Sandwich Cutters

Sandwich cutters add variety to the average sandwich. And, if you're like me and have a kid who's "allergic" to crust, it cuts it off in one go. Now, there's a chance she'll eat the whole thing, instead of taking 2 bites before declaring the rest "crust".

They're so easy to use - 2 steps, less than 30 seconds required.

Step 1 - Position Cutter on Sandwich

This apple cutter is the one I use the most. It perfectly fits the brand of sandwich bread we usually buy.

Step 2 - Push down on Cutter

Roll the cutter around a little as you push, being sure to push firmly on all the outside edges. You may have to use your hand to separate the bread along the cut lines. 

And that's it!!

If desired, you can decorate the sandwich on the outside, or just leave it as-is. 

Cutters can be found in lots of stores. I've had best luck in Target and Supermarkets around back-to-school time. 

Hearts!

Dinosaurs!

And Triangles! Oh my!

This triangle one cuts sandwiches a little differently, but that's something for a different post...

Separating food using baking cups

Some foods go well together. Chocolate and peanut butter create their own little slice of heaven when combined. Some foods just plain antagonize each other, and should never be mixed. 

Keeping food separate in a lunch box is pretty easy if you have an individual container for each lunch component. If you're using a larger container, like a bento box, then baking cups come in handy. 

Miss Mads is a berry fiend, but the pea puffs I packed in her lunch can shed little bits of pea puff dust, and I couldn't imagine that a blackberry with a pea puff coating would be particularly tasty. So, to separate out the berries and to provide a bit of visual pizzazz, I put the berries in a festively colored baking cup. 

There are two types of baking cups I tend to use - paper and silicone. 

Above are two examples of each. The blue cups are silicone, the multicolored ones are paper. Both kinds have advantages and disadvantages. 

Silicone cups

Advantages

• Reusable - It's cheaper in the long run, and the same cup that was used in your lunch can later be used to bake a cupcake
• Liquid-proof - If you use it to hold something that's a little bit wetter than the rest of your lunch, like orange slices, you don't have to worry about the liquid seeping through the cup
• More variance in shape - One of the blue cups is square shaped; there are tons of other shapes out there, like hearts

Disadvantages

• More expensive - While they aren't as expensive as they used to be, the per cup cost of a silicone cup is significantly higher than a paper one. 

Paper Cups

Advantages

• Cheaper - A single paper cup is a fraction of the cost of a single silicone cup
• More variance in color and pattern - It's much easier to find brightly colored paper cups, and packs of cups will often include 3 or more colors and/or designs
• More malleable - If you're trying to squish something in, paper cups can be folded and bent

Disadvantages

• Can be leaky - Not so much of an issue if you're packing nuts, but wetter foods can leak through
• Not as sturdy - If you look above, you can see that one of the paper cups is a bit squished. Paper cups need a little more care in storing; some of mine had something lean up against them at some point
• Not reusable - These are usually one use only. 

I ended up going with the paper cups for Miss Mads' lunch, mainly because I'm not sure I can trust her not to accidentally throw away the silicone cups. 

How To - Make Gyoza

It probably isn't a secret by now that I love dumplings. Gyoza and pot stickers are pretty much the same thing - Gyoza are the Japanese version, and are usually cooked in a specific way (browned on the bottom and then steamed in the same pan) instead of being boiled or steamed. They also make a pretty decent addition to a bento, since they're fairly small and can be pre-made in massive amounts.

Frozen pot stickers can be found in even mainstream supermarkets, but making your own can be much more fun. The pleating can be a little intimidating, but many Asian markets and online stores sell a little plastic device to help fold and seal the dumpling.

To make a batch, you will need the following:



A: Some filling for the dumplings.

This is made with:

1 lb ground chicken
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/8th cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 of a shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Note: This is just what I used for this batch. In the past I've used tofu, peppers, peas, green onions, and more!



B: A package of wrappers



C: A device to make the dumplings



D: A small container of water

To make the dumplings,



Extract a wrapper from the package and put it on the maker.



Put about a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the middle of the wrapper.



Dip a finger in the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.



Fold the maker in half and press firmly to make sure all edges are sealed.



Take the sealed dumpling out of the maker and set it on a clean plate.



Keep making dumplings until you run out meat, wrappers, or patience.

To cook the gyoza, heat some vegetable oil in a skillet (one that has a lid) on medium heat. Place the dumplings flat side down in the pan and make sure that none are touching. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown. Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cook with the lid on for 3-5 minutes, or until all water is gone. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the gyoza from the pan.



Enjoy!

How To - Egg Molds

In the Sandwich Bento I posted yesterday, I included a hardboiled egg shaped like a fish. Getting a molded egg to turn out correctly can be a little tricky, because it requires timing and a little patience, but the result can really add a neat element to your lunch!



These are egg molds, and came in a two pack. The same maker also has a bunny and bear two pack out there, and I believe these 4 shapes are the most commonly seen in recent bento pictures in various communities.



This is one of the molds opened up. On the left is the tab that fastens the two halves together. In the middle is the hinge, which also lets the two sides separate for cleaning. Inside the molds you can see the ridges which stamp features into the eggs.



These are two slightly different types of egg molds, and are probably the second most common. These don't have a hinge like the previous ones, but have a tab on each side. I think this makes it a little easier to get the mold to close properly around the egg. Also, though this photo doesn't show it, each of these has a teeny hole in the back to help drain moisture out.

There are also significantly smaller molds out there, meant for quail eggs. I have one of those molds, but since I haven't been able to locate quail eggs in my small Midwestern city, I haven't been able to try it. I understand the process for using them is very much the same, but since I haven't done it personally, I can't guarantee it for those.



To use the molds, the first thing you need is a fresh boiled egg* out of its shell. And by fresh, I mean just finished cooking and run under just enough cold water to keep my fingers from melting when I peel it.

When the egg is really hot, you'll find that peeling the shell is more difficult than when the egg is cool. This is where the patience comes in. Don't try and force big amounts of the shell off at one time, or else you'll end up tearing your egg - which will taste the same, but won't look as cute. Also, you'll also notice that the egg is somewhat pliable when hot. This is good! The more pliable, the better that your molded egg will turn out.

When you have the egg peeled, place it in the mold in the direction that makes the most sense. This fish is more or less oval shaped, like an egg, but since the mouth of the fish is a little pointier than the tail, I put the pointier end of the egg in that side. For the previously mentioned heart and star molds, I've actually had the best results by putting the egg on its end instead of lengthwise.

You can also see that my egg is pretty much the same size as the mold. That is a good thing! To get the best mold, you'll want an egg that is a tight fit, but not too large for the mold. In American markets, eggs tend to come packaged in various sizes, such as Medium, Large, and Extra Large (this is probably true for other countries as well, but since I have never gone egg shopping out of the country, I couldn't say where). Here, I'm using a large egg, and have had the best results with that size. I am thinking of experimenting with extra large eggs with the heart and star molds, since a large egg gives an "ok" but not "great" result.

Also, some people prefer to give the molds a little spritz with a cooking spray before placing the egg inside. This may help if you have problems removing the egg.



Once the egg is placed in the mold, carefully and slowly close the top. If you close it too fast, more egg may get stuck in the middle, and you may not get the egg to fill all of the corners of the mold. If you see the egg start to escape the mold, you can use a finger to carefully poke it inwards. When the mold is closed, use the tab to fasten it.

Now, place the mold in the fridge and let it sit. I usually do a few eggs at a time, so mine chill for overnight or longer. If you're in a hurry and need the egg for a bento in the next hour or so, try placing it in a bowl of ice water in the fridge. In order for the egg to keep its shape, you want to make sure the egg is completely cooled before you remove it from the mold.



Here's my egg the next morning! Be sure to be slow and careful in removing the egg from the mold, since the egg may want to stick to some of the detailing. You can see that I had a little egg spillover, so once I remove the egg from the mold, I would trim the excess with a sharp knife.



And, here's the finished result!

Experimentation with a Sandwich Cutter

A month ago I ordered this sandwich cutter from J-list (my husband's Christmas gift came from there, and since I was already paying for shipping...), which I had been wanting to make adorable little sealed sandwiches. Fortunately, the instructions that came with it had decent pictures, which is good, because I'm about 5 years removed from the Japanese class that didn't get to a quarter of the kanji in use in the instructions.



To start, I pulled the leftover tuna mixture from here and grabbed two slices of bread. These are two slices of the Sara Lee 45 calorie bread, the whole wheat variety.



Tuna piled in the mold...



Top slice on and sandwich cutter flipped over.



Pressing down on the cutter.



Opposite side of the bread after cutting. I ended up pushing from the other side to try and help it along.



It looks good from this angle...



But not so much from this one. Hmm.

I did notice that the best seal was on the long side of the triangle, so that may mean that the crusts weren't allowing the shorter edges to get a good "squish". Next time, I think I'll try either cutting the crusts off the bread first, and possibly moving the cutter further into the center of the bread. That may help me get a good seal all along.