Discount Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lunch Jar

As a parent, I am concerned over the quality of school lunches (and the cost!) these days. So I began researching a way to send a hot lunch to school with my kids. I came across the Zojirushi Mr. Bento and thought we'd give it a try because it had such good reviews. We have been using Mr. Bento for over a year now and my kids LOVE it! I feel good about sending a hot lunch to school with them, and I'm saving money too! My kids' friends are all jealous of the good food that my kids are eating, while they eat school lunch.

I've read some negative reviews about the product, but I agree with another reviewer who said that you need to understand how to use it. So, here are some hints on using your Bento:

When I am packing a hot lunch, I fill the bottom liquid-tight container with boiling water and always pre-heat the jar with boiling water as well. Then I fill the largest container (the rice one) with leftovers. When I put soup in the lunch, I make sure it is VERY hot before I pack it in the container. I often place soup in the rice container, as long as it is thicker like stew. On those days I tell the kids not to swing the jar around so it doesn't spill all over in the jar. I ask my kids all the time if their lunch stayed warm and they always answer that it was.

There are not very many ways you can stack those food bowls into the jar and still have it close, but using a little creativity expands the usefulness. When I have leftover sloppy joe type meat I'll put it in the smallest container and stack that on top of the soup bowl. Then I'll put a hamburger bun in the rice bowl and it goes in the jar next. The last bowl won't fit at this point, but you have plenty of space to stack fresh fruit or veggies in the lid space.

I tried sending cooked vegetables in the 3rd container, but the kids did complain that they were barely warm, so I don't usually put hot food items in the top 2 containers anymore. Instead, I'll send a salad, bread, cut up raw vegetables, fruit, or dessert in those containers.

When combining hot and cold foods, I've found adding a couple of sections of blue ice cut from a sheet of "rubbermaid blue ice blanket" helps keep those cold foods cold. Sometimes I have to get creative how I pack foods to include the ice packets. Silicon muffin cups are great for packing multiple foods in the top 2 containers.

I have been very happy with the Mr. Bento's I've purchased. It holds enough food to satisfy my 14 year old boy. The jar does get heavy when it's full of food, but that's a small price to pay for a home cooked meal. Good luck!!Get more detail about Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lunch Jar.