Here is Part 2 of my interview with @Ironjack about his site, EatinginaBox.com, and his techniques for planning and and preparing his bento creations. (See Part 1 here.) In this part of the interview, Ironjack reveals some of his tips and tricks for keeping portions and costs under control.
If you like what you see here, be sure to visit EatinginaBox.com.
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Do you have any special tips or tricks you recommend to people who are just starting out preparing bentos?
To start: keep it simple. There are a lot of different philosophies in bento creation. You’ve got the bento folks who make pretty bentos (mostly rice and a lot of hot dogs). You’ve got the folks like me going for theme. And you’ve got the traditionalists, who create the typical bento that Japanese school children eat. I really admire the traditionalists, they have the art of fast, tasty and healthy down pat. So if you’re asking for tips I’ll have to take the page from them:
- Rice freezes well. Just microwave it to bring it back it’s original consistency.
- Have a plan. There are even folks out there that have a template you can follow.
- Look in your fridge. Many bentos are about reusing what you have to economize.
- Minimize work. The easier it is to build lunch for yourself, the more likely you’ll do it often.
Miso Glazed Salmon Bento
I’ve tried to prepare my own bentos in the past, and I’ve always had a hard time getting portions correct. Any tips for measuring and gauging calories?
My biggest ally when gauging calories (especially custom creations) is a kitchen scale. The scale I use even has a code system that determines the calorie count depending on what you are weighing.
If you use recipes from the web, a lot of them have calorie counts on the recipe. I tend to try to cut some corners on those recipes as they aren’t always “lo cal”. You can use sweeteners or vegetable fillers instead of starch. Also, if you are trying to cut calories, cutting portions is a very good way. For instance, say a recipe serves four at 300 calories. If you cut a few bites here and there, you can stretch the recipe to serving six portions and drop the per serving down to 200 calories.
One final note, a lot of recipe software, and even web recipe sites, will allow you to upload your custom creation, and they’ll use USDA databases to determine the nutritional values. Just be warned, they are sometimes not very accurate. I try to count on my scale, and any cans/packages I use to hand count that information.
What would you say the average cost of each of your bento boxes is?
The rule for my site is $6 (US) per box. That’s just food cost. I make no money off this venture. You can keep track of this via your receipts. The tough part is that some of the recipes have a big overflow of food (e.g. cooking a turkey), so you have to discount for what I get to keep and cost what is actually going in. Some of the boxes I’ve done have cost as low as $1.50. Others have gone past that. The idea is that to bring variety to my “Eaters” (as I call them), I will economize where I can to then bring in some luxury items (e.g. miso glazed salmon).
Tools of the Trade
Where do you get your bento supplies from? (non-food, such as the boxes, etc.)
The actual boxes I use come from the folks at Obentec. Great lunch boxes, and they really fit my need for everyone having the same containers. Ebay is a great source for egg molds, sauce cups, food picks. I’ve also used a place called J-List. It also helps that my sister lives in San Francisco, where they have plenty of Japanese “dollar” stores that have all sorts of great stuff. Basically anytime I’m in a city that has a Japantown, I go over and load up and bring it home. Locally, I go to the various Asian grocery stores and, of course, Asahi Imports, our only Japanese grocery store in Austin.
Ever thought of publishing a recipe book?
You know, a lot of folks have asked me this question and the slight variant on this question, “Why don’t you post your recipes on the blog?” So I’ll answer the second question first, it’s not that I wouldn’t post a recipe if asked. In fact, every request I’ve gotten I’ve always posted the recipe in the comments responding to the request. There’s usually four up to five items in a bento, all of those recipes would dominate a post. I didn’t want to be yet another recipe site, my blog is about my passion for food, healthy cooking, and food photography. But again, if you see something you like, ask. I’m happy to oblige.
Thai Bento
Back to your first question: sure I’d publish a book. I don’t know how, but I’d be open to it. There’d be a lot of credit to hand out as not all of my cooking is from my creation. Usually one of my dishes is a result of researching many variations and coming up with my “Frankenstein” version that fits budget, diet and my personal taste. That said, with the Martha Stewart post, I took those right from the magazine.
Any parting thoughts on either bento boxes or food preparation?
For me, food is from the heart. If you’re heart’s into it, it’s not a chore to prepare. In fact, I use my time preparing meals as a Zen activity to get away from the stress of day-to-day life. Have fun with it. You are what you eat.