avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese.
Archive for the 'review' Category
(Chronologically Listed)
USB bento warming bag
Here’s an ingenious specialized contraption from gadget-crazy, bento-friendly Japan. It’s a USB-powered bento warmer bag from Thanko Co. that plugs right into the USB port on your desktop computer and warms your bento lunch to 60 degrees C (140 deg. F). I could see this as being handy for people working in offices without a proper kitchen, or who use pack lunches in metal containers that can’t go into the microwave. It’s a little disappointing that it won’t work with laptop computers due to power requirements, though.
A Thanko staff member developed this when he wanted to heat up the bento lunches that his wife made him. The company already made a line of USB gadgets, so coming up with a USB-powered bento warmer was a natural solution.
- The bag opens wide to accommodate even large bento boxes.
- There are two heaters inside the bag, incorporated into the top and bottom.
- The webpage says it can heat up bento lunches bought in convenience stores as well as homemade bento lunches.
- Due to power requirements, this can only be used from a desktop computer, and not from laptop computers, AC chargers, or some USB hubs.
- Price in Japan: 1,980 yen (approx. US$21.50)
- Dimensions: 140 x 200 x 90mm (5.5″ x 7.9″ x 3.5″) (W x D x H)
- Handle: 170mm (6.7 inches)
- Weight: 175g (6.2 oz)
- USB cable length: 125cm (4 feet 1 inch) (Can you tell that I used to translate consumer electronics specifications as part of my job in Japan?) (Read on for information on availability.)
Published by Biggie on February 14th, 2009 tagged review | 18 Comments »
Make your own learning chopsticks
Teaching kids how to use chopsticks can be tricky. Bug has used a variety of different learning chopsticks that I picked up in local Asian markets, but this weekend I came across a cheap and ingenious workaround that uses regular disposable chopsticks, the paper chopstick wrapper, and a rubber band. A tip of the hat goes to Sushi to Dai For restaurant in San Rafael, CA, where I saw this trick (their omakase sushi special is, indeed, to die for).
To make these, pull apart disposable chopsticks or use regular reusable ones with rectangular ends that will stay securely together. Use a rubber band to tightly bind together the non-eating ends. Take a small strip of paper or half of the wrapper from the disposable chopsticks, and fold it up small. Wedge it in between the chopsticks up near the rubber band, and hand them to your child! Kids can just squeeze the chopsticks together to grab things, and the tips are aligned properly. (Read on for additional tricks for making these, reviews of Edison learning chopsticks and the Fun Chop chopstick learning gadget, and where to see me on TV this morning.)
Published by Biggie on November 24th, 2008 tagged for kids, glutenfree, parenthacks, review, rice, tips, tutorial or how to | 32 Comments »
Mini bagel sandwich bento lunches
Last week I discovered that whatever I write while taking painkillers makes very little sense. I tried writing and rewriting posts while recovering from some medical stuff, only to find that Vicodin makes me stupid, dizzy and sleepy. Anyway, all is well with me again — sorry about the unintended break! It’s time to get back to bento with mini bagel sandwiches, a compact way to pack a non-squishable sandwich in a bento box.
Contents of preschooler bento lunch: Mini bagel sandwich with cream cheese and spruce tip jelly from our trip to Alaska (reviewed below), an “octodog” (octopus-shaped hotdog, full tutorials here for boiling, and here for frying) with ketchup for dipping, boiled broccoli with vinaigrette, hard-boiled quail eggs, boiled carrots, strawberries, and grapes.
Morning prep time: 12 minutes, using already-boiled quail eggs from the fridge and the multi-boiling technique to cook multiple things at once. In the morning I made the bagel sandwich while the water quickly came to a boil in my electric kettle (see my earlier post on Kettle Races: Electric vs. stovetop). I poured the boiling water into a small saucepan and cooked the broccoli, carrots and octodog. (Read on for lunch details, a review of local Alaskan jellies, and additional mother/son lunches.)
Published by Biggie on tagged bento, eggs, fish or seafood, review, sandwich or wrap | 22 Comments »
Book Review of Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook
Bento lunch cookbooks can be challenging to put together. Should they focus more on standalone recipes or an arrangement of full lunches? Decorative food or speed? Bento lunch principles or practice? Japanese-language bento cookbooks are often highly visual, with color photos on each page that both stimulate and inspire the reader while informing them of how-to steps at a glance.
Up to now, I haven’t seen books in English that capture the spirit of a Japanese cookbook for children’s fun bento lunches, making Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook: Fun Lunches for Kids the first example to date. (Read on for the full book review.)
Published by Biggie on tagged bento, pasta or noodles, review, tips | 15 Comments »
Enchilada and Sloppy Joe bento lunches
I’m not one to spend a lot of time making decorative food art, but I’m not totally averse to giving my four-year-old son fun lunches. My speedy versions use playful accessories and visually interesting food instead of ornate food sculpture. The first lunch below is more of an exercise in accessories and shortcut cooking for dinner, while the second lunch is more interesting-looking food with a review of frozen potato Smiles.
Contents of preschooler bento lunch: Fast chicken mole enchiladas (loose recipe below) with a squeeze bottle of crema (sour cream), sauteed asparagus, nectarine slices, and cheese cubes.
Morning prep time: 10 minutes, using leftover enchiladas that I’d packed up the night before after dinner. In the morning I filled the condiment bottle with crema, sliced the nectarine and sauteed two stalks of asparagus. (Read on for the enchilada recipe, a review of shaped potato Smiles, lunch details, and an additional Sloppy Joe lunch.)
Published by Biggie on tagged bento, corn tortillas or masa, food jar, for kids, leftover remake, meat, poultry, recipe, review | 49 Comments »
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