ZojirushiSL-JBE14XA Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar 41 Oz

I bought this for my daughter towards the end of her kindergarten days (2013) and it's still going strong. I have repeatedly recommended this lunch box to family, friends, colleagues, and strangers on the internet.My daughter likes some of the school lunches but not all of them, so sometimes I would make her lunch to take to school. At first this was disappointing; there are only so many brown bag sandwiches that she'll happily eat during the week and I didn't like her having cold lunches at school. She doesn't have access to a refrigerator or microwave oven at school so that limited our options. For awhile I improvised using small Thermos-type containers to give her hot foods but this limited the types of hot foods I was able to give her since all those Thermos-type containers are vertical cylinders, not exactly conducive to things like spaghetti or hot sandwiches. Plus, her lunch bag got bulky with a collection of different sized containers, and everything had to be hand-washed because things like GladWare containers shouldn't be put in the dishwasher.So I went looking for something better and I found this, and I can only say that I wish I found it earlier. The product description here on Amazon tells all of the gritty details so I won't waste time with that. Here's what you really want to know: YES, IT DEFINITELY KEEPS HOT FOODS HOT FOR HOURS AT A TIME! I make my daughter's lunch at 8am and she eats it at around 12:30pm and she has never once complained that her lunch wasn't hot enough. I learned that if I fill the main body (the "jar") with hot water while I prepare her lunch, it keeps her food hotter for a longer period of time. When all the food prep is complete and packaged I just empty the jar, dry it out, and load it up.Other things about this box that I adore...• Yes, the lid is INTENDED to be a serving bowl! If you don't like eating from the containers or if you have to mix something before eating it then by all means flip the lid over and use it as a bowl.• The carrying bag is sturdy and well constructed, and large enough to carry not only the lunch jar but a juice pack, juice box, or milk box fits nicely on top (along with a napkin or two). Slide the lariat closed and it stays nicely in place, safe and easily transportable with the rest of your lunch.• It comes with a stainless steel spork, which was really nice. Unfortunately my daughter accidentally threw hers away when she was younger, but I found a nice titanium spork to take its place and she loves using that. The spork fits in a little "pouch" that's sewn inside of the carrying bag.• It's pretty durable. My daughter's lunch box has a bunch of dents and such where she's tossed it around in her back pack, but the vacuum seal is still intact and it holds its temperature as good as it ever did.• The lid and latching mechanism is especially durable. Because it's plastic I expected the latches to be the first things to fail, but after five years they still latch as tightly and positively as ever. Never once has the latch accidentally released, even after being dropped.• It's dishwasher safe. Simply remove the soft seal and ventilation plug from the bottom-most container, and all of the pieces (containers, lids, jar lid, and spork) can go in the dishwasher. The container itself shouldn't be dishwashed lest the high temperature of the dishwasher disrupt the vacuum seal, but it's also easy enough to hand wash so it's not a big deal at all. The soft seals can be easily washed with a sponge and left to air dry, and they pop back into the lid with no effort. (And replacement seals are available, should yours get lost or damaged.) Even the carrying bag can go in the laundry!• The carrying bag can be slung over a shoulder, carried upright by a handle, or packed in a school backpack.• With four containers I can provide a nice assortment of the hot and cool foods my daughter loves. She often tells me that her friends are always offering to trade lunches with her because her lunches are so much nicer than the school lunches. :-) We've established a system where the top container always has a dessert (cookies, brownie bites, etc), one down has a fruit (apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries, etc) and a vegetable (string beans, peas, cucumbers, pickles, etc), and the remaining two have the main entree (protein) and starch (rice, pasta, potatoes). Her favorite lunch is broiled salmon (lower-most container) with rice pilaf (one up), snap peas and strawberries (one up), and chocolate cupcake (top-most container), with a Capri Sun to drink.Willing trade-offs and caveats...• It's heavier than a "traditional" lunch box owing to its stainless steel construction. My daughter willingly accepts the trade-off, however; she's more than happy to deal with the bit of extra weight in exchange for having a tasty hot lunch at school.• The containers can't be rearranged; they must go in a specific order. This creates certain logistical issues. If you wanted to (for example) use only the large container for something hot and have cool things everywhere else, you can't. Whatever is under the large container will also be hot (or warm) and you can't put the large container on the bottom of the jar because the lid won't fit. (Unless you also remove one of the other containers; that would work.)I would totally buy this again and again without hesitation. I love it, my daughter loves it, her teachers have bought them for themselves, and some of her friends and schoolmates have gotten them as well. This may be the perfect student lunch box.

This is my second Mr. Bento — my first one lasted 4 years and still keeps food hot like day one. The only reason I replaced it was because the outside started to look a bit worn after years of daily use. It’s super reliable, keeps food warm for hours, and the quality is top-notch. Highly recommend!

This Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar is PHE-NOM-INAL. Seriously. I researched lunchbox options for a long time, and finally settled on this one. I have listed the needs I wanted met in a lunch jar/box and why this item is wonderful!1. SIZE MATTERS...and SHAPE ;) : I needed something that would hold enough food for my husband, who eats like a horse. He is an active 25 yr old, and we own a business that involves manual labor. So he is always moving, ALWAYS hungry. I was a bit skeptical that this item would hold enough food, but I have never once had him tell me his meal wasn't enough (and I ask every day). The containers don't necessarily look impressively large, but I am always amazed at how much they hold, when I start putting stuff in them. The containers are round, so yes, certain things won't fit. Don't bother trying to fit bone-in chicken. And hot sandwiches take some imagination (I cut them into triangles, they fit best that way... but my hubs doesn't care if his sandwich is precut, just if its hot and delicious). But really most things fit well, and the few that don't just take a little imagination. (enchiladas go in great, cut in half & stacked. I can fit 2, full size, hearty enchiladas in the tall bowl).2. SOME LIKE IT HOT: WE like it hot. We hate cold sandwiches and the snacky chips that go along with bag lunches. I was desperate for something that would keep food HOT all day, not luke warm. And would allow me to send off left overs (meats, fish, pasta, soups, stews, salads...those aren't hot, curries, rice, NORMAL meal stuff). The Zojirushi is perfect for that. the bottom bowels will hold runnier or more liquid items. Though I usually find a small amount (teaspoon) has leaked, the exterior canister contains it well, so no-harm done. The bottom two containers usually stay super hot. The lunch jar gets left in the car all day, so our excessive winter has proven to lower the food temps a bit, but they remain more than warm, as long as I put them in SUPER HOT. Outside of deep winter, the bowels usually keep the food so hot you have to open them and let it cool for a minute or two. The two upper bowels are less insulated, so they are perfect for salads, edamame, cooler sides, or treats. If you want to pack chocolate or cookies, only put those in the top container. The bottom two are sometimes so warm, they transfer heat to the container directly above.3. MONEY TALKS: I know, your wondering if this is worth the price. Simple answer, YES. Well worth the cost. You won't have to buy lunch out just to get a hot meal. And all those yummy left overs can easily go with you to work now.4. WHAT DO I PUT IN IT? : Even though we cook full and elaborate meals most evenings, I was still a bit intimidated by the idea of sending off hot lunches. I used a great cook book designed for bento boxes, that helped me get creative and figure out how to turn left overs into interesting and hearty lunches (see my review on it). Not everything from the night before can just be reheated. Sometimes you have to fix it up a bit. Or what about taking that smaller-than-portion-size amount left and doing something useful with it. A great way to start is pastas, soups or salads. You really can put anything in this, it just takes some getting used to if you've never done hot lunches before.5. Dishwasher safe? I honestly don't know if this thing is labeled as dishwasher safe, but we use it every day, and every night it goes in the dishwasher (only exterior jar is washed by hand). No problems. Stains from pastas and curries come out easily. The plastic is sturdy and stain resistant. What more could you want?This item comes with a carry case, which is super helpful. And it has a spoon in a case - this is a little extra genius. The spoon doesn't get anything else dirty since it has its own case.If you aren't convince by now, you never will be. This is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time.