunch box. It's fun to use it just for the visual variety - no other bento box looks anything like this. The round shape and sinuous compartment dividers are very attractive with the right food combo. And when the top is on it looks even more striking with that goofy off-center colored dot.

But where this set really shines is in the microwave. Many bento boxes aren't microwavable at all, and the ones that are always warn you to remove the top. If you've ever microwaved beef stew in an open container, you'll never want to do that again! This unit is designed for microwaving with the top on (the colored dot is a pressure valve). Better yet, the removable cold cup makes it easy to mix hot and cold food in the same lunch.

	Diameter	Height	Volume	Footprint
Large Compartment (about half of circle)	7"	2"	480 ml	19 sq"
Small Compartment (about 1/4 of circle)	7"	2"	260 ml	9.5 sq"
Cold Cup (about 1/4 of circle)	7"	2"	220 ml	9.5 sq"
Assembled (including handles)	9"	2.5"	960 ml	38 sq"

What's it good for?

Leftover stew with crackers and a small salad
A couple of hot dishes with a small salad or side dish
A big salad with one cold side (fruit or crackers) and one hot side dish

Let's talk about size. I've seen a lot of comments about how enormous this thing is - much too big for a single lunch, and so on. That's really not true. The total volume in milliliters is about the same as a "man-sized" Japanese bento - if every compartment were filled to the tippy top. However, you would NEVER use it that way. Remember, the whole point of this item is microwaving. Realistically, you wouldn't fill the compartment you are planning to heat more than 3/4 full. The design is bulky - certainly not made to fit in a small lunch bag. But it's about the right size for a medium to large lunch for one person.


	Not What Tupperware Had in Mind I have reversed the basic concept here by putting the hot dish (smoky bean soup) in the small removable section and filling the rest of the box with spinach salad and Chinese soy-flavored party crackers mixed with roasted almonds. I lifted the cold cup out and microwaved it. This is actually the way I use this box most often. It's kind of a waste of the cool vented lid, but that large compartment holds so much that my usual instinct is to fill it with bulky salad.
	Another Reversal of the Cold Cup Concept Carrot-raisin stir fry in the removable container (to be microwaved). Grapes in the other small section. Salad: spinach, black olives, artichoke hearts, avocado, grape tomatoes, piquante peppers stuffed with cream cheese. Dressing in the honey bear, Asian salad sprinkles in the fish.
	Finally, I Get to Use the Vented Lid Finally I use this set in its intended fashion with the cold stuff in the removable cup (ricotta cheese and applesauce decorated with almonds and a dollop of mint jelly). That beef stew was just so good I wanted a big serving of it, and I had leftover rice to put in the other hot compartment. This is now my default bento box for when we have leftover stew. Without the big salad to fill up the container this does turn out to be a pretty hefty lunch. I just made a lunch like this for tomorrow, in fact, but this time I went for side dishes that weren't so calorie dense (lots of cherry tomatoes).