Fun news, jar lovers! Today, the folks that make the Cuppow have released a new product that I predict will have a giant impact on how we use canning jars to tote meals and snacks. Called the BNTO (a nod to the Japanese bento boxes that served as inspiration), it’s a 6 ounce cup made in the USA from recycled and BPA-free plastic, that nests into a wide mouth mason jar.
What it does is give you the ability to stash both wet and dry ingredients in a single jar. This means that your granola won’t get soggy, you can keep your peanut butter off your apple slices or crackers, and you can even pack up chips and salsa in a single container.
It’s designed to work with a canning jar lid and ring. The rim of the BNTO has raised strip which nestles into the sealing compound in the lid and creates a leakproof seal. You’ll notice that the ring doesn’t tighten quite as far as it does with just a lid, but there’s still plenty of space to ensure security.
For more on BNTO, click over to the Cuppow website. There’s a video here that will give you a peek at all BNTO can do.
This is so awesome!! I want to try them out. I was really glowing they would come out with a cuppow lid/band combo. The ones that come with the jars rust too much.
While it won’t work for the Cupow, you could use plastic lids that are sold separately (I think Ball makes them) with the Bnto.
OMG, that is genius!
This is such a fantastic idea. I can’t wait to give it a try!
That is freaking BRILLIANT 😀
This is amazing – but it looks like it’s for WIDE mouth jars, not regular, as you say in the post. This will be so perfect for yogurt and granola!
Thanks for the note! In that case, I was using the word regular to indicate conventional, not the mouth size. I’ve removed it to ensure that there’s no confusion, though. 🙂
Morningglory, try used applesauce snack cups with regular mouth jars- they work for me!
Hopping over to their site to buy myself a set. So much better than all of the plastic containers I tote around in my lunch bag now. This will definitely help me eat better meals when I’m on the go, too. I may need to make myself a lunch bag with a bit more padding in it, but that is not a problem (I have a slight lunch bag addiction…).
This is awesome! I’ve been waiting for something like this. I wonder what they have in store next. I’m overly excited about this product. Seriously
Wish I’d have marketed this idea a few years ago when the idea came to me! But I don’t care–I am off to get myself some. I love the awesome sipper tops–I show them to everybody, but don’t even want my family to touch them! LOL!
Smartest thing I’ve seen in a while. A couple of these would make my packed lunch so much more fun! 🙂
WOW – Genius! (I so want one, or 5 – one for every day of the week!).
I don’t have any wide mouth jars because I’ve wanted to keep that part of my canning uniform, but this product may change my mind about that.
Got their email, bought 2 immediately. So fantastic!
THis is Sooooo neat! Super Idea…
BRILLIANT!!! Absolutely completely brilliant! I have told hubby he MUST buy me several for my birthday next month. 🙂
Oh my, fantastic. I have recently been considering the options of snacks in jars, which would be easier for my 7 yr old to have on hand. This is great. I think I’ll order some this weekend, when I’ve more free time.
That is simply genius! Need to get my hands on these!
Brilliant! I’ve been trying to figure out how to pack the dressing for my husband’s lunch salads – this would be perfect. Definitely going on my wish list! 🙂
Very cool looking!
I wish the cups were metal – I use canning jars because I’m trying to get away from the plastic. :/
Oh my word. Where have these been all my life?!? Off to buy some, right now!!!
These people are brilliant! I love that they keep thinking of great new ways to use canning jars!
This is brilliant! I think I may just head over and order some immediately if not sooner!
Brilliant. We love our cuppows but, this is great! Found it on pinterest.
LOVE IT!! PERFECT!!
I love that my hummus won’t get my dried pita’s soggy when I bring them to work with me. Thanks!
Please tell me this will securely store salad dressing! I’ve been searching for a secure solution that can handle being tossed in my backpack for my train or bike commute for years, and still haven’t found the perfect solution.
I haven’t tested it yet myself, but given how snugly the BNTO fits into a canning jar lid, I think it should.
Not trying to be negative, but why can’t one just use a 4oz canning jar along with whatever other size you need for a meal? They might not nest, but I know I can easily manage to fit both a meal jar plus a dip jar in my work bag. Plus, isn’t the point of using jars to get away from all the plastic?
It depends on your reason(s) for avoiding plastic. Two reasons are to avoid further use of dwindling oil reserves and avoid filling landfills; using recycled plastic products, such as this one, or using plastic products made from plants, which are not widely available but can have really cool features like biodegradability, are options. Another reason is avoiding the possible health effects of some chemicals that may or may not leach out of plastics at physiologically relevant amounts; using BPA-free products is a reasonable precaution.
(I’m not trying to sell this product and my comment above indicates that I haven’t even committed to buying it, for what it’s worth. I make my own yogurt to avoid buying more plastic containters, avoid heating things in plastic containers – but will, say, heat frozen products in Ziploc containers for just long enough to dislodge them onto a plate – and have more Ball jars than I care to count.)
Oooooh, Hooray for Cuppow! Their stuff is pretty easy to find around here (I live in Somerville, where Cuppow is based) so I’m going to check my fave hardware store before I buy online, but this is such an awesome product. Have you ever done a post with a run down of mason jar attachments/alternate lids? I have a flip-top pour spout lid but I can’t remember where I got it (I think I supported them on kickstarter?) and I know there are cocktail shaker attachments and things, but I wonder if there are more out there…
Oh wow! Those are cool! Toting a second 4 oz jar to keep peanut butter/celery or granola/yogurt separate totally works, but it is a little annoying…
An empty single serving applesauce or fruit cup will do the same thing – for free. They fit on the wide mouth jars, and they absolutely keep your dressing from mixing with your salad until you want it to. Or the sauce for anything in a jar, and I’ve been using them for at least a year to do just that!
I doubt those containers are meant for reuse, though; I’d be worried about the plastic degrading, but then I worry about all plastic when it comes to food!
I was thinking the same thing! I work in a school and I collect the kids empty applesauce cups all of the time and make snacks for them later…but I discovered that they fit in the jar tops by accident when trying to store them.
Ok, that’s bloody clever!! I don’t know if I could send the offspring tooling around with glass jars in their backpacks – they are currently using the well-nigh indestructible metal bento boxes because they are seriously talented. One kid’s real nickname is “William the Destroyer.” But for me? Perfect.
Finally, I can put my salad dressing in with my salad!
The cost of this item is ridiculous for someone on a budget. Eight dollars for a 6 ounce plastic cup is beyond frivolous for those of us stretching the paychecks. Since the same outcome can be achieved by using another jar (or the plastic fruit cup if you are not averse to plastic), that is what I will do.
Kelly, no one is forcing you to buy it or is saying that it is in any way necessary for happiness. It’s just a fun thing that could potentially be useful.
Oh Marisa, I know no one is forcing me and I know it is not necessary for happiness. It is a ridiculously overpriced piece of plastic that can be replaced with a recycled fruit cup. If you find it fun to spend LOTS of money on an unnecessary item, more power to ya. To those of us on a budget, it is more fun to buy a case of canning jars for the price of that one little piece of plastic. I’m sure you don’t mind differing opinions on the subject, but your reply was a little accusatory.
Kelly, I replied in the way I did because I felt harshly judged by your comment. By calling this product ridiculous, you seem to imply that anyone who likes it or buys it is ridiculous as well. All I was trying to communicate is that I recognize that this is a non-essential object but that I liked its utility nonetheless.
Just to clear things up… I did not call the product ridiculous. The COST of the product is ridiculous. It seems to be a handy item, just not worth the cost. In no part of any comment did I imply that because you like this item YOU or anyone else is ridiculous. I have no problem spending a little more on an item if that item will make the return on that investment by lasting a lot longer, and/or be easier to use than a counterpart. It is my opinion that this item is just WAY overpriced for what it is and will not make that return. It is fun to shop and find interesting items but, alas, some people don’t have the disposable income others do. I hope my comment might let other people in my situation know that it is ok not to by every gadget that they cannot afford and that others are using the very inexpensive alternative. It was not my intent to make you or anyone else feel guilty about spending your own hard earned money on this or any product.
Kelly, thank you for the clarification. My apologies for misunderstanding your previous comments.
$ 8 for a few grams of plastic? Serious?
What’s wrong with a used soda bottle?
Nifty idea. I love gadgets like this.
This is an awesome product. I already like to use mason jars for lunches, picnics and drinks. Bnto makes it even more efficient.
I remember an entire school year when I ate exactly the same lunch almost every day: a pepperoni sandwich, a banana, and a thermos of milk. Today, I’d never pack any of those things for my kids, given their tendency to scent-transfer, but I still crave a pepperoni sandwich now and then. Lol
I think this is fantastic, I use my mason jars daily and this will make them even more useful, thanks for this great invention, wish you had a open and closable top for homemade salad dressing as i do all of mine, and just using a mason jar with a regular lid makes a mess. hint hint….have a blessed day and keep up the good work 🙂
I have to agree with some of the comments above about the cost of this item. It is just awfully expensive for such a basic piece of plastic. If they came in packs of three, I could better understand the cost, but I find the price tag daunting.
That being said, I love the idea of this product. Perhaps over time, when the price comes down quite a bit, I will purchase a few for my home.
Thanks for sharing!
I was thinking of taking jars like Nutella and, once empty, turning them into a “Hidden Safe” by painting the inside of the jar brown, putting whatever I want inside the jar, then topping it off with one of these full of Nutella so that if the jar is opened, it will look like it’s full of spread. The only thing I have to think of is how to weigh down the jar to make it not feel “Off”.
These are awesome but my children can’t take glass to school! 🙁
I bought one and the rim is too thick for the ring to screw on the jar. The lid just pops off. The sippy cup accessory wasn’t a problem though.
So sorry to hear that the BNTO didn’t work for you! I had that problem with one ring, but when I tried it with another one, it worked fine.
Folks, buy Jiffy PB to go. They fit perfectly into a Mason jar. So much cheaper and you get PB plus 8 plastic containers for ubder $4.00!
What size mason jar. I cannot find one to fit this miw
They fit wide mouth pints, pint & half, and quarts.