And the children shall lead

Several people have asked about the bento boxes - whether they are microwavable. The short answer is that some are and some are not. A funny thing happened just today though that made me rethink the whole hot food/cold food thing. Today, Veronica took the following bento:

The blob in the silicon form is a mini shepherds pie. She was given the choice of having it hot in a thermal (Ms. Bento) container or eating it at room temperature. She opted for the regular bento and room temperature. When she got in the car she told me that her lunch had been great but that she saw an open microwave and had decided to heat up the shepherds pie. I blanched because the bento box she took was not microwave safe. She assured me she had not put it in the micro - she just popped the shepherds pie out in its silicon holder, popped that in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was "fabulous, just like it was fresh out of the oven." I admit; I wouldn't have thought of that. Once assembled, I tend to see the bento as a whole, she saw a microwaveable component and took advantage of it.

As a side note, the silicon baking forms are great for bento, as dividers and also for mini casseroles. When you are making something like lasagna, shepherds pie, or any "bake it" dish, just get a couple of these silicon baking cups out and make a couple of small "extras". Pop them in the freezer and you develop a stock of quick lunches. Just a thought.