Tools

Very little equipment is needed to make sashimi other than a good-quality knife. Sushi, too, can be successfully made with only a few simple kitchen tools. To cook the rice, you can either use an electric rice cooker or a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid. Once the rice is cooked, it is spread out in a tray to cool. Traditionally a fan is used to cool the rice. When the rice has cooled, the dressing is added. There are special rice paddles, usually wooden, that are designed to separate the grains without crushing them but a spatula does the same job. Lastly, you’ll need a bamboo sushi mat for rolling the sushi. These are inexpensive and are sold in Asian grocery stores — there really is no substitute.