What is bento lunch? Bento lunch is a takeout meal or home packed meal that is good for one person. Bento started from the Japanese people. The traditional bento consists of rice, a viand that can be meat or fish, a serving of vegetable and a dessert. It is usually placed in a box-like container which can either be washable or disposable. Many people nowadays are becoming busy so they prefer to eat at their workplace to save time. Getting a bento delivery for lunch can help you save a lot of time. Here are some tips for eating bento lunch on the go.
Before Packing Re-Heat Left Over Or Pre-Cooked Food
When you are going to bring your own leftover food or pre-cooked food, make sure that you heat it thoroughly. Let the food cool down before covering your bento box. The moist or sweat coming from a hot dish will cause your food to spoil. It would be best to thoroughly heat the food to avoid spoilage and to kill the organisms that is already starting to grow in the food. Pickles and salad don’t need to be reheated but make sure to check it first before packing it for your lunch.
You Must Not Include Raw Meat Or Fish In Your Bento
Raw fish and meat are only good when eaten fresh. Raw meat and fish can easily accumulate bacteria that can cause food poisoning. It is not advised to order raw fish or meat in your bento lunch on the go. When you are thinking of getting sushi for lunch, make sure that it’s not a fish sushi. Sushi that contains cooked food is okay though. You should also avoid as much as possible to order rare cooked meat.
Packing Moist Protein In A Hot Weather
During the hot weather, it would be best not to order moist food. Moist food easily spoils. Sandwiches with mayonnaise, undercooked meat and fish as well as raw tofu should be avoided. Bacteria can easily grow in these foods that causes spoilage and food poisoning.
Separate Hot Food From Cold Foods
When ordering your bento lunch, make sure that they don’t mix the hot food with the cold food. Make sure that they are packed separately. As much as possible, have a separate container for the hot food and for the cold food. Separating the cold food, especially the vegetable salads, can keep the freshness and crispness.
Safety Is Not Guaranteed With Thermal Lunch Containers
Thermal lunch containers can keep your food warm but it doesn’t guarantee that your food will be safe from spoiling. Ordering hot food in those containers can still cause moisture or steam. A thermal lunch container only keeps your food warm at a certain level which is not an excuse for bacteria to grow in your food.
Better Pack Frozen Rice
Rice is moist and can easily go bad. If they cooked the rice the night before you order it, it has to be packed carefully and should even be frozen. It is much better to get frozen rice since with the normal temperature, it can defreeze. It would be much better and safer for you to just make sure that the restaurant you order your bento delivery from are only using rice that they have just cooked.
Keep Your Bento Box Clean
Make sure that the bento box they use is clean before they fill it up with food. If they are using a reusable bento box, it should be you who would be using it for the first time. You can then reuse this as long as you have washed it properly. Make sure that it is dry before filling it up with food.
