Crafting a Bento

Bentos, or boxed lunches, have a long deep history rooted in ancient Japan. They originally began as simple meals that required little or no effort to assemble. Today they are a vibrant art form popular worldwide.

This instructable will attempt to provide the basic design principles, resources for obtaining the necessary tools, and some of the traditional rules of making a beautiful and delicious bento.

Step 1: Know the rules (then break them!)

Like many other Japanese arts bento making has its own set of guidelines. Traditional bentos follow a couple of basic rules.

The 4-3-2-1 rule: 4 parts rice, 3 parts protein, 2 parts vegetable, and 1 part "treat" (Usually either pickled vegetables or something sweet.)

Sushi should be prepared with more wasabi than usual.

Pack foods with flavors that might run or stick together with a divider. Separate wet foods from dry using a nested or altogether separate container such as a cupcake form. Sauces and dressings go in their own bottles (usually with a lid or cap).

Oily foods (like gyoza) should be packaged on top of an absorbent material.

Bentos should not require refrigeration or heating.

Above all else your bento should be equally as nice to look at as nice to eat! (Note that this is the only rule that is not optional! :)

Comments

[noahh]

Here's my bento. I made some really ugly salmon onigiri, hardboiled some eggs, and put in some snap peas. I didn't have a cupcake form, so I cut up a coffee filter.

[susanchen2011]

Wow. Cool.

[susanchen2011]

good idea.

[mary candy]

i'm totally in love

[AliciaLuvsGummyBear]

KAWAII!!!! Me WANNA FOR MI BRUNCH TOO!

[cheeserdane]

In the last photo what is that round thing on your knife? And i love the idea of tempura'd stuff in sushi, I must try it.

[dominator24]

Awesome instructable! I had never heard of bentos before, but now I totally want to try making one!

[FireBud9]

ive always wanted to do that. definantly putting a bento box on my christmas list. :)

[FireBud9]

also, you can get a dumpling mold/press at some grocery stores. it makes the gyoza come out with folded edges like in the picture.

[Eruaphadriel]

where can u get the bento boxes?? thx :)

[FireBud9]

ebay, online stores, specialty food stores, etc.

[wizgirl]

Or, make one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bento-Lunch-Box/

[superMacaroni]

JBOX or J-LIST.

[KeannaRoar]

http://www.happyjapan.com They also carry a lot of bento supplies too, like cutters, molds, and shapers. :)

[JohnJY]

Tupperware.

[Johenix]

Does anyone know where I might buy ALUMINUM Bento Boxes? I remember seeing them in a camping catalog of a company that might have closed. They would be useful for small parts and survival kits.

[evindrews]

survival bento :D

[KeannaRoar]

You might try Ebay for a Mr. Bento. They tend to be metal and very roomy.

[superMacaroni]

Do you have a replacement for cheese? I'm lactose intolerant. D:

[superMacaroni]

Nevermind.

That ginger looks A LOT like cheese.

[KeannaRoar]

Just as a little note- when the author says "Sushi should be made with a little more wasabi than usual", it's not for taste- wasabi actually helps prevent the growth of bacteria, as does a few other pickled vegetables. :)

[zafiros]

Lol, I got this sushi kit thingee, and it makes sushi making, like. 5 times faster.
CON, it only makes squares, rectangles, triangles, hearts, and a huge circle. But no bento sized circle... :(

[thepelton]

Circles can be cut with other things other than cookie cutters or sushi kit thingees. Try small juice cans.

[DIYDragon]

I'm very curious about 'naturally purple potatoes' in the last picture of the intro step. Perhaps I'm the only one, but I've never seen such things before. Where does one purchase these, and is that their actual name? xD Thanks for the short Onigiri tutorial - I think I will definitely make some of these with some nice seafood filling. Should be delicious. : )

[thepelton]

They are available in the grocery stores and farmer's markets, though not on a regular basis like normal whiteflesh potatoes. I just came from a farmer's market today 9 July, where there were purple potatoes. The only reason I didn't buy any was that I didn't have much money. They are a dull purple on the outside, and bright purple (Like cabbage) inside. When cooked, they retain their purple color, though not as brilliant.

[thepelton]

I am not really sure how to do this, but I am going to try and post a picture I took earlier today of a purple potato.

[Muslimama]

I have these growing in my garden! I am excited. I havent tried them before. Do they taste the same as normal potatoes?

[thepelton]

Like I said before, they taste just about the same as normal white potatoes. The only problem with them is that they tend to be a little on the small side, and therefore more prone to exploding if overcooked. Bunching several together, and wrapping the collection in tinfoil will discourage them from popping like popcorn. Just remember, they are related to the nightshade family just like tomatoes are, so just the tubers are edible.

[thepelton]

The one on the left is about five inches (12.7cm) long. They tend to be a little on the small side, and because of that, can explode if overbaked without tinfoil. Otherwise, they do tend to taste just about the same as a normal whiteflesh potato.

[thepelton]

It turns out they are high in Antioxidants.
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2006/05/purple-potato-boasts-high-anthocyanin-levels.aspx

[thepelton]

Here is some more pictures of purple potatoes, including one taken just after removing them from the oven. The purple is not as intense as it is in the raw potato, but you can still see it.

[Muslimama]

Very lovely! Made me super hungry lol!

[vicky_bandover]

This insctucatble in increadible!! ^_^ oh and I wanted to know if there is any thing that would go perfectly with a tofu filling for an onigiri?

[dylancaiello]

Incredible instructable! I've visited Narita three times before, beautiful place. I was inspired by many things in Japan, as well, and am glad to see someone bringing the bento box to us in such authentic fashion. Way to go!

[lunarman52]

ive always seen these on anime, they look really delicious.

[SkiTzCoRe]

Lol... that's where I've always seen'em, but I never thought of making one until now... and yeah, they DO always look delicious. :)

[zascecs]

 A lot better than a simple, boring sandwich..

[zafiros]

Design tip for onigiri: If you're having more than one onigiri in your bento box, put some furikake on one of them, leave the other one blank. COLORFUL!!! :3

[marc00703]

Nice 'tables... but step 6  (Stuff to put in your bento) is not called "sushi" but "maki", sushi is only rice with the fish (or whatever you wan't to put on it) with no seewead.

[jacksteal4]

That looks really yummy =].

[dkfa]

How long would it take to make one if it was your first one? These look really fun to make!

[lorrwill]

I think I love you. You are my bento hero. Your talent is out of this world. The explanation of the sushi roll alone just blows my mind. You posted a seriously outstanding instructable, here. THANK YOU! Domo arigato!

[Eruaphadriel]

oh and also wer can u get the mini cupcake things

[clamoring]

I sell both in my Etsy shop!

clamoring.etsy.com

[Goodhart]

Quite well done ! I am thoroughly impressed. I have only recently started to become even more adventurous with foods than I normally was (which was almost non-exclusive already) and tried Sushi and then ventured further with a meal of Sashimi and found myself in gastronomical heaven :-) I have a question about two mentioned ingredients in your ible: The first - Tonkatsu: is that very high in sodium content (I have high blood pressure and need to avoid sodium salts)? More than say, 150 mg per serving size would be high. The second, same question, but for the Furikake.

[clamoring]

Just glancing at some furikake I just purchased the sodium content is listed at 180mg. However, making your own would be super easy. I've never actually done it but I'd imagine you could toss some nori into a food processor and then add whatever spices you like. The ingredients on the one I have are: sesame seed, salt, sugar, and seaweed. Besides the seaweed you could add things like dried onion flakes, taco seasoning, dill, basil, whatever. Tonkatsu sodium content is around 370mg. :/

[thepelton]

Mustard greens eaten fresh have a slightly spicy taste, and are once again, high in antioxidants, and low in stuff that a diabetic shouldn't have.

[Goodhart]

Thanks much.

[Javin007]

Oh, and your mini sauce bottles: Much want. Where did you find those?

[Eject]

Find a place that sells sushi, they usually give you a little bottle of soy.

[Javin007]

Ahh, our local sushi joint has their soy in glass bottles, and the delivery places around here have it in plastic pouches. :(

[clamoring]

I offer bento supplies in my Etsy store, Try This!

[Javin007]

Woot! Thanks!

[Javin007]

So... Hungry... Now... Will definitely be making my better half some Onigiri tonight. 5 stars!

[thepelton]

Oops. I didn't realize that the pictures would go off the right side and under the adverts when I made that last addition. What I was trying to say was that I baked two purple potatoes and photographed them just after I took them out of the oven. No artificial coloring was used.

[clamoring]

The feedback to this instructable has been wonderful. Thank you to a lively community full of creative ideas!

In response to the many questions I receive regarding where to buy specific items I have added a few bento kits to my etsy store, Try This. Go forth and spread bento happiness!

[dunnos]

that rice ball looked delicious! please give me a name so i can google it! or just instructions! nice ible

[dunnos]

step 4 pic 1

[clamoring]

That is called onigiri. Instructions are on the page, actually. :) Enjoy!

[dunnos]

then what is the duct tape thingy in the same picture? =]

[clamoring]

That is a nori covered onigiri.

[dunnos]

A lot of googling later...

I convinced my mom that we HAD to make some onigiri! I would like to make it just like on pokemon (yes, I used to love that show) where a little bit of nori is in a strip on the bottom of the onigiri.
...
...
...
Problem: where the heck do i get nori?
i really look forward to making this =]

[dunnos]

Update:
just made nigiri, going to eat it as a side dish because i don't know when else to eat it.

Thanks for all the info =]

[clamoring]

Awesome! How did it come out? Take pictures next time!

[kashmirkat]

Just thought I'd pop on and let you know that, thanks to your instructable, My daughter has now been packing her bento for over a year and a half and I have been packing them for my hubby for nearly a year. I've even gotten a few friends into it and we will be doing our second workshop at AnimeNext in a couple weeks :) All because I came across this instructable one day :D

I've been posting my bento on my livejournal page and on the bento lunches community, but have recently decided to start blogging a little too instead of just posting the pic and what's in it each day - http://kashmirkat.livejournal.com/

Thanks again for the instructable!

[clamoring]

omg your bentos are amazing! I'm so flattered you guys were inspired to DIY! Doing workshops at Anime cons is FABULOUS!!! Yay to you for spreading the love! Excellent work!

[thepelton]

If you are into decoration, the Carambola fruit, also called star fruit for obvious reasons, has five lobes, and will slice crossways into a star shape that would be a nice garnish.

[clamoring]

lovely idea!

[terranchild]

I had vaguely heard of these but never seen one. How cool! I am going to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration!

[McGreenish]

That craft punch idea for nori is brilliant! These look so cute and tasty.

[bg_askins]

i moved to hawaii and found that these are the best hangover food on the planet. great job spreading the word!

[cherry_win]

{as nice to look at as nice to eat! } this is very necessary!

[bowmaster]

I have not noticed any differences since the pro change.

[robotguy4]

ixnay on the acklay ofway opray angeschay!

[bowmaster]

The instructable is fixed now!!!!

[{tauney}]

I make some absolutely delicious non-traditional gyoza with finely chopped mango, carrot, green onion, ginger, and a bit of garlic. Shrimp is good in them too, but that's a new addition since I gave up full vegetarianism. Nyum nyum!

[phaeness]

On one of the smaller thumbnails on the first step, you have a really lovely bento box with a yellow top with small flowers on - can I just ask where you got that, or where I could get one similar? Thanks :) Very cute instructable.

[rattyrain]

Why the sausage? But great instructions...and instructable...

[clamoring]

They're "links"... :)

[rattyrain]

Oh. For a second there, I thought you were talking about internet links. Although technically they are internet links. Haha.

[Goodhart]

both, it is called illustrated pun LOL

[Kagetsuki]

While lacking in authenticity of the ingredients this is an excellent take on bentou with American ingredients.

Here in japan we have bentou shops such as Bentou-Man: http://www.bentoman.co.jp/memu/index.html . But the mothers will usually make something quite different for their children. My wife just said she'd be into making an instructable to accompany this one with traditional combinations. I saw a comment here too about onigiri, which I suppose I'll have her do a guide on as well. I'll put a link here when it's done.

I'm happy to see my culture spreading. As someone who may one day be living in America I was slightly worried that my children may be looked at weird when they pulled out a bentou and everyone around them had a brown paper bag with penutbutter and jelly sandwiches. It makes me happy people are writing guides like this and increasing familiarity with what I'm used too. Great work!

[Goodhart]

I am lucky to have a local restaurant with an authentic Itamae making Sushi, Sashimi, and Bentou lunches. I have only recently tried Sushi and Sashimi and have fallen in love with it (I am so glad I found something that seems truly unAmeracanized or authentic in the foreign foods). I have become adventurous in my old age LOL

[gorgeouskid]

i doubt you have anything to worry about. one of the biggest hits amongst kids are lunchables, which are crappy american bento that you buy in the grocery store. kids love attractive food in interesting textures and tastes. my son goes to a school with many japanese kids and they are known for having the BEST lunches. i pack a laptop lunchbox for my son and he loves the attention he gets with it. it's healthy and fun. my mom is buying him a "real" obento box in san francisco's japantown. it will be fun to fill with onigiri and other yummy treats. it will be a kick to see the strawberry blond boy with the bento box- i'm sure the japanese kids will stare...

[lawizeg]

i love em! im gonna make my own kind though now.

[lawizeg]

my own little twist.

[clamoring]

Thanks so much for your kind words. While I would love to use more authentic Japanese ingredients in my bentos it would be difficult and expensive to do that with much success. I am happy to present an American version and wrote this instructable to show others how easy it is to make a lunch nicer (and healthier) than a jelly sandwich.

I hope very much your wife makes instructables on bentos and onigiri. Onigiri is especially something I would *love* to learn more about. I am sure there is a much richer thought process than filling/rice. Thank you for the link as well. I will add it also to the links section.

[Kagetsuki]

And I think you did a very good job with what is available. I've lived in America for a bit and found the selection of authentic ingredients depressingly lacking. I once spent something like $20 for a special order of yamaimo (a rather special type of potato) when I could have gotten twice the amount of yamaimo for about 300Y (like $3) in japan. I hear in California, Oregon, and Washington there are places with abundant Japanese and thusly Japanese supermarkets, but I've never been there so I can't vouch for this. As for onigiri, the secret is in how you pack the rice. In general the idea isn't actually to smoosh it up but to apply pressure with the palms (not the fingers) and slowly pack it as to not break the grains of rice. A quick cheat is to scoop your rice out onto saran wrap, let it cool a bit, then ball it up within the saran wrap. Also, some ingredients are harder to ball up inside the onigiri, so simply packing the rice up into a triangle, then pressing the middle of one side with your thumb to make space, put in the filling, then cover with nori. We'll try and make a guide some time next week, but at the moment we are away from our home visiting relatives. We'll have some pictures and a proper step by step explanation then.

[grifman]

nice, and inspirational... thanks

[nathan42100]

I've always wondered what age that tempura those extra flakes... I'm guessing that you could go batter->breadcrumbs->batter->fryer I guess you could also make some tempura with nothing else for some flakes and use that instead of breadcrumbs

[GriffN]

Great ideas. I'm visiting my brother in Japan for a couple months, and I think cooking often will be a good way to not outstay my welcome. Not sure I'd make him a cute bento (lol) but this was very informative.

[Nettiemac]

Thank you for this lovely clear 'ible. I learned to make sushi last year, and it is fun - the kids love making it too. (when I ran out of nori, I used lettuce and this worked well too, and my Japanese friend congratulated me on using the lettuce - she reckons that sushi is like most foods and you adapt it to what you have on hand). I want to eat healthier, and now I have an idea of how to make a Bento, you can bet I am going to be making this for myself and maybe the kids will enjoy it too. (Hubby too, if I can get him excited about it.)

[zzoe]

Yummy, arty, veggie... wow (5* & favorite). Good work!

[austinburke.]

amazing (:

[ILikeDragons]

Wow, this sure is packed with information! My bentos always end up so boring and ugly. I am definitely going to try out some of the things mentioned here. (:

[TheMoonMaster]

How do you manage to keep everything( especially sushi ) fresh with refrigeration? Also, how big is an average bento box? Like a pencil box a kid would take to school?

[clamoring]

You have several options here. Typically I make my bentos the night prior and keep them in the refrigerator overnight. Ideally, you'd make them in the morning though. I use ice packs in the lunch bag, being sure to put them closer to things that need to stay cold.

Lunch in a box has some awesome safety techniques.

A typical bento box will range between 300ml (children) to about 900ml (adult men). I think a typical pencil box would be a bit small but a good rule of thumb is the bento box should fit inside a typical lunch box.

[Gessekai]

There's a lot of lovely Livejournal communities devoted to bento boxes that would make good reference sites too:

http://community.livejournal.com/bentolunch/
http://community.livejournal.com/bento_recipe/
http://community.livejournal.com/bentoaddicts/

There's more but if I posted all of those links, it would be too many.

[afterZtheZsnow]

You make this seem so easy! ...maybe I'll try it, though...I don't know how I'll get a bento box. Oh well. I can substitute that with some other lunch box or something, right?

[Aleksandr Skotbot]

1. I love packing bento box lunches! My boyfriend made fun of me for so long after I watched a million episodes of Bento TV one day. 2. Was the bento restaurant you mentioned in the comments Best of Bento on the ave? I wish there was a restaurant that would make tofu dinosaurs like I do, hehe.

[hamares]

its nice these havent been copied for fast food in the u.s. but i wish they were sold somewhere cause im too lazy to make one, LOL! GREAT INSTRUCTABLE btw

[clamoring]

I totally agree. You can usually find bentos in Japanese restaurants here. And I just saw a bento restauraunt pop up in Seattle not too long ago. Maybe they're catching on!

[mangadragon]

It may be just me, but your two points in that comment seem to collide with each other.

[clamoring]

That's because he changed almost all of the instructable after the first comment.

[mangadragon]

Beautiful instructable! I will really have to try this out sometime!

[Miss World]

fantastic article.. thank you so much! :)

[kashmirkat]

Since finding your instructable in the Fall of last year, my daughter has really gotten into it and packs her bento lunch nearly every day (I started her off with some supplies for Christmas). In a couple weeks we're doing a basic Bento 101 presentation/workshop at an anime convention. This is on the list of web sites we plan to give them for reference :) I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it - planning to make boiled eggs and using egg molds, the octodogs with hot dogs, onigiri, edamame and some sort of fruit and treat. Any ideas on simple things we can do for it? We're limiting to 30 people and charging $5, but by the time I'm done, I will have spent probably $10 per person between the food and the bento boxes - lol Any suggestions would be great :)

[stimps]

I'm probably too late here, but apple rabbits always make me happy. =)

[clamoring]

Awwww. How flattering! I did a bento demo at Maker Faire last year. Sushi is really easy, fun, and cheap for a demo. People get a kick out of simply rolling their own sushi. You could do kappa-maki (cuumber rolls) to keep the cost down. I do recommend hands-on activities.

Eggs & dogs are pricier, of course. If you want to use the egg mold you could stuff it with rice then use craft stamps on the nori to decorate the forms.

Apple rabbits are also fast, inexpensive, and hands-on. Lunch in a Box has an excellent tutorial here.

Good luck to you and your daughter on the workshop! Please do post pictures when you're finished!

[stimps]

Maybe it's ponzu sauce? It's sort of sweet vinegary and just all around yummy. It's sort of the default sauce for everything, except for The Sauce, which no one seems to want to discuss, but it goes on things like okonomiyaki. I live right next to a japanese ingredient store, where it's easy to find all this stuff. See if you can buy some of the ingredients near you, or mail order.

[RaynoGernsback]

When making Sushi, make sure you DO add vinegar. Sushi literally means vinegared rice, and the dish originated as a means to preserve fish- fish would be buried in a case of rice and left for months to dry out. The rice turned PUTRID and was discarded. This was because bacteria LOVE the stachy, warm environment of cooked rice. Vinegar was added to speed up the preserving process (the fish soucl be eaten immediately) and it gave useable rice. We all know that, if you're reheating rice, it has the be piping hot in the middle- this is because bacterial nasties need to be killed off. Vinegar is acidic, making the conditions unfavorable for many common pathogenic bacteria (E.Coli, Salmonella, S. Aureus). Unless you want to risk illness, go for authenticity!

[Yerboogieman]

those purple potatoes are good, but they taste the same as regular potatoes which is pretty kool. also i found a typo, aluminum foil instead of tin foil.

[jessyratfink]

I just read this over again and I am going to try it. I bought a small 2-tier tiffin box to use and I'm going to see how it'll work. :) I'm sick of eating crap for lunch! Well, not crap, really. But I rarely get excited about my lunch!

[lizadeath]

oh man! thanks so much for this instructible. i just stumbled on it, but now I have a new obsession and my whole weekend will be spent making bento!

[tamsin]

brilliant! thank you!!! can't wait to get started. i'm on my way to the oriental market right now! hope they have a bento box i can buy, so i don't have to wait to get one on ebay!

[schimmi]

i hate this instructable it makes me hungry for some really good sushi i had a while back.

[shadow12952]

where can i buy the everything?/ expecialy the little sauce containers? message me thx

[kashmirkat]

I have bought stuff from JBox.com and Ebay mostly - lunchinabox.net just added a google app with a locator to find stores near you carrying bento supplies :) Check that out to see if there are any retail stores close enough to you :)

[doobuzz]

This is a great instructable! One question, how well do bentos travel? Are they packed in tightly enough to survive being tossed around in a school bag a few times?

[clamoring]

Fantastic question! If you're packing for a young one I suggest you check out the two links below. They are bento blogs by Moms. They both have loads of kid-friendly school bag-resistant bento ideas.

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
http://lunchinabox.net/

[laminterious]

Question... How are these not needing refrigeration? Rice and cooked eggs both need to be refrigerated properly, as do many of the other things, such as the raw fish and whatnot. Thats what keeps me from making my own...

[clamoring]

Traditionally there was no refrigeration. The rice has vinegar in it and this is a primary reason. Before refrigeration fish was kept in fermenting rice to keep it from spoiling. The fermentation process has all but faded from history but the vinegar is a holdover from those times. Bentos are supposed to be made fresh and eaten within a few hours. Just a note, but the bentos depicted here do not contain fish and since this was written I have stopped using egg, but lots of people use both. That is not to say that you can leave them out in the sun, for example.

[brettbarth]

I love this instructable. I was inspired by the fruit monster to make my own ^.. One question, though. Do you know where I could buy bento boxes and the supplies (ex. sauce bottles), in a store? The old asian supermaket by my store closed down last year, and now that I'm into bento boxes, I'm sadly recalling all of the cheap items they supplied there, and I'm stuck. Any suggestions would help!

[olivier94austin]

you can get small little sauce bottles at a website named jbox dot com :) love japanese food its always so neat!

[KissMiss]

i bought mine on ebay, as i have no stores anywhere near me, might be worth a try for you?

[Goodhart]

Hi, sorry this question comes so late, but I was wondering what search criteria you used on eBay, since I can't seem to find the bottles you speak of.

[kitsuken]

Wow. I only just ate and I'm *still* getting hungry looking at these. I'm going to pick up some lunch boxes and try making one over the weekend.

[jnewton116]

I love taking Japanese foods and "Western-izing" them a bit. Last month my husband and I had BLT onigiri. We stuffed chopped (cooked) bacon and tomatoes into the rice and wrapped it with a lettuce leaf instead of nori. It was fabulous! It's another possibility if you don't particularly like fish (as some people don't). Also, pretty much anything you'd put on a sandwich can be scaled down and stuffed inside a rice ball for a cool lunch alternative. Fantastic Instructable, by the way.

[Zany Crazy Water Monkey]

oh the monster bento looks so cute and nutritional im going to try and make it ^_

[H4T]

This is pretty much the best instructable I've seen, thanks a lot for posting! In the Tempura section, you say that you need to have tempura mix. However, in the step-by-step, you say you only need 1 egg, 1 cup of ice water and 1 cup of all-purpose flour; no tempura mix? Just wondering if the tempura mix is absolutely crucial or not terribly important, its hard to come by where I live.

[solo.card]

Well thanks for this insightful instructable! After seeing Bento boxes in numerous places online, I think it's time I dabbled my hand at it. I did have a question for you though; How long will the bits you made keep for? For example, would you need to make the rice / gyoza / sushi fresh everyday, or could you have a stock pile and cook / prepare as needed. I would assume the gyoza (uncooked) and rice could be happily stuck in the fridge until needed. Thanks,

[H4T]

I read a tip somewhere that you can indeed freeze your onigiri / rice, just be careful when you heat it up. Just putting it in the fridge (not freezer) is probably a better idea, it takes about 15-20 seconds to soften up the rice again.

[clamoring]

I suppose you could freeze gyoza. Rice tends to harden if placed in the fridge. Many times I prepare my bento the previous night (I hate waking up early!) and leave it on the counter. I think it would really depend on what you are making. I wouldn't leave fish out overnight, for example. Good luck! Post pictures!

[kashmirkat]

My daughter freezes onigiri using our foodsaver (freezing them individually - and then just lets it thaw in her box - she says they are better than refrigerated as the slow thaw tends to leave them moister (she also packs her bento the night before and it is refrigerated until morning and takes it to school for lunch)

[chuCraft]

I've tried making many of the foods in this instructable and they've all turned out great! Everything is surprisingly fast to make once the rice is cooked, and the cook time of the rice is a great time to prep other things.

[Robyntheslug]

Hi there, As a fellow bento enthusiast: Wasabi (in its true form anyway) is an excellent antibacterial agent. As bento lunches are not often refrigerated after leaving home it is important to use foods that do not spoil, or to protect food by adding ingredients with antibacterial properties. Wasabi does this, as do garlic, salt, vinegar and Shiso (a japanese basil-like herb) among others. -Robyn

[clamoring]

Yay! I knew about vinegar already. I didn't know about wasabi although it makes perfect sense. Even imitation wasabi is horseradish so I imagine it would have a similar if milder effect. Thanks so much!

[Shifrin]

Wow, these look really great! I'm making Sushi tommarow Maybe I'll give it a try!

[burton6054]

this made me hungry: ] very good instructable

[jessyratfink]

These are beautiful! I really wish I had the extra time to make something like this for my lunches. :D

[hydrnium.h2]

I've always wanted to make one of these, they look so delicious and interesting to look at too!!! I'm salivating right now.

[maven]

Bento is becoming quite the fad in the US.
Check out http://community.livejournal.com/bentolunch/ for daily bento ideas

[DeimosOne]

This is a very good Instructable, I thoroughly enjoyed learning from it. When I get the time, and money, I will undoubtedly be making a few bentos for my friends and family.

[bobulator]

Oh no! I started drooling and I wrecked my keyboard!

[Spam Tomato Spam]

Wow, this looks fun! This is gonna be my new Reason To Get Up Early On Schooldays!

[suggsugg]

I wish I wasn't so lazy, cuz then I would make these for every meal, good instructable

[clamoring]

Well you have to eat... every day, right? Start by arranging leftovers into a lunch for the next day!

[suggsugg]

i'll try

[armyofmeisbliss]

i wish we could download these instructables on .pdf. damn. great work, btw.

[BrookeLunnBourne]

I love california rolls, but, yes, they can be expensive so I don't get them often. Read somewhere recently about rice cookers and began to think about actually purchasing one and learning to make my own sushi. I like the way you used red pepper in Step 1's bento box as a space filler, and how it also draws everything together colorwise. Thanks -- this is definitely an inspirational instructive.

[craftykitty]

Just cook away, don't fret about whether your o-bento is 'traditional' or not, as a tour through bento blogs reveals that Japanese kids aren't eating 'traditional' japanese foods either -- they're enjoying fried chicken, little hot dogs, potato salad, bologna, spaghetti...just be lavish with the fresh fruits and veggies. Obento tradition says to pack lots different foods in different colors, representing the full array of nutrition. The traditional slab of rice with shoyu-soaked pork or chicken (yum!) is the worst, healthwise! Get creative with your local food and enjoy this fun candybox approach to dining!

[destructopop]

An excellent addition to an excellent instructable. Thanks to both clamoring AND craftykitty! I used to live literally next door to an asian grocery store, but it has since been bought out and shut down in favor of another type of store. Another idea: That's a gI was thinking that since the 4-rice ratio part was probably based on starch on the old food pyramid, why not substitute with bread or crackers? That seems like a good way to utilize local food for a less traditional bento box.

[absentminded]

Wow you really know your Japanese culinary art. Arigato very much for this wonderful instructable !!! Major props!!

[funwithfire325]

this is a realy great instructable your also a very good mom. (:

[clamoring]

iieee! I don't have kids! :P

[funwithfire325]

lol

[AboveGroundPool]

I'm simply astonished here. Mind blowing. Wow.

[damasta]

i'd like to make bento's after seeing this, but the only problem they don't sell anything needed for this in holland (except for wasabi)

[mleen]

hey!
first of all, wonderful instructable, like it a lot. looking forward to see some onigiri instructable!

@damasta, I don't know where in Holland you live, but I live in holland as well and i have no trouble finding stuff. nori/tofu/edamame/sushi rice/rice vinegar/mirin/miso etc etc etc can all be found at wah nam hong chinese/asian supermarket in rotterdam at the kruiskade. They have a store in Amsterdam as well but the one in rotterdam is nicer as it is larger. Don't bother with the Japanese store in Amsterdam, as much as i love japanese stuff, they are waaay overpriced. Most of it you can get at your local albert heijn even! As for ricecookers, you can shop at mediamarkt but i recommend the same asian supermarket, i got mine there for 30 euro's instead of the 50 they asked at mediamarkt. You know how dutch people love their asian stuff, indonesian mostly, so must middle and larger cities and towns have small grocery stores, toko's. I like to get my stuff at a small toko in Leiden. It has everything i need for making bento.

One exception is the bento itself. I was lucky enough to find a cute pink one in Wah Kiu chinese bookshop in Rotterdam (under the Doelen), but i know for fact that they are hard to come by. It might be interesting for you to shop around on ebay and buy a bento along with supplies like molds and stuff. my favourite ebay seller is tokyo_gift.

And another tip --> hema has several goodstuff, ranging from cute cookies and candies to fill up spaces to papercupcake holders (now in sale for 2.95 ;p) and 1 l simple lunch/storage boxes in pink white and blue, oh and cookie-cutters for vegetable cutters and even make onigiri . Also you could try xenos for some of those cute little (otherwise seeming useless :P) cups and bottles and stuff like that.

Hihihi, well, it's a bit much, but I hope i've helped you a bit to get started!
Do the bento! :P
succes :)

[damasta]

i have to drive atleast 50 kilometers to get to the nearest asian market, 20 kilometres to get to the nearest Albert Heyn if not more, i'm from volendam (white powder city), am just 16 (no car for me) so it will be difficult but i'll try

[clamoring]

damasta - There is no reason you can't use local foods! Freshness is a huge ingredient of a good bento. I'm not familiar with food in Holland but you could certaily apply the 4-3-2-1 rule as well as the basic principles of design. Best of luck and if you end up making some please post pics to the flickr groups listed in the links section. I'd love to see international bentos!

[The Fallen Bumble Bee]

Bentos are Awesome!! They taste great too!! Excellent instructable!

[mizzkitti]

yep, cook the rice! everything should be cooked, except veggies u want raw, unless youve got shashimi which probably isnt room-temperature (lunchbox) friendly anyways. Theres an fantastic bento site called Lunchinabox http://www.luncinabox.net full of great recipes and ideas.

[Kagetsuki]

Just to clarify: Shi is also the word for death, which is why many times companies will omit say "model #4" and skip from 3 to 5. But for normal counting nobody goes out of their way to say yon rather than shi. Perhaps in a very formal or ceremonial setting I suppose they may, but not in every day life. As for "Shinji - imasu", I'm afraid the verb you conjugated is "shinjiru", which means "to believe". The word you wanted was "shinu", which when you connect with another verb you conjugate as "shinnde", in this case into "shinndeimasu". As for "imasu", that's the polite form of "iru", which alone means "to exist" but when connected to the end of another conjugated verb means "to exist in a state", so to put shinu - to die, together with iru as in "shinndeiru" or "shinndeimasu" means simply "to be in a sate of death" or simplified again "to be dead". So you were a little off, but for recalling something you learned 30 years ago you were pretty close. As I understand it people were generally more polite and formal 30 years ago (before I was even born) so they may have in fact avoided saying shi over yon back then, but they don't now.

[Shiseiji]

P.S. Your English is much better then my Japanese was on my best day. Ron

[Shiseiji]

As I hit late middle age, I find I can only remember half of what I thought I knew, and I get about half of that wrong. What was popping in to my addled brain was "Shinnde desu." but I out thunk myself. I am moving (again) and had just packed my old language stuff and was too lazy to go check on the web. Serves me right. Thanks for the corrections. LOL, you didn't comment on "Shiseji". My ex loved the line in "French Kiss" and was really mad when I started using this as a pseudonym.

[susanclare]

I just joined Instructables recently (Etsy group - Cozee-Robe) - not only does this make me want to try Bento, it is an excellent example of how an instructable should be made! Very cool, thanks! Susan

[clamoring]

Thank you! I was inspired by my boyfriend's instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/E7U5HYMSVIEWP86SAL/

I <3 etsy!

[clamoring]

I didn't know that! Thanks for the interesting info!

[terrormachine]

Thank you for introducing me to my new hobby!

[naturaldesignchick]

We adore making bento for lunch. The kids always have "the best lunches Mom!" The time involved in making this amazing instructable - Wow! Truly one of the best on the site.

[CatMan]

so glad you shared this with us. bento is an artform alright. i've been doing it for some time without calling it bento. it was just my way of showing people how i love them. then i saw bento boxes on tv, and liked them. but only now, after reading your instructable, i understand what it's about, you helped define it for me. thanks.

[Flea]

I'm soooooo hungry now!

[schneelocke]

Awesome, thanks a bunch for this! :)

[waltlindsay]

Oh my gosh, I can't wait to troll eBay and look for a cute bento! This was an awesome instructable, and it's a much better way to have lunch. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

[JakeTobak]

Wow, this is an incredible Instructable.
Sorry, that was kind of a lame pun :P

[Mitten]

BUH DUM PSSHHHH~