Title:	Bento for Beginners: 60 Recipes for Easy Bento Box Lunches
	Author:	Chika Ravitch
	Published:	February 4, 2020, Rockridge Press
	No. of Pages:	164
	Cover Price:	$15.99 Paperback, $6.99 Kindle

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Bento Boxes are all the rage, and Chika Ravitch’s timely cookbook, Bento for Beginners: 60 Recipes for Easy Bento Box Lunches is perfect for teaching us how to prepare these great lunchtime meals. While there are dozens of Japanese recipes (Bentos are Japanese, after all), there are also recipes for American favorites as well as recipes from other parts of the world. The recipes are easy-to-follow, and call for minimal ingredients, which makes for not only quick and easy, but also makes them suitable for beginning cooks as well as those who have some experience.

This excellent cookbook starts with the basics, including containers and storage solutions, ingredients, as well as preparation and organizing meals. The recipes are simple, and also appetizing. Cooks can mix and match their favorite dishes to go into these yummy lunchtime meals. Most of the meals can be made about five days ahead, and many of the dishes can be packed and frozen for several months. The only thing missing from this cookbook is photographs of most of the dishes. While there are a few pictures, they are limited. Most cooks enjoy seeing what the finished dishes look like. The book contains salads, main dishes, vegetables, sauces, marinades, and salad dressings. It showcases the simplicity of many Japanese dishes that are delicious, and popular. Most importantly, the dishes are good; they turn out perfectly every time.

All told, cooks who like to be organized and have the components of good lunches at their fingertips will enjoy and benefit from having this cookbook on their shelf.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.