how long does it take?

One of the questions I get asked most is, "How long does it take to cook for and prepare your bento?"

My typical answer is not that long. The actual packing of it takes less than 5 minutes.

The cooking takes longer, but I hardly ever cook things just for bento, except maybe for tamagoyaki. I cook 90% of the food that I eat and am used to cooking for myself so I don't find it to be too much of a hardship. But for those who don't cook regularly, I can definitely see why bento would be intimidating.

There's ways to make simple things just one and re-use them in different reincarnations, though. It really saves on the cooking time.

For example, the broccoli rabe I've been eating since last week. I sauteed it in olive oil and garlic and ate it on its own for a couple of days. It took maybe 15 minutes to make from start to finish.





After a few days, I added it to some leftover pasta I already had.




Other re-use ideas:
-include it in tamagoyaki (or quiche or frittata)
-make fried rice with it
-include it in pasta salad
-put it in a sandwich wrap
-throw it in pasta sauce
-throw it in some soup


That way, even with the same ingredient, you get different flavors and tastes out of it, ultimately leading to less time in the kitchen.