So after yesterday’s fun post on Bento lunch accessories how about today we focus on the containers! There are so many options for meal containers when it comes to how you are going to present your bento meal. Maybe a few questions need to be answered first before you go out and spend money on something that might not work for your needs later on down the line.
#1. Will you need the container for a school lunch or a home meal?
#2. Do you plan on using the container for meals or snacks?
#3. Does the food need to be re-heated?
#4. Will the food be mainly dry or wet ingredients?
Here is a general look at some of the Bento boxes you can buy online. I bought many of these at BentoUSA but you can also buy similar products at Modes4U.com and a few online retailers on Etsy.
As you can tell, there is quite a variety of containers out there. I have a whole bunch of different ones for different uses…if we eat lunch at home, or go to a park, or maybe just need a snack to take to a museum or friend’s house. To me, different food scenarios require different boxes because we bring different types of food. You can certainly make do with one or two, I’m not saying you need a cabinet full of them but I have four kids so I need at least one for each kid and then of course I just found cute ones here and there that I had to add to my collection because the price was right.
Most of the cute Japanese bento boxes are made of plastic. Now I don’t read a bit of Japanese so I am not totally sure about the BPA-free-ness of them but for the way that I use them I am not overly concerned. All the Japanese bentos that I have bought do say (in English) that the bottom/food portion can be microwaved but not the lid and that they should not be placed in a dishwasher to clean. I don’t do any of that anyways so I feel ok with using them. I don’t ever put food in them that is wet (like applesauce or dips) without some type of silicone liner or such. And you can always use paper cupcake liners if you want all your food protected as well. On that note, if your box does start to look dingy after lots of use, just replace it! That’s what you’d do with plastic rubbermaid/tupperware containers anyways right?
The boxes above are two-part bentos. This means that the lid completely separates from the box and the box portion has clips on two sides to “lock” the lid in place. Many times these separate lid type bentos are not leak-proof. Which is why I tend to like using them for dry goods…nuts, dried fruit, etc.
Next up are the Tiered Bentos. This means that the food portions are stacked one on top of the other and are separated by thin fitted lids that are better at stopping leaks. Most of the tiered bentos do not stick together like a stack of legos though. For many of them you will need an elastic strap belt accessory or a fitted lunch bag to hold all the tiers in place, especially if you are traveling with it…like to school.
Tiered bentos are by far my favorite because they can accommodate a variety of foods in two separate but together containers. So if you want dry goods in one and say carrots and ranch dip in the other you can totally do that! The picture above on the right shows you the tiered bento disassembled. There is a smaller bottom box with a fitted lid, a larger top box with a fitted lid and then an very slim space at the very top of the bento for thin utensils and a small napkin or baby wipes under a clear rounded lid.
Next up are these cuties! Gah, are they not just sooo freakin’ adorable! I bought these on my trip to Seattle a few weeks back. Umm, can I just say thank you so much leeetle seester for getting married in the great Northwest and for my random walk about that found this shop!!
These containers are similar to the top half of a tiered bento. But the food compartment on these has a movable divider so it can help separate your food. There is a fitted lid on these as well (the white part in the picture above on the right) and that lid has built in chopsticks for your chopstick eating pleasure. There is also room on each side of the chopsticks for a thin utensil. I found the neat-o spoon and cap to match so hello, of course I’ll be using that on the side! This particular bento also came with the elastic strap accessory which is perfect for attaching the cute spoon!
Now if you are not too keen on buying Japanese bentos for whatever reason you can always use a divided plastic Ziploc container. I love these for when we go to the beach in the summer (lake beach peeps, I live in Chicago!!) The lid has slight indentions so none of the compartments can mingle and they are cheap enough so if we were to leave one behind (cringe! but it happens if you have kids!) I don’t mind as much as if it were my cute Japanese boxes.
I also saw these cute “lock” style boxes at Target the other day. They seem like they would work as great bento boxes and as a bonus they even come in a variety of sizes and fun designs!
Now if you are totally anti-plastic you could go the route of stainless steel. I found these fun ones at World Market (love that store!) a few years back. These are great for adults to use as they aren’t decorated with cutesy japanese cartoon animals 😉 Mr. Smashed Peas takes these ones to work filled with dried cherries, nuts and, dark chocolate or almond butter and apple slices…Nom!
These divided trays (my momma bought mine at Target a few years back) are also great for bento-type lunches that don’t need to be portable! You have fun little compartments to separate food into and you can still use picks and fun cookie cutters to make kids meals exciting!
Now that we’ve talked about different styles of bento boxes let’s chat about some add-on accessories that you might want to get to help with meals on the go!
You may want to buy a few “bento utensils” if you are thinking about getting a tiered box or packing food in a lunch bag that will need a utensil that can be re-used. These specially designed spoon/fork/chopstick sets are made to fit in that very top tier with the rounded lid. They are thin and short…and juuuuust right. You will NOT be able to use standard plastic forks in the lidded section of these bentos they are just too long and wide! I bought my sets at BentoUSA and found my singular utensils in….you guessed it….Seattle!
This is how they fit in that top lidded area. They sit right on the white lid and then you place the rounded clear lid over top.
You might also want to buy a few of the elastic strap belts to keep your bentos together as they do not stick together!
Another fun and inexpensive purchase would be a bento lunch bag. I bought a few different cloth ones for the kids in case I need to throw them in the wash between school days next year. They are roomy enough to hold a tiered bento and a small water bottle or juice box.
Or a square bento and a tiered bento…if you are hungry or will be gone for most of the day!
And even an icepack and a tiered bento!
Oh, and to answer your questions about how to keep bentos chilled before lunch if you happen to be out and about or at school, I just throw in a small ice pack that came with my breast pump. I figure if it is good enough for my precious breast milk it is good enough for a lunch, lol!
You may want to invest in a insulated lunch box if you are packing foods that are the “chill me or I will wreak sickness on you” type just to be safe. For the most part I’ve found that they cloth and icepack do the job but I’m not bringing a leftover chicken dinner anywhere either.
So thus concludes my Bento Lunches series…was it fun? I hope it was somewhat helpful to you. If there is something I missed that you wanted further info on let me know in the comments. I can’t say I know everything on bento meals but I can give you my thoughts if you want them!
And if you missed Part One of the series you can click here to read all about it and catch yourself up!
Enjoy and thanks for stopping by today!
XOXO,
Don’t forget Goodbyns. My fav. 🙂 We moved to Korea 16 months ago and this style of lunch has become even more fun.
How awesome, Jessica! I bet you can find lots of inspiration there! 🙂
Thanks for the great bento box explanation! I have thought bout starting to pack my girls lunch this way as they don’t enjoy sandwiches everyday. I live in Seattle, could you share where the store is that you found all the great bento stuff? Thanks!!!
I am not sure on the store name! I was only there for a wedding one weekend and happened upon it while out on a walk with Oliver. We stayed downtown, so it was somewhere in that vicinity…sorry!
I’m late to the party, but I’ve been loving catching up on your blog and all your bento lunches! So cute!!
Another tip — rubbermaid makes a “lunch blox” line that can also work GREAT for bento lunches! I tried using them because I was so inspired by your posts and didn’t want to wait to try them. 🙂 And you can easily find them at any target or walmart!
We love those too, Erin! I think I bought two sets after I posted this and they have worked great for my kids’ lunches! We switch between a bunch of boxes just to spice up their lunches a bit…they love the element of surprise! Glad to know you are a bento momma too!
Love,
Maggie