Bento Tools

Here is my small, but still growing, Bento tool kit! Here's what I used to make delicious and creative bento.

1. Bento Box
I received my first bento box as a gift from my best friend. It may look small on the outside but inside it contains 2 layered containers for food and 2 divider for smaller foods. Sometimes I don't need to used the divider so I'll just leave it out. If if I want to divide more foods and make it look super-cute, I'll used mini cupcake cups. The red stripe you see is an elastic band that holds the bento together. You don't want your food spilling out everywhere!

2. Knives
Of course you'll need knives for cutting up pieces of food for your bento. The large knife is a santoku. The santoku is better for making initial cuts of larger foods, slicing, and chopping. The smaller knife is a paring knife used for smaller foods and making details.

3. Molds
These molds are for making shaped boiled eggs, but you can also use them to shape other things. I like to use them for rice balls. You can see an example in my bunny salad bento.

4. Mini Cookie Cutters
These are my favorite, and I want more shapes! These can be used to cut into just about everything. I use them for vegetables, cheeses, lunch meats, and so much more! You can also use them as shape molds.

5. Scissors
Scissors make cutting dried seaweed super easy! Some people will use an exacto knife or something like it to cute very small details, but scissors work just as well, especially for cutting strips for rice balls.

6. Bamboo Sushi Roller
This is for making sushi of course! You can also use it to make pinwheel sandwiches and mini spring rolls (the rice paper kind, not the deep fried kind).

7. Onigiri Mold
I found this at a local shop. Just fill up with rice and fillings, press, and you're done. Instant Onigiri! I like making these as gifts for friends more than for my bento as they take up a lot of space.

8. Cookie Cutter
I have a whole box of large cookie cutters, but I used select shapes for making sandwiches, rice balls, and other fun things.

I hope that showing you my collection of tools may inspire you to make your very own bento. There are many more tools to choose from than what is shown here, so keep your eyes open for anything that sparks creativity. Enjoy your Bento!