Deco bento" is a cute way to decorate bento boxes. It is not limited to children's bento, but many people are now making "deco bento for adults" as well. It is true that every day when I have lunch with my co-workers in the break room, we look at each other's bento without knowing what we are looking at.

It is the custom of office workers in Alaska to want to look at least a little "fashionable," not to say popular character bento. However, dieboards and boiled egg molding goods sold as decorated bento goods are all somewhat childish....


What we introduce this time is "Egg Ford," an egg rectangle molding machine. It not only molds boiled eggs into squares, but also can put animal patterns on them!

◆An animal pattern will appear on a square egg...

Inside the compact case that fits in one hand, there are stamp-like parts and six different illustration plates. The plates have cute animal patterns, just like the toys you used to use as a child. The elaborate illustrations, which are rare in cooking goods, will tickle the hearts of young girls.


Let's prepare boiled eggs and try cooking them.


This time, I will use a rabbit plate. After setting the plate in the case, put a freshly shelled warm boiled egg and press the stamp part vertically from the top. Close the lid and leave it for about 20 minutes. For quick molding, it is recommended to put it in the refrigerator.

Here is the finished product.


I know the original illustration, so I know it is a rabbit, but the expression is a bit fuzzy and it looks a bit like a zombie. I thought the egg might have been too small, so I tried again with two plates.


The outline is clear, but something is still missing. The egg was white to begin with, and it was hard to tell, but I thought maybe I was paying too much attention to details like the carrots and eyelids, etc. I was frustrated, so I changed plates and tried a boiled egg. Using two plates, I took the plunge and left it for more than an hour.


The shading appeared more clearly and the illustration became easier to understand! But I guess I don't need the newspaper....

◆Conclusion: Just a square is interesting enough.

So, you might want to consider the illustration plate as an "extra". Especially for bento boxes, the moment you open the lid is the most important moment (?). The white egg is not so easy to convey the message. The instructions recommend using "hot eggs," but you can also make it with cold eggs (just take longer to mold them).


Personally, I like the cube shape, which looks like a gadget, so I may buy one if it comes in a Star Wars design.

If you flip the plate over, you can make plain cubes of boiled egg or omusubi! I recommend it because it fits well in a bento box. I think this is a good idea because it is a novel way to make a square out of something that is always round.


Egg Ford is priced at 570 yen (tax not included). It can be purchased at Tokyu Hands and other stores.