If you make sushi at home, you’ve likely got the basics: rice cooker and paddle, bamboo rolling mats, long razor-sharp knife and 25-pound bag of high-grade polished sushi rice. But if you’re looking for a few items to enhance your game a little more, check out these sushi accessories that are sure to come in legitimately handy. We’re especially digging gadgets that will help you sideline the often-lengthy process of making traditional maki rolls. It’s not cheating, you just want good sushi without going to a restaurant or undertaking a seven-year formal education — totally understandable.
Sushi Shark, $34.99 (photo above)
The only bad thing about this hand-painted ceramic shark sushi platter is that you’ll start wishing all soy sauce dish opened wide to display pointy teeth.
Sushi Stackers, $19.99 for a set of three
These handy molds are for nights when you don’t want to bother with nori or rolling mats but still need to experience the magic that happens when tuna meets avocado, rice and sesame seeds. Layer your ingredients in, tamp down lightly and invert, sandcastle-style, for an aesthetically pleasing “sushi stack” that will hit the spot.
One great way to avoid misshapen maki rolls is to make temaki, or hand rolls, instead. This conical rolls are eaten in two bites instead of one and are much easier to manage for the amateur sushi-maker. You can make them into cylinders, too, as many higher-end sushi restaurants do, but they’ll slide right through this nifty device, meant to hold up to three of your homemade creations while their intended recipients get their act together. Holding them upright takes pressure off the seam. Traditionally, the roll is meant to go from the chef’s hand to yours, so eat it while the nori is crunchy, folks!
Soy Paper Wraps, $11.99 for 20
Nori-less sushi exists, thanks to soy paper. This edible wrap adds a pop color to your maki, without that delicious seaweed flavor that…so many sushi fans…hate? Nevertheless, try your hand at rolling with this strong, flexible stuff and enjoy making up a new name for your soy paper maki. May we suggest the Food RollPublic?
There is no other name for this odd-looking device. Other makers (and there are a lot of them) also call this device sushi a bazooka. We can’t think of a better name, can you? Load in your rice and ingredients, press the halves together and slide the roll out. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or roll in nori for inside-out and out-side in rolls, and wash in the dishwasher — no rolling mat necessary.
When dining at a sushi restaurant, highest-quality artisanal soy sauce or shoyu is typically not an option. This small-batch cold-smoked shoyu will add salt, umami and depth to your sushi. Try it in all kinds of Asian cuisine where a splash of soy sauce is welcome, from Chinese tomato eggs to steamed clams with soy butter.
Stainless Steel Soy Sauce Dispenser, $19.99
Soy sauce doesn’t really go bad (in fact, aging it has benefits). Buy a gallon of good-quality soy sauce and use it to fill up a handy cruet dispenser for your everyday cooking and seasoning needs. Leave the small-batch smoked stuff for dipping and finishing. Boom, less waste, lower cost, sexy-looking dispenser.
Wasabi seeds, $4.99 for a packet of 200
Fresh, authentic wasabi — none of that paste in a tube — is surprisingly easy to grow from seeds, or you can buy young plants online. The leaves are delicious in salads, peppery and zingy like arugula.
And if you’re growing your own wasabi, you’ll need something to grate it on. This works well for pulping ginger for juice too, which you’ll likely need at some point for dipping sauces and marinades. And juices, frankly!
You don’t know how to mold sushi rice for nigiri, and that’s okay! You haven’t been studying the art of hand-pressing those perfect rice pads for years…but you do have a fresh hunk of sashimi-grade salmon looking for a new home. It’s sturdy, the reviews are great and you just saved yourself about 20 minutes and plenty of grief and errant sticky grains of rice.
Dhow-Style Sushi Boat, $121.28
Here’s a really awesome boat that can pull double-duty as your kids’ Lego pirate ship. Just disinfect it thoroughly before using to serve all this incredible homemade sushi you’ve been churning out at record pace. It’s an exact replica of a dhow, the style of trading ship that sailed on the Indian Ocean and Red Sea way back in the day, and puts those rickety pine dinghies you find at sushi restaurants to absolute shame.
