Umbra Bento Cut and Prep Set

We were excited to hear from Umbra about reviewing some of their kitchen related products on our blog. Howard and I have been admirers of Umbra products for a long time, we used to go to the factory sales to decorate our rooms in university! We still have a small collection of frames and knick-knacks that we use around the house and office.

Umbra sent us the Bento Cut & Prep to try out. Like a bento box, it's a large plastic pan with compartments nested inside.

The containers inside come in three varying sizes, there are two 1 cup, two 2 cups, and one 3 cup prep dishes.

With some easy conversions on the bottom of the containers. It would be neat if these had snap on lids of their own. That way you can prep your ingredients and store them in the fridge without having to put the whole Bento set into the refrigerator or use plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

The lid of the Bento set is a bamboo cutting board. The recessive edge on the one side of the cutting board allows it to stay snug over the top as you're using the surface. There's also grip on the bottom of the plastic box (not the smaller inserts) so that the whole thing stays put. The extra height allows you to gently sweep all your ingredients into the bowls that fit flush beside it. (Great for those who, like me, aren't experts at picking up the diced/chopped food with the knife and moving it to a bowl.) Or you can use it as a board by itself and flip it over so that juices are caught in the edge.

The design of the Bento Cut & Prep is simple and rather useful, however, we understand that most people may be uncomfortable with the extra height and it can only be used for lighter prep work. We wouldn't recommend it for heavy chopping (for instance, watermelon slicing or meat items). However, it would be useful for prepping easy meals (especially for kids) where all the ingredients are ready for the choosing. We suggest using the Bento for do-it-yourself meals where your eaters get to choose the pizza toppings, taco fillings, or ice cream sundae toppings they want. Or, put out healthy snacks and use the Bento as veggie and fruit platters.

We also wished it came with instructions for how to take care of bamboo cutting boards. We love that bamboo is environmentally friendly, and after doing some quick research, we found that you need to use mineral oil to help preserve the natural oils and prevent the fibers of the bamboo from drying out. You should also never soak or place your cutting board in the dishwasher to clean it!

Disclaimer: Umbra sent us two Bento Cut & Prep Sets for review. The first one we found various splinters on the bamboo board and deemed it unsafe for food contact. After inquiring with Umbra, they checked with their quality control team and pulled the item to see if there were any issues. There were no problems so we believe it was a one off. They sent us a second sample to replace the damaged one.

How: Hedgehog Cupcake Set

How to make our little Hedgehog Cupcake Set!

1. Bake 9 cupcakes of your choice. You can do 12 or any number, but we think that the square-shaped setup is cute.
2. Gather some tools. Here, in the photo below we have: some brown jimmies/sprinkles, a stitching tool, a circle shape cutter, a veining tool, a tiny heart cutter, and leaf cutter. Not pictured, but will be needed are: rolled fondant, a roller, gel paste, toothpicks, a utility knife, a tiny circle cutter, and a practice mat.
   
   
3. Let your cupcakes cool. Make some buttercream or frosting of your choice. Dab a good amount onto your cupcake.
   
   
4. Using a metal spatula, smooth out the buttercream into a flat or dome shape. It doesn't have to be perfect, since it will be covered and smoothed again with fondant.
   
   This will do!
   
   
   
5. Next, using your gel paste, dye a small ball of fondant green, a large ball of fondant sky blue, another small piece of fondant red, a medium sized piece brown, and a tiny piece dark brown.
   Note: To dye fondant, you simply use a clean toothpick, dab it in the gel and then poke it into the fondant. Never double dip your toothpick into the gel. Always use a clean one. Next, you knead the fondant until the colour is consistent throughout. If you happen to have pre-coloured fondant, that is even easier and this part is basically done for you!
   
6. Roll the green fondant onto your practice board (or workspace). Cut out 7 little leaves. Imprint a simple line through the leaf with the veining tool.
   
   
7. Roll the red fondant and cut out 2 tiny hearts and 2 tiny circles. Use the veining tool to create a dimple at the top and bottom of the circles so that they resemble apples. Then, I pushed a brown sprinkle into the fondant to create the apple stem.
   
   
8. Roll out the brown fondant and using your utility knife, cut out 2 hedgehogs. I know this part is the trickiest part because it is hard to freehand shapes. Especially on soft fondant. I find that it becomes easier to work with if you let the fondant harden for a tiny bit, but not too hard that it crumbles! Don't forget to add the tiny fondant legs! I took tiny pieces of fondant and rolled them into small cylinder shapes.
   
9. Find a small brown sprinkle and use that for the hedgehog's eye. I simply push it in, embedding the sprinkle into the fondant.
   
   
10. Using the thinner side of the veining tool, softly press little dashes onto the hedgehog's body. This will create the spines. Let all the decorations sit on icing sugar to dry.
    
11. Next, roll the blue fondant and cut out 9 circles.
    
12. Using the stitching tool, carefully create a "path" on the fondant. Watch your turns! Try to plan out your path so that they connect when placed in a set.
    
    
13. Finally, attach all the leaves, apples, hearts, and hedgehogs onto the 9 blue circles. The last step is to place the decorated fondant pieces on top of your delicious cupcake!
    

Step back, and enjoy your handiwork!