The Mason Jar Gets An Update With BNTO

By Melissa Wiley in Food on Jul 25, 2013 7:45PM

Shorthand for wholesome country living, Mason jars are as ubiquitous in so-called farm-to-table restaurants as reclaimed wood tables and chalkboard menus, doubling as soap dispensers, candle holders, and excessively squat flower vases. Now they’re reclaiming their original storage capacity with twice the force. Via a nifty plastic insert we still can’t believe has taken ‘til 2013 to take up residence in our cupboard, you can transform picnicking in a cigarette-dusted city park into a more compact, creative affair.

With a name evoking the Japanese bento boxes that served as inspiration, the BNTO, like certain progressive yogurt parfaits, suspends an embedded cup just below the jar's lid, allowing you to store wet and dry ingredients in the same bucolic container. Consider it the savvy picnicker’s silver bullet, a twofer that’s a sweet (or savory) hole in one. Even better, consider strawberries and shortcake, chips and salsa—heck, yogurt and pickles—in the selfsame glass jar.

The 6-oz BNTO creates a leak-proof seal via a raised strip that nestles into the lid’s sealing compound. Made in the USA from recycled materials and BPA-free plastic, the new Mason jar is fresh incentive to tote lunch or dinner into the park or backyard while the weather kindly allows. And it only costs $8.