A few weeks ago I was sent a couple of snack bento boxes from Steeltainer to review and give away. I think the time for review has come! I’ve actually used this little box quite a bit over the last few weeks. Sometimes I made a bento (such as the take-out bento and the ham roll-up snack bento) but I also made a bunch of quick snacks and just threw the box in my purse to take with me.

After using it for a while I can say, I love this box! Dare I say it’s my new favorite? Yeah, I’m in a daring mood. I’ll say it. This is my new favorite snack bento box!

The snack sized box holds 320ml of food and is perfect for on-the-go snacks. What makes these boxes unique is that the bowl and divider that your food sits in are stainless steel but it has a leak-proof locking lid and outer plastic tray to hold everything together. By the way, the plastics are BPA and phthalate free. A lot of other stainless containers don’t have this outer shell (or leak-proof seal) and over time tend to get all scratched up on the bottom.

The only drawback to this is that you have to have all three pieces for it to work. The lid latches onto the plastic casing and the rubber seal fits over the stainless bowl. So, you can’t use it without the bowl or without the casing. For me, this isn’t a problem but you should be aware of it.

Another great feature is that the lid fits above the food area. If you’re a bento maker you probably know how frustrating it is to make a beautiful work of art and then have to squish it down because the lid fits below the rim of the box. No fun! ^_^ These lids fit above the rim of the box and latch down for a nice tight fit.

Inside the box there is a stainless steel divider that fits into any of the three grooves. I love that the divider isn’t permanent! I’ve used it in different positions and taken it out all together.

Perhaps the best part of this box is how solid it feels. Because of the latches and outer casings it feels really sturdy in your hands. I’m not afraid that if I drop it my food will go flying. I also just like the way it looks. I like that the lid is clear and I can see my food. I like the hints of color in the lid and bottom. I also like that when it’s open you can see the rim of the steel and the rim of the plastic. It just looks pretty to me and makes for a nice frame for the food.

I’ve been putting the stainless parts through the dishwasher and hand washing the lid and outer shell. I found that I don’t need to clean under the rubber seal very often, but when I do, I have to use a pair of tweezers to pull it up. It’s not the easiest thing to remove but it can be done.

If I could change anything I would move the notches for the divider. There’s one in the center, which is good, and one to either side. The outer notches are the same distance from the center. It makes the box symmetric so putting the divider on one side is exactly the same as putting it on the other side. It would have had more functionality if they were different distances from the center notch, but I’m probably just being picky.

I’m a little surprised at how much I enjoy this box. I hope you like the looks of it because I’m going to be using it a lot! Lol! I currently have a shipment of Steeltainer bentos on the way and am going to be adding them to the Bento Store later in the week. I can’t wait to get my hands on the large one!

In the meantime, Steeltainer was kind enough to give me this blue snack bento box to give away! Yay! There are plenty of ways to enter and they’re all spelled out in the widget below.



Happy Bento-ing and good luck!

Disclaimer: Two snack bentos were provided for me, free of charge, from Steeltainer for the purposes of review and giveaway. I have not been monetarily compensated and the review and opinions expressed are solely mine.