A few people have asked me to teach them how I make obento. There is tons of information on the Internet about how to do all kinds of bento-related stuff, but since a number of people have asked and I like helping, I'm happy to oblige that request. I will start with the most basic thing you need to do, and that's how to set up your kitchen for successful obento making.

( Lesson 1: Obento Set-up )

I ran out of caster sugar and, being the texture snob that I am, decided to try out alternative sweeteners in my tamagoyaki.

Honey version
Instead of sugar and mirin, use about 1 teaspoon of honey per egg (dissolve the honey in warm water to get a mirin-like consistency). This worked out pretty well but, as expected, the honey caused the egg to stick to the pan a lot more than the sugar did. I had to use a lot more oil, so the tops of the eggs browned more than I like. I suppose I could solve this issue by turning down the heat on the pan. I also left out the soy sauce this time and just used it as a condiment. The result was tasty, but I think I prefer the eggs with soy sauce.

Maple syrup version
Same as the honey version, only maple syrup burns a little faster than honey so you have to eagle-eye the eggs to make sure they don't get charred. Also you need less water to achieve mirin's consistency with maple syrup. This version reminded me too much of breakfast. If I make them again it will be for that purpose. They were pretty good, though!

Tamago troubleshooting
If you are insistent on having your eggs turn out as yellow as possible, splurge on the light-colored soy sauce. Obviously it makes a huge difference. Also, the strainer idea (pouring the egg mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before cooking them) works to keep white splotches to a minimum. Finally, the first bunch of times you make tamagoyaki the roll will probably not be very tight. The goal is to have your layers of egg be as thin as possible and the roll should be as tight as possible without mushing up the eggs. This takes a lot of practice, but once you get it you will be very happy with the results. The consistency of the roll has a huge effect on the experience of eating it. It's very tricky to get it just right (I'm still working on it, heh) which is why tamagoyaki is considered the "ultimate test" of a sushi chef.