Instructions to Preparing Ready-to-Eat Pureed Bento Meals

Steaming a Bento Meal

Preparing a meal for a loved one experiencing dysphagia can be cumbersome and tiring. In addition to ensuring that the foods prepared are pureed to the right levels and safe for consumption, caregivers often have to get creative with the menu in order to avoid serving the same dishes repeatedly.

One alternative to preparing pureed meals at home is to consider ready-to-eat bento sets. GentleFoods® bento sets are convenient and only requires steaming before consumption. The meals are also tweaked to cater to local tastebuds, with options such as Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak.

Steaming with Cooking Pot & Steamer Rack

Step 1: Fill the pot with water. The water level should not exceed the height of the steamer rack.

Step 2: Bring the water to a boil.

Step 3: Take out the bento set from the freezer and remove the packaging sleeve. Thawing is not required.

Step 4: Slightly peel open the plastic film on the larger compartment.

Step 5: Place the bento set onto the steamer rack. Steam for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the food is hot for consumption.

Step 6: Peel off the plastic film completely. Serve with caution, as the food tray may be very hot after steaming.

Steaming with an electric steamer follows the same steps, but does not require boiling of water. For food safety purposes, it is recommended to consume the food within 4 hours after steaming.

Tip: To ensure freshness of the bento sets, store the sealed boxes in the freezer compartment at -18˚C or below, and consume before expiry date. The expiry date may be found on the packaging sleeve.