Why hello there everyone!
Did you have a good new years celebration?
I’m sure you will be completely shocked and astounded at my brand new format with my all new showing of bento boxes!
Well, actually… everything…well, it’s kind of….exactly the same.
THINGS!
Sadly I haven’t had any bento box bargains from the January sales as of yet, if you do know of any do let me know!
Instead today I present….
The Sainsbury’s Tiffin Tin!
This was part of the “useless stuff it is mandatory to buy someone for Christmas” range which did strike me as surprising because it’s something that
A. I would actually want
and
B. Something that is useful.
I guess for most people this would come under the useless category though.
“Hey, I got you a present, you can have your picnic in it, even…though…it’s….. snowing…… outside….?”
Lets face it, not many people put one of these on their festive needs list.
So, tiffins are the Indian version of lunch boxes/ bento boxes and so on and would hold the variety of delicious things cooked and eaten in India of course.
Most commonly they come in stainless steel but there are plastic versions in a similar style all over the place, remember my first tiffin tin?
I’m not sure if the material was really good enough to be called plastic but it was still the style.
This one has three tiers and thankfully isn’t as bad quality as that plastic palava.
The design all in all is quite pretty but as with all brushed metal items they get dirty looking just by thinking of picking them up.
As long as you have a lot of time on your hands for polishing, don’t worry, it will look as good as new.
All the tiers are held together by a metal framework that has ample support on the bottom, a hook on either side so the tiers can’t slide out and on the top a spring opening with a quite sturdy handle made of 8 separate strips of rounded metal stuck together.
It’s not the most friendly opening in the world and it gives that horrible feeling of a spring about to fly in your face when the latch is being undone.
The whole frame is also a bit bulky and can’t fold in anyway so that is a shame too.
As for the tiers, they are the opposite of most bento boxes, extremely spacious indeed.
It’s interesting to see how culture shapes just how and the amount we all eat.
Indian families are usually very large and the deep bowls certainly cater for a bigger appetite and gathering, I would say this would feed 4 hungry people, maybe more, when full.
Only the top tier has a lid which could be problematic at a picnic, especially in the summer with all those pesky insects flying around trying to join in with the feast.
It would have been nice to have some sort of coverings.
So now, on to my pet peeve about this tin.
Scratches.
You know how I said this wasn’t the most friendly to open?
Well, the scratches on the right weren’t there before I opened this if you catch my drift and I was being careful.
The ones on the left, who knows how they were caused but the whole box has similar markings all over.
It’s pretty disappointing but I guess it’s the cheapest stainless steel they could get, I can’t imagine anything great quality scratching so easily.
It’s not really an excuse though because at what I think was £18 it shouldn’t be made of rubbish.
On the bright side though it can be dish-washed, which is always good though I do worry as some materials tend to come out a little scratched after a few washes and this could be scratched by an oncoming feather!
All in all it’s pretty cheap quality but at a premium price, pretty much what I expect for seasonal gifts meant only to stay together until they get opened.
Still, it’s not bad and I can see it lasting for years with proper care, the tiers are thick and deep so if you’re having a large gathering it’s ideal to transport food and when you’re not taking food on the move you can use them at the dinner table to feel that little bit fancy.
The whole thing is a tried and tested design which doesn’t break the mold in anyway but works for what you will want it for.
I’m pretty sure it’s going to look well worn very quickly though it is sturdy enough that it doesn’t seem like it will completely fall apart, the latch opening will probably be the only thing to actually break.
All in all I think modern lunchboxes have made lunching quite a bit more convenient since this design but if you want a tiffin or to feed many many people, it’s good to go!