Just Bento

The Guy Does Bento is back, with a bento featuring his favorite way of eating chicken. continue reading...

[While I’m still getting back up to speed, please enjoy this recipe for ‘instant’ pickled radishes, great in any bento or in a salad. Originally published in May 2009. It’s kind of funny to re-read this post and realize we were still waffling about buying a house in France or not. I guess we did, after all!]

While radishes are available year-round, spring seems to be the perfect time to enjoy their crisp, peppery crunchiness. They are also really pretty. I love them just as-is, perhaps with a little salt, or sliced up in salads, but I’ve also been playing around with various formulas to make instant pickles or ichiyazuke (一夜漬け, or ‘overnight pickles’) with them. Here’s one result that’s sweet, salty, sour and peppery - a great bento box side dish. continue reading...

Coming back soon… continue reading...

For anyone who has been wondering about the lack of new posts here, this over on Just Hungry should explain things. I'm really hoping to feel well enough to write with pleasure about food, let alone bentos, soon. In the meantime, especially if you are new to the site, please take a look through the archives - there's a lot here! Thank you for your patience.

An in-depth look into the newest all-stainless steel bento box from LunchBots. Includes a special discount offer for JustBento readers! continue reading...

A review of a sleek little bento box that actually heats up your food without a microwave. continue reading...

In case you don’t follow the sister site, Just Hungry, last week we got home from attending my father’s memorial service in New York to find out we had been burgled in our absence. Among other things, they took most of our ‘temporary’ kitchen equipment (we are still in the middle of renovations…) including the working hotplate, the microwave oven (which was also a convection oven…so handy), not to mention my food processor, KitchenAid mixer, even my stick blender. continue reading...

Yasai no nikumaki, or vegetables wrapped in thinly sliced meat, (niku means meat and maki means wrap or roll) is a colorful and delicious standby item for bentos in Japan. This recipe uses a typical American cut of beef, very thinly sliced sirloin or ‘cheesesteak beef’. continue reading...