(Part 2) Top products from r/Bento

Hoo boy. Here we go.

I purchased my first bento box in 2010 for about $20. It's dishwasher and microwave safe, held approx. 550-600ml, and is about 6 in x 3 in x 3 in. It has two compartments with a tight-fitting plastic lid that seals the top compartment. It came with a divider for the top compartment. I loved it, used it regularly, hand washed it, and discovered a crack in the bottom about a month ago. It still holds liquids without leaking, so i still use it. The only drawback is that the top compartment rests on top of the food on the bottom compartment, and so i have to place it in the lid when eating to keep the table clean.

Another $10 amazon-acquired bento of mine is this red one. It has two compartments, is microwavable, holds 580 ml, is also 6 x 3 x 3, and has two plastic liners that prevent the top layer from touching the bottom layer. Neither of these liners are good at sealing the food in, so this is a dry-goods only (or very thick liquids) bento box.


I also have a (probably $20, it was a gift) little character shaped bento. It's cute, holds 640 ml, has one sealing plastic lid, three compartments (technically, read on) and are microwave and dishwasher safe. It's about 3 inches in diameter, and 5 inches high. This bento has two normal compartments and then a bowl for the hat. The sealing liner isn't flat across, so you could pack onigiri in the top compartment, or fill it up pretty substantially. Not very much fits between the plastic sealing liner and the bowl hat, however. It could probably fit packets of soy sauce and the like.

I've got an absolutely beautiful $25 bento that came with a bag and chopsitcks holder. It holds 510 ml and is 7 x 3 x 3. It's microwavable, but only the bottom portion. It has two compartments and a very good sealing plastic liner for the upper compartment. I love it, and it's probably my favorite box right now.

I spontaneously purchased this $18 bento and it's probably my most useless. It's 550 ml, 6 x 3 x 3, and has two compartments, the top one of which is only for onigiri. It's also not microwavable, but does have a sealing inner lid.

I have these fish, $23, at 670 ml, 5 x 3 x 1.5 and 4 x 3 x 1.3, and which are also not microwavable. They don't have a sealing lid, and the little fish has a small inner divider that can be removed. I like them a lot.

Finally, I have a lock& lock bento that I got as a gift for probably $25. I couldn't find the actual product, but it's similar to this lock & lock. The one I have came with a water bottle and chopsticks (i think) and a cloth bag similar to a tiny paper grocery bag. It's probably 7 x 3 x 3 inches. There are two compartments and the top one has a permanent divider. The whole thing seals very well, but the container is so narrow that it's tough to fit a lot of foods in, unless you're doing a one-pot meal leftover bento. It's microwave and dishwasher safe, but since it's so tricky to fit things into, I wouldn't buy it again.

That's what I've got.

For anyone curious here is all the info

-Bento Box: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYT1Z9Q/ref=twister_B01M0RE6QR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
-Silicone Cups: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N4ONBGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Veggie Cutters: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0162AGTWE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Soy Sauce Containers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AJ8HOG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Adorable Food Picks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KDAIQIK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


-Sweet Potato Onigiri Recipe: https://youtu.be/dkbqupOUqLs?t=3m15s


-Cabbage: Saute onion and cabbage with soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, until soft or desired level of cooked.


-Chicken: Wash and pat dry chicken thighs with paper towels. Cut into bite size pieces. Coat with corn start and cook in a nonstick pan with a little bit of oil (not fried) until golden brown. Add enough teriyaki sauce to coat and cook a little longer to get some nice darkening.


-Broccoli: Heat a pan with a little bit of oil until very hot, add broccoli and toss to coat. Add a few table spoons of water and cover with lid to steam the broccoli. Once all the florets are bright green remove the lid and cook off any remaining water and continue to cook to get some brown crispy sides on the broccoli. Season with salt and a little bit of sesame oil. (This is my absolute favorite way to enjoy broccoli. It doesn't even need the sesame oil in my opinion)


-Fruit Salad: Cut apple into slices, use veggie cutters to make cute shapes. Mix with cut strawberries. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon to keep them fresh and prevent browning. Also adds a wonderful freshness to them.



I think that covers everything. Anymore questions lemme know.

You can find all kinds of fun bento toys on Amazon. Here are my faves:

Kotobuki Plastic Egg Mold, Rabbit and Bear
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TZ04J6/

SCI Cuisine International 2.75 Inch Square Egg Press
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C8ZDQE/

CUTEZCUTE 10-Piece Bento Decoration Box, Animals Food Picks and Forks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038LNVR2/

Happy Sales Stainless Steel Vegetable Cutters
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00095VK7S/

CuteZCute Animal Friends Food Deco Cutter and Stamp Kit
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CDPNA70/

Kotobuki Crayon Bento Box, Black Ninja https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C61CP3G/

If you enjoy this sort of thing, it's easy to get lost in Amazon's lists of related products.

Spend $30 on those tools and these lunches should take 10 mins to assemble in the morning. One of my biggest challenges is keeping a variety of foods on hand.

I like my Monbento a lot. I bought the pocket cutlery from them and they fit well under the lid.

They come in an Original shape (maybe for you?) and Square (maybe for bf?). Microwaveable and dishwasher safe, just be careful with the interior lids. I always handwash the interior lids to be safe. Leakproof if you seal them up correctly.

I've had as much luck putting cut up lunch meat sandwiches in them as I have had with storing an onigiri lunch in them. Bento & co has some really cute sauce cups, separators, etc. if you need them, but Monbento sells things like that too that will match their boxes.

However, right now, directly from Monbento, you can get the square one with sauce cups and cutlery for only $27USD + shipping which is a good deal.

Wow thanks! I love sharing my bento on here.

Yes, I used these to cut the carrots.

So I went from this off brand, $22 at the time, box to a Monbento with the cutlery set.

Quick thoughts on the Monbento:

• It's made of thicker plastic so it feels more solid
  
  
• Microwave safe, apparently the first one I had wasn't
  
  
• The entire set holds together with the included band, the lids do snap on to their tiers pretty well.
  
  
• Pretty large, if I had a girlfriend I could easily see myself using a tier for each of us (I supplement the meals with fruit cups)
  
  The last point kinda leads into one problem I have; it feels too large for me to do anything with. I instinctively want to fill it to the brim for some reason.
  
  

I got these at Target. Also see them at the supermarket. Work great!

Wasabi (and anything else you want to dip like mayo or ranch) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BG4DH90/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478797552&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=salad+dressing+container+to+go&dpPl=1&dpID=413sIludLvL&ref=plSrch

Soy Sauce (and anything else you want to squirt like dressing) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BG4DHLS/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1478797648&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sistema+dressing&dpPl=1&dpID=51DSBR2Nx7L&ref=plSrch

I grabbed this one from Amazon. It came with a strap and a pretty decent black carrying bag. Definitely happy with my pick.

I just bought a bottle of Kewpie Deep-Roasted Sesame dressing from Pearl River Mart today.

http://www.amazon.com/Kewpie-Deep-Roasted-Sesame-Dressing-5-75/dp/B002U4OV6I

Can't wait to try it. I wonder how the Deep-Roasted is different (if at all) from the regular roasted! Love me some of that good ol' MSG. <3

Sure, I got mine on amazon. I love them for this and use them all the time.

bento cups

If you don't mind mono-tools I have one of these and it helps me make them pretty uniformly, but another commenter recommended cling wrap and that works just as well.

Man, I love those lychee gummies! Amazon link here if anyone wants to buy them:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009HGVWA/

http://www.amazon.com/Monbento-Square-The-Bento-Green/dp/B00GRZMJCO

It's a great bento box! Comes in other colors too.

Your bento looks really good!

I got my cookie cutters from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0162AGTWE

You could try lunch containers that include a reusable ice pack, like this one. Pair that with an insulated lunch bag, and the food should be fine.

We made tonkatsu this weekend for katsudon, and leftovers means a tasty tonkatsu bento for today! Tonkatsu was made with recipe from the Japanese Soul Cooking book which I highly recommend.

Thank you so much!

• Sliced my chicken breast in half, lengthwise.
  
• Tenderized it with a meat tenderizer so that it was even.
  
• Season with Mrs Dash Salt-Free Original Blend seasoning, Trader Joe's Everyday seasoning, salt, pepper, and Goya Adobo seasoning. I just eyeballed the amounts, but the Mrs Dash seasoning was the main component, then the TJ every day seasoning, and then just a light sprinkle of the adobo seasoning, and salt+pepper to taste.
  
• Use a napkin soaked in half vegetable oil and half olive oil to oil the pan.
  
• High heat and cook the chicken breasts until it's done.

Thank you! These are the cutters that I used.

Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-2-Tiered-Bento-Box-Beckoning/dp/B00200L7ZU :3

https://www.amazon.com/Bento-Steel-Stainless-Material-Layers/dp/B07VD3XDB4

Not OP, but I also have them. They're sistema's squeeze bottles. I haven't had any issue with mine leaking and I stick all kinds of sauces in them.

I use this small Thermos flask

If you're in the US, Amazon has it, but it's more expensive than at an Asian supermarket. Beats driving 40 minutes though.

If you can get your hands on one, a Zojirushi or Tiger is your best option. I have a Tiger and use it regularly. It takes abuse and just keeps going. But the Zojirushi may be more common to where you are.

If you're single, get the smaller 3 cup model as /u/appskicker said.

Mine

Zojirushi with Timer

Zojirushi 3-cup without Timer