I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Reviews
Here you’ll find links to short reviews I’ve written, including ready-made food items, lunch packing gear, books and stores. I have no commercial affiliations with the companies that make these products, and do not accept payment for reviews. Reviews are written solely at my discretion, and I usually purchase the items out of my own pocket. Additional information on lunch gear can be found in the Gear section of the Lunch in a Box community forum.
Review policy: If you represent a company with a relevant product that you think is a good fit for Lunch in a Box, you may e-mail me at lunchinabox (AT) gmail (DOT) com to have it considered for review. Accepting a product does not guarantee a review, and coverage may or may not be positive. Reviews of any received products will disclose the source of the item, and products valued at over US$40 will be returned to the manufacturer or donated. Editorial reviews are separate and distinct from advertising on Lunch in a Box.
FOOD PRODUCTS:
- Aidell’s portobella mushroom and onion chicken burgers
- Aidell’s teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs
- Akebono Nichiro frozen fish fillets
- Assi “Cooked Vegetable Dumplings” rectangular Korean mandu
- Batter Blaster spray can batter for pancakes and waffles
- Bush’s Grillin’ Beans
- Del Real Foods’ tamales
- Handy brand mini crab cake appetizers
- Jeremiah’s Fine Foods mini scallop and shrimp cakes
- Marie Callender’s instant cornbread mix
- Marmite yeast extract spread (regular, Guinness and Champagne versions)
- McCain’s Potato Smiles
- Nancy’s Petite Quiches
- Pacific Natural Foods Organic’s Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
- Puff Pastry Petites by Cuisine Adventures
- Spanakopita from Costco
- Wei Chuan pork & leek Shandong dumplings
BOOKS:
- All food books in my kitchen
- “Face Food” decorative kyara-ben bento book
- “Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook”
- “Kawaii Bento Boxes” (NEW)
- “Kitchen Playdates: Easy Ideas for Entertaining That Include the Kids”
- “Moghul Microwave”
- “The Manga Cookbook”
- Japanese-language bento books: Children’s bento cookbooks
- Japanese-language books: Speed bento and freezing books
STORES:
- Ichiban Kan: online store review and a list of their products of interest for the bento-maker
- Sanko store in San Francisco’s Japantown
- My favorite ethnic markets in San Francisco
- San Francisco Bay Area shopping guide for bento gear
EQUIPMENT, SPECIFIC BRANDS: (additional products listed below and on the Top Tips page)
- Ciao! decorative aluminum foil from Daiso
- Daiso plate/bowl covers and stands for double-decker microwaving
- Daiso rice containers for freezing
- Daiso silicone shaped food cups
- “Don Don Lunch Box”, a donburi bento box by Hakoya
- DynoBytes’ dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter
- Fit & Fresh salad shaker
- Fit & Fresh soup & salad container
- Glad Press’n Seal creates a lid on sub-containers
- Glasslock tempered glass bento boxes by Wellbeing vs. SnapWare
- Hamilton Beach electric kettle
- Krups FBC512 convection toaster oven
- Mam’s Assist “rice cuber”
- Nissan Thermos Thermal Lunch Tote (JLN1200X)
- Rubbermaid flexible ice blanket
- Sanrio collapsible sandwich case
- Thermos Nissan 300ml thermal food jar
- Tovolo ice cream sandwich molds from Williams Sonoma (to mold eggs, rice)
- Whim by Cynthia Rowley lunch containers
- Zojirushi Mr. Bento thermal lunch jar (SL-JAE14)
- 350ml two-tier teddy bear bento box for food art
EQUIPMENT, GENERAL (not necessarily brand-specific):
- Guide: How to care for your bento gear
- Antibacterial food cups & dividers
- Baskets for freezer and refrigerator organization
- Collapsible sandwich case
- Combination bento box and collapsible sandwich case
- Convection toaster oven
- Cookie cutters: Graduated size sets for decorating
- Cookie cutters can act as rice ball molds
- Customize bento box decorations
- Decorative aluminum foil
- Disney Cars bento box & lunch bag
- Donburi bento box
- Egg mold substitute: ice cream sandwich molds
- Egg slicer (for fruits and vegetables)
- Electric kettle vs. stovetop kettles: A Race
- Extra-thick aluminum food cups for cooking
- Fish grill (stovetop)
- Flowerpot smoker (making an insulated smoker out of flower pots, a la Alton Brown)
- Food cups for fried food (absorbs oil)
- Food jar
- Food picks to make vegetables into balloons, umbrellas, rings, flowers, etc.
- Fit & Fresh: Salad container, and soup/salad container
- Flexible ice blanket: cut to make mini ice packs
- Glass bento boxes and microwaving
- Ladles act as tiny pots to fry quail eggs or boil vegetables
- Metal bento boxes
- Metal bento boxes (how-to and cooking)
- Microwave mini steamer
- Microwave plate/bowl covers and stands for double-decker heating
- Mini cooling rack
- Mini frying pan
- Mini pot for deep frying
- Mini strainer and bowl for draining/cooling
- “My Hashi” personal travel chopsticks
- Nesting and stacking bento box set (Thomas the Tank Engine)
- Oshibori wet hand towels (make your own from common items)
- Pastry bag tips as cutters
- Plastic wrap in different colors
- Plastic wrap for microwaving and high heat
- Rice cooker doubles as steamer
- “Rice cuber” square onigiri mold
- Silicone baking cups
- Silicone food dividers
- Silicone shaped food cups
- Slicing multi-tool (mini-mandoline)
- Takoyaki makers (octopus balls)
- Thermal lunch jar shootout (Mr. Bento vs. Nissan Thermos vs. no-name knockoff)
- Weird Pokemon lunch bag cloth
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since 6/6/07
