Bento How To

Making bento lunches for your child is a fun and rewarding endeavor. However, getting started can feel a bit daunting. We’ve made it easy for you by breaking it down, step by step.

Choose Your Supplies – As we’ve said before, you do not need a lot of supplies to make bento lunches. As long as you have an appropriate box, you can start making bentos now.

Make a List of Food Ideas — Create a master list of foods that your child likes that you could include in a bento box–particularly main dishes. Chicken nuggets, sandwiches, hot dogs, meatballs, wraps, pinwheels, etc., all work well in a bento lunch. You will fill the rest of the box with side items like fruits and vegetables.

***Okay, let’s stop here for a minute. You are now ready to make a basic bento box like the one pictured below. Want something more elaborate? Keep reading.***



Brainstorm Design Ideas – To jazz up your bentos, you will want to add some fun to your food. Here are some ways to do this:

- Add Shapes — The easiest way to turn a boring lunch into a fun kid-friendly one is by adding shapes. Use cookie cutters or sandwich cutters to shape sandwiches, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.

- Add Faces — Faces can be be made from seaweed, cheese, vegetable peels, fruit leather, and more. Simply cut out the shapes you need (eyes, nose, mouth) and affix with a dab of honey (ideal), ketchup, mayonaise, or even Cheez Whiz.

- Add Picks — A simple food pick can add excitement to any food. You can find these picks in every design imaginable from animals to crayons to swords and more.

- Add Molds — You can mold any soft food easily with the use of a food mold. Most often made for rice or eggs, these molds can also shape leftover casseroles, tuna or chicken salads, and even baked treats like brownies.

- Create Themes — Brainstorm some themes and construct an entire lunch around them. As an example, the pirate lunch below features a pirate sandwich, treasure (gold and rubies) fruit salad, and veggies skewered with a sword.


Tips and Tricks – Once you have the basic bento techniques down, here are some additional tips:

- Pack each compartment as full as possible to keep food from slipping around. If necessary, use filler foods like lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, edamame, etc.

- For foods that can slosh and spill (yogurt, applesauce, etc.) use a piece of Glad Press ‘n Seal wrap to cover the individual compartment. You could also use a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil secured with a rubber band.

- If possible, use a lunchbox that allows the bento box to sit right side up instead of sideways. This will minimize the risk of spills or design mishaps.

- Always carry bentos in an insulated lunchbox with an icepack to keep food safe from spoilage.

- If you don’t have a particular bento supply that you need at the last minute, improvise. Don’t have a nori punch? Use scissors or an Exacto knife. Need to draw details but don’t have food color markers? Try using a toothpick dipped in food coloring.



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