Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches

As someone who's always been interested in not only preparing delicious and healthy meals but also presenting them beautifully, I was delighted to come across the idea of obento. I'm so looking forward to trying these ideas out for my little girl!The book is very informative about the concept of "eating with your eyes" before you eat your meal, and also discusses the proportional nutrition of veg to starch to protein to fruit/sweets that is aimed for in the bento lunch concept. The sample pictures are oh-my-goodness adorable and extremely creative and instructions for each idea, as well as where to find extra materials (egg shapers, food picks, etc.) and cheaper but serviceable alternatives (hole punches, toothpicks, etc.) are clearly written. All concepts are defined and all recipes are clearly written - these ideas will take a bit of time to prepare, but are not at a difficulty level to make them something most people couldn't take on.Personally I think this book will be just for ideas and instruction. The recipes were small portions (not practical in my household) and all but a few included meat (also not happening in my household). No big deal because they didn't write it to be a family-sized meal or vegetarian cookbook so I can't fault them for either. Just mentioning it as a heads-up to others who might be in the same situation (vegetarian and/or too busy to cook a tiny separate meal instead of simply including a portion of the whole family's larger meal).The only critique I have of the book is one that another reviewer mentioned and that is the repetitiveness. For as adorable as the obento features in each recipe are, all are made of either egg, rice, lunch meat, hot dogs, or sliced cheese. Most of the facial features are made of nori. Again, I like the overall concepts and instructions but especially for a book that is supposedly super health-concsious, I was surprised at overprocessed foods being such staple ingredients and for my own creations plan to improvise with lower salt, nitrate, food coloring, and fat content items. There were some tiny decorative veg garnishes, but there weren't any recipes that didn't use the above mentioned items as the main part. The eggs & rice are healthy things, I just note them because it seemed like a repetitive use of ingredients, but even so was also glad to see a variety of options for shaping and presentation.I love reading this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in getting the basics of really cute obento theory and presentation.

I have a half-dozen bento box cookbooks and the layout on this one is one of my favorites. The left side has a full page color photo of the finished bento under the title and time to make (neat feature). The right side has all the directions for making each item, as well as any suggestions for changing the recipe a bit, small pics to go along with how to assemble,and general ideas and comments.The front has several pages on things you can use to decorate your bento and I appreciate the reminder that specialty items aren't always needed.There are 2 pages on the faces with small pics of different things you can use for each part (i.e. heads - rice ball, hamburger bun, hard boiled eggs, omelette) on the first page and the second page is divided by ingredient such as veggie or sesame seeds, and have pics showing various ways to use them in your box (i.e. veggies- "Corn kernals make cute noses, beaks or flowers; lettuce keeps different foods seperated; broccoli and cherry tomatoes are a pretty way to fill up a bento box." with pics of a corn beak, corn and pea flower, carrot star cutouts on broccoli trees, and small corn on cob and broccoli floret as sides and "fillers".It also includes a few extra recipes at back with a (wonderful) shopping guide for those who are new to bento and want to know some places to look to find the items you see here and in other cookbooks and blogs. There is also a metric conversion chart for those needing it. A page for common terms that you may be learning or not familiar with yet is also provided!If you're looking for a bentobook with ideas that are easy, don't take too long and kid friendly then I recommend this. It IS adorable, so if you want meals that don't use characters and try to be cute then you might look at another book. I feel the price I paid was worth it as it has an easy-to-use layout with large color pictures of each bento plus the help pages in the book on bentos, accessories, and terms. Definately recommend and worth 5 stars for me.

This is one of the best books that I’ve bought to learn how to make Bentos. The pictures are amazing the instructions are easy to read and follow . This book is great for a person that’s learning how to make beautiful Bentos.

The used copy I purchased was actually missing pages. But the kids still love it.

I have to give it five stars because I've never created bento boxes before. This has opened a entirely new culinary creative avenue for me. The book is beyond basic. I am talking pre-teen to teenager basic, but since I had no previous knowledge I found it so useful from the ground up. This book is something that you can easily reference, and practice with for a few months. It is by no means a build upon technique book. This is meant as showing you the very basic skills needed to make very simple bento boxes.Where you choose to go from there is up to you.I would have liked to see more instruction in this book and more products geared for the American population. (I have looked far and wide and cannot find anything that will double as fish paste or any palatable fish paste for that matter). The resources listed in the book are lacking at best and provide minimal if any help finding tools, supplies, or products.The book sparked my interest and held it. Provided me with basic training that was easily followed for the most part and fun.If you are starting out. Good book. If you already know what you are doing, I can't see how this book could provide you with any knew information.

Nice book with lots of colorful pictures. The recipes are not all that practical or quick to make. Not for a practical cook but for someone exploring bento ideas or doing it as a creative hobby its very nice. I'm glad I have it in my bento collection, even if its only to admire or look at for ideas.

After spending too much time browsing through blogs, I have developed a keen interest in making food look cute. This book is absolutely perfect for making a boring lunch much more entertaining! The recipes are healthy, packed with fruit and vegetables and you could easily adjust the recipe with one of the other bento ideas if you weren't too keen on a particular food. The recipes are easy to read through and the layout is great, with clear pictures so you know what you're aiming for it to look like! Perfect for brightening up a dull day.

This book has some of the cutest food you've ever seen!!! Also, as well as the inspiring Kawaii creatures, there are recipes for everything so you can make them as a main meal. I know there's loads of inspiration on the web but I'm also a bit of a bookaholic and this one is great!

Bought for my partner and she uses this book constantly. It has great step by step guides for each item of a Bento Box and even has guides on how to use different kitchen tools to achieve certain results. Definitely worth the investment if you enjoy cooking and creating something that also looks good.

This is a really cute recipe book but be warned it will take a lot of time and patience to prepare these meals and although I haven't been able to try any out it will be worth it!