September 2009

All the content on this site by month.

last week bentos

  • Posted on: 28 September 2009
  • By: anon.
Last week i planned bentos for 4 days but my job became all crazy so i only could prepare bentos for 2 days. Also, I couldn't prepare them as I planned because I had no time so I decided not to plan my bentos anymore. Now I have some veggies and some food I can be prepairing on the go during the week. Also, my hub can help me a little bit :D

Amazon.com rice cooker sale

A heads up to U.S. readers: Amazon is having a 30% off sale on selected rice cookers right now. They have models from the mid-$20s on up to the $200 to $300 range. The one featured on the top left of the page linked to, the Zojirushi Neuro-Fuzzy rice cooker, is a newer version of the one I have! A rice cooker is a really great thing to have if you are serious about bento making (see Essential equipment for making bento lunches).

Keep reading Amazon.com rice cooker sale →

Argh

  • Posted on: 27 September 2009
  • By: anon.
Only 2 bentos this week. My DAMN job rides back T_T I'll post them tomorrow.

How to: Freezing pre-portioned rice

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From the archives: This is a foundation post for anyone interested in Japanese style bentos based around rice. Edited and updated to reflect some safety related questions. Be sure to read the linked bento safety posts too. Originally posted in October 2007.

Rice is the base carbohydrate for most Japanese style bento lunches, but the idea of cooking rice fresh every day may be rather daunting. If you have a rice cooker with a timer that can be set so that the rice is ready when you want to make your bento it is easier (and recommended if you make bentos daily). Of course this does mean that you need to rinse the rice the night before.

While I prefer to wash the rice the night before and set the timer on my rice cooker, I often freeze pre-portioned packets of rice to use on extra busy mornings. Rice freezes very well if you make sure that it's still warm when you wrap up the portions. This retains the necessary moisture inside the plastic. It's also a good idea to use sturdy, microwaveable wrap such as Saran Wrap.

Keep reading How to: Freezing pre-portioned rice →

Miso, tahini and nut paste for broiled or baked root vegetables

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From the archives. This is a terrific vegan condiment of sorts, that can be used as described here on top of vegetables and roasted, or even as an onigiri filling. Originally published in January 2008.

I'm always looking out for interesting vegan sources of protein, and I think this one is really a winner. It's a rich paste that contains miso, walnuts, and tahini - three great protein-rich foods. But never mind the nutrition aspect - it tastes terrific! Even the confirmed omnivore in our house loves it. It is a wonderful topping for firm, sweet root vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, turnips and so on. I've used it as a topping for carrots here. It looks rather meaty in a bento box, and is quite filling too.

Keep reading Miso, tahini and nut paste for broiled or baked root vegetables →

Back to bento on thursday

  • Posted on: 14 September 2009
  • By: anon.
Going back to bento on thursday. I'm starting working both on mornings and afternoons again, so the only good thing of this is that I'll be able to prepare my bentos again. So I'm having chickpea salad and some chicken. And maybe roast zuccini. Yay! :D

Guest Posting on Just Bento

Periodically we send out a call for guest posters on Just Bento. Guest posting here is a chance to reach a large audience of bento enthusiasts, and gain exposure for your site or blog.

The guest posting guidelines are as follows:

Keep reading Guest Posting on Just Bento →

A few details about my bento cookbook

I'm writing a bento cookbook! Here are some details...

Keep reading A few details about my bento cookbook →

Bento Box article in the New York Times

There is an article about bento lunches in the Wednesday, September 9th edition of the New York Times, titled What's for Lunch? Enter the Bento Box, a Touch of Japan, by Samantha Storey. I'm quoted there several times; also quoted are my fellow bento bloggers Pikko of Adventures in Bento, Biggie of Lunch in a Box, and many others - including quite a few Just Bento readers! (It's up to you to match up the real name with the online presence :)) It's one of the best mainstream media articles (in Engish) that I've seen so far - not just focusing on over-the-top kyaraben, or bentos for little kids, as many seem to do. (Samantha also blogs about her own bento-ing efforts.)

If you've found your way to Just Bento via the NY Times article, welcome! If you are new to bentos, you might want to start with the Bento Basics section. Bento friendly recipes of all types, not just traditional Japanese (though there are plenty of those too) can be found on the sortable recipes list. If you want to look at complete bento examples with step-by-step instructions and timelines, take a look at the bento lists. Want a way to ease into the bento habit? Try the Get Started Handbook, or follow the Get Started Bento Challenge program. You'll find a lot more useful links on the left of this page. Last but not least, you may want to join our community of bento enthusiasts by <a href=http://justbento.com/forum">joining our great forum, or our flickr pool.

Welcome to the wonderful world of bentos! お弁当の世界へようこそ！

(Update: Mook of FrenchBento has posted a translation of the article in French. (Mook de FrenchBento a une traduction française de l'article pour les francophones.)

Keep reading Bento Box article in the New York Times →

The SIGG water bottle controversy and the water bottle conundrum

About the recent SIGG bottle brouhaha, and - what do you drink with your bento, and in what?

Keep reading The SIGG water bottle controversy and the water bottle conundrum →