Using Bento Boxes for lunches.

mangrothian

Every time I see the lid of that box it looks like two alien heads to me. I know they're bunnies, but I see alien heads.

The bento on the other hand doesn't look like aliens. It looks delicious!

SpecialKitty7

I see alien heads or angry lemons, depends on my mood. I never see bunnies and it amuses me that that's what they are supposed to be!

mangrothian

I just giggle at the bad translations I have on my boxes

"Let's play! I want to be a friend of you!" This one is on 3 of my bento boxes, my snack boxes and my chopstick containers.

"Clapping march musician. The music will start soon!"

"Clapping march picnic. It's fine! Let's go out"

"Deli style. I wish it is a good day today"

funnygirl2004

Great ideas. Can't wait to read more of this thread.

MadDogManor

I've been lurking here for a while, and getting some great ideas. Thanks!

I have always packed my own lunches, just a bunch of containers tossed together. Recently I bought a Bentgo, and packed it up with a good amount of food. Right portions, for a binger like me.

Anyways, the first day I microwaved the top portion for 30 seconds, and now the lid won't stay on it :-( Very disappointed :-( The elastic strap does help keep the lid somewhat tight.

I'm not sure if I want to purchase another product, for more money, to have this happen again. Just stating my experience.

PixieGoddess

MadDogManor wrote: »

I've been lurking here for a while, and getting some great ideas. Thanks!

I have always packed my own lunches, just a bunch of containers tossed together. Recently I bought a Bentgo, and packed it up with a good amount of food. Right portions, for a binger like me.

Anyways, the first day I microwaved the top portion for 30 seconds, and now the lid won't stay on it :-( Very disappointed :-( The elastic strap does help keep the lid somewhat tight.

I'm not sure if I want to purchase another product, for more money, to have this happen again. Just stating my experience.

Did you microwave the lid or just the container? Most bentos have lids that cannot be microwaved, and a few bentos cannot be microwaved at all. I would check for labels on yours, or go back to where you bought it (store/website) and look at care instructions.

And if you'd like to keep using this one with the strap to secure it, just make sure you only pack dry things in it.

SnuggleSmacks

MadDogManor wrote: »

I've been lurking here for a while, and getting some great ideas. Thanks!

I have always packed my own lunches, just a bunch of containers tossed together. Recently I bought a Bentgo, and packed it up with a good amount of food. Right portions, for a binger like me.

Anyways, the first day I microwaved the top portion for 30 seconds, and now the lid won't stay on it :-( Very disappointed :-( The elastic strap does help keep the lid somewhat tight.

I'm not sure if I want to purchase another product, for more money, to have this happen again. Just stating my experience.

Even those bentos that are microwaveable recommend that you not put lids in the microwave. It will warp the lid. It's better just to cover the food with a napkin while microwaving. I hope you'll give it another shot!

PixieGoddess

Today's bento: sesame fish on a bed of dirty rice, mixed veggies, fresh broccoli & cherry tomatoes with ranch dressing, & half a boiled egg - heart shaped today!

SnuggleSmacks

Have you guys seen the video about making inside-out boiled eggs? With the yolk on the outside? I'm definitely going to try that.

SpecialKitty7

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Have you guys seen the video about making inside-out boiled eggs? With the yolk on the outside? I'm definitely going to try that.

<- googling...

Wow, that's pretty weird. I wonder if the yolk stays nice and creamy and smooth or if it gets kind of rubbery around the middle? The video I watched was in Japanese, so I have no idea

SnuggleSmacks

Yeah, I probably won't have time til next week, but I will definitely be making a full report with photos.

KuroNyankoSensei

Everyone posting has some of the same bento boxes I have XD.

mangrothian

KuroNyankoSensei wrote: »

Everyone posting has some of the same bento boxes I have XD.

That just shows that you have an awesome collection then ^_^

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Have you guys seen the video about making inside-out boiled eggs? With the yolk on the outside? I'm definitely going to try that.

It seems.... intriguing. I just can't see how it would taste any good with the yolk being cooked the most. I think I might try the scrambling the egg in its shell though. Also if you need to, I can have a go at translating that video. It won't be accurate, but I can try.

mangrothian

MadDogManor wrote: »

I've been lurking here for a while, and getting some great ideas. Thanks!

I have always packed my own lunches, just a bunch of containers tossed together. Recently I bought a Bentgo, and packed it up with a good amount of food. Right portions, for a binger like me.

Anyways, the first day I microwaved the top portion for 30 seconds, and now the lid won't stay on it :-( Very disappointed :-( The elastic strap does help keep the lid somewhat tight.

I'm not sure if I want to purchase another product, for more money, to have this happen again. Just stating my experience.

That's sad to hear. I only have one Bento box that can be microwaved at all, and even then without the lids. Only a couple of mine are even dishwasher safe (my husband has been the cause of reminding me of this a couple of times! ), so for me, none of them go in the microwave, and none go in the dishwasher.

EDIT: I just looked at the Bentgo website (it seems I actually have an identical box (even the strap) under a different brand name). It didn't give specifics on the item page other than it was microwavable, but the Bentgo FAQ states:

Is the Bentgo Lunch Box Microwave safe?
Yes, the top and bottom containers of your Bentgo Lunch Box are safe to microwave. To ensure a snug fit for the life of your Bentgo Lunch Box, we recommend that you NOT microwave the top lid or divider that sits between the two containers.

Note: Microwave is for reheating food only, not for cooking it. It is not recommended to use in the microwave for over 3 minutes.

I actually think its ridiculous that they don't post this full tidbit of information on each item page - it wouldn't hurt O_o

This seems to be a common thing with most of the containers. Then again, even my tupperware, sistema and ikea containers all have their lids warp eventually when they're being used in the microwave.

CupcakeCrusoe

SpecialKitty7 wrote: »

finally got my leftover taco night bento! Here's ground chicken w/ sazon seasoning, black beans, shredded cheese, yellow saffron rice & masa crisps with flax.

This looks amazing! *drools*

I'm hoping when my monbento comes in, I will be able to pack breakfast, lunch, and snacks in it to fill up the whole two tiers. We'll see how well that works.

SpecialKitty7

CupcakeCrusoe wrote: »

I'm hoping when my monbento comes in, I will be able to pack breakfast, lunch, and snacks in it to fill up the whole two tiers. We'll see how well that works.

It was delish! The monbento are about twice the size of my red bento in the picture, you should have no problem getting all that in one.

SnuggleSmacks

It came! Soooo happy with this bento! It's actually a little bigger than I was expecting, and I managed to pack in a lot for today's dinner. Red wine vinegar pork, carrots and baby peppers, tea egg, and brown rice ramen. I cooked the noodles, cooled them and tossed them with a little peanut oil since they aren't instant noodles and will require more than just hot water to cook. I hope that keeps them from congealing. The miso packet for the ramen goes in the hat. I'll be able to pour a bit of hot water into the hat bowl, add half the noodles and miso, some veggies and pork, and then do it all over again.

SpecialKitty7

@snugglesmacks that looks amazing! I would have never thought to do it that way. Thinking inside the box is sometimes harder than thinking outside it!

satansees

Finally got my monbento after chasing FedEx all week (I hate them so much!). It's really pretty and very green, but huge! Think I'm going to pack two days lunches - a tier each.

SpecialKitty7

satansees wrote: »

Finally got my monbento after chasing FedEx all week (I hate them so much!). It's really pretty and very green, but huge! Think I'm going to pack two days lunches - a tier each.

I know! The hugeness shocked me. Since I work upwards of 12 hours a day, I think i'm going to try and pack one tier as lunch and one as dinner. I'm still in the planning stage on it though.

hailli_logan

Thank you so much for this!

hezemakiah

I love my bento boxes! I use them often to transport my salad items to work with me ( lettuce, tomatoes, other veggies in one part, egg, cheese, turkey etc., in the other) As well as other things. They are great!

helenarriaza

Bump.

PixieGoddess

Today's bento has the same large tier as Wednesday (steak, quinoa, and veggies) and the same small tier as yesterday (broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and half a somewhat-deformed-heart-shaped boiled egg), which is generally how I pack my bentos each week to keep my lunches interesting: make 2 of the same big tier and 2 of the same small tier, but mix them up so it's never quite the same lunch twice

Oh, and this is my other NEW BENTO BOX! ^_^

SnuggleSmacks

I love it when a plan comes together! This turned out to be enough food to fill my little hat/bowl 4 times!

mangrothian

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

I love it when a plan comes together! This turned out to be enough food to fill my little hat/bowl 4 times!

My god that looks delish. I'm sad now that it's waaaaay too hot for me to have a warm Bento at the moment

SpecialKitty7

That ramen bowl looks amazing! Perfect for our 7 degree day today

SnuggleSmacks

Thanks! I have an electric kettle at work for tea, so it was easy to put the bowls together, and having to use such a small bowl made my dinner take a looooong time, so I was able to savor the flavors and textures. I'm really enjoying eating this way, with a large number of small portions.

I've started cooking full packages of things instead of just one or two servings, like pasta, rice and meat dishes, and then packing small servings in zip-locs and sticking them in the freezer. Now I can mix and match stuff for bentos very easily.

mangrothian

Ugh, that's it. Seeing that picture again makes me want ramen. To be damned with the 30C+ weather. To the kitchen!!!!

satansees

Ive got the whole weekend to figure out what to do with this thing! My old ones in the front. Such a difference, kind of intimidating. Definitely going to be a tier a meal thing.