Identical mechanism for entry and exit.
July 25, 2012 4:39 PM Subscribe
It made me hungry.
posted by cjorgensen at 4:46 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by cjorgensen at 4:46 PM on July 25, 2012
"All you have to do is basically make sushi, and then something something cylinder SUSHEZIIII!"
posted by threeants at 4:49 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by threeants at 4:49 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
I surely didn't wince at her pronunciation of "nori". It made me think of my son's recent comment after watching a commercial for kara'age mix on Japan TV, "English people can't say Japanese right." (his word for all non-Japanese)
It's a neat idea, but the rolls just come out too round - they look fake to me.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:50 PM on July 25, 2012
It's a neat idea, but the rolls just come out too round - they look fake to me.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:50 PM on July 25, 2012
That's a thin cut. Looks more like kimbap.
posted by cazoo at 4:51 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by cazoo at 4:51 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I was all prepared to hate this, but now I kind of want one. Considering that my last batch of sushi ended up looking like something out of a Dali painting, I'll take any advantage I can get.
posted by specialagentwebb at 4:52 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by specialagentwebb at 4:52 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
Making sushi rice is actually not all that easy.
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:55 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:55 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
The end product looks really nice, but the stage in the middle reminds me not of making food, but of leaving it behind, if you knowhutimean.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 4:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Making sushi rice is actually not all that easy.
The video didn't look like sushi rice to me but just rice straight from the cooker. Of course, unvinegared rice is sadly common in the US.
We usually cheat at home by using 合わせ酢.
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
And a partner to fan.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:57 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
The video didn't look like sushi rice to me but just rice straight from the cooker. Of course, unvinegared rice is sadly common in the US.
We usually cheat at home by using 合わせ酢.
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
And a partner to fan.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:57 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Get bamboo rolling mat. That's what they're for. You don't even have to oil them because you make the sushi on the nori then roll it up with the mat. DONE, BOOM.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:11 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:11 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
I can make this in my own hime, yes?
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 5:11 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 5:11 PM on July 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
Fo' sheezee.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:12 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Pecinpah at 5:12 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
"You'll become a sushi expert instantly."
No, I'll become someone who can make a passable imitation of mall foodcourt sushi. It will not make me anything like Jiro Ono.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:13 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
No, I'll become someone who can make a passable imitation of mall foodcourt sushi. It will not make me anything like Jiro Ono.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:13 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
I've never made sushi before, but this strikes me as taking care of probably one of the least difficult tasks during prep. Are bamboo mats really that hard to work with?
posted by indubitable at 5:13 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 5:13 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've never made sushi before, but this strikes me as taking care of probably one of the least difficult tasks during prep.
This is an informercial thing.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:16 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
This is an informercial thing.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:16 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
This thing really does not look like it makes it any easier to make sushi. More consistent, perhaps. Less dignified, certainly. More convenient? No.
How much do they want for this stupid thing?
posted by Scientist at 5:17 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
How much do they want for this stupid thing?
posted by Scientist at 5:17 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
I think they missed a chance to call it the Sush-O-Matic.
posted by carter at 5:20 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by carter at 5:20 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
That device sure does bear a hell of a resemblance to a device with a decidedly different purpose. (Mildly NSFW audio.)
posted by griphus at 5:20 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by griphus at 5:20 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
As kitchen tools go, this one isn't too bad, but in my very-limited-but-not-too-bad-for-a-white-guy experience with home made sushi, the consistency of the rice and using freshfreshfresh ingredients are more critical than the actual rolling. Oh, and having an amazingly sharp knife - that's pretty damn important, too.
posted by mosk at 5:22 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mosk at 5:22 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
The first time I ever made makizushi I sat at a table with some friends and started rolling them out. The first three were kind of rough, but after that they just went perfectly. Friends ate the mistakes and the good ones alike, proclaimed it a success. So don't buy this gadget, just invite some friends over and make a pot of sushi rice. Ganbatte!
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 5:25 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 5:25 PM on July 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'd hit it.
posted by bardic at 5:33 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bardic at 5:33 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
So now we're just posting late-night commercials, pimping a product?
I can just turn on my TV if I want to see stuff like this.
posted by Malor at 5:39 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I can just turn on my TV if I want to see stuff like this.
posted by Malor at 5:39 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
"So now we're just posting late-night commercials, pimping a product?"
Shut up dad!
posted by bardic at 5:43 PM on July 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
Shut up dad!
posted by bardic at 5:43 PM on July 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
i just ordered one, but i told the guy on the phone to just go ahead and throw it out for me, so i could save myself the trouble of digging it out of my bottom kitchen drawer four years from now and carrying it to the trash.
posted by facetious at 5:44 PM on July 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by facetious at 5:44 PM on July 25, 2012 [10 favorites]
>Making sushi rice is actually not all that easy.
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
You have never made sushi rice under the stern, unforgiving and watchful of Mrs. KokuRyu.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:48 PM on July 25, 2012 [18 favorites]
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick.
You have never made sushi rice under the stern, unforgiving and watchful of Mrs. KokuRyu.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:48 PM on July 25, 2012 [18 favorites]
My son just watched the vid. "Dude. Makisu for Dummies!"
posted by MissySedai at 5:49 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by MissySedai at 5:49 PM on July 25, 2012
If they could combine it with a Fleshlight I think we'd have world peace.
posted by bardic at 5:59 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bardic at 5:59 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
You know what would go good with this? Hot wine.
posted by hal9k at 6:02 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hal9k at 6:02 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Man, that Tenga Flip Hole ad that griphus posted is practically an FPP in itself. It's just... OK, I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are ads for sex toys on YouTube. And I know that male masturbation toys exist, and I guess I see why although I've never wanted one myself. But... the seriousness... the terrible music... the overpriced disposability and upselling... the obsessive, pointless detail complete with overwrought terminology invented just for the ad... it's a real masterpiece, that ad. If you're not at work, I highly recommend it as a mindfuck.
posted by Scientist at 6:05 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Scientist at 6:05 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
I just tried to describe this to my roommate and I got as far as "plunge-" and he started yelling, "what, bamboo sheets are too complex for you?! jesus!"
So, grade A++ on "how to bug roommie with the existence of useless things", thanks mefi!
posted by Mizu at 6:19 PM on July 25, 2012
So, grade A++ on "how to bug roommie with the existence of useless things", thanks mefi!
posted by Mizu at 6:19 PM on July 25, 2012
Also, I love sushi rice and just want to eat it straight, sans-toppings. (Okay maybe some sesame and nori flake and bonito sprinkles...) But I ask you, oh great denizens of the Blue, what are your recipes for sushi rice? I can never seem to get it quite right. And I know it's not an "import the Japanese ingredients" issue because the place down the road that has amazing rice is all big on the using local sustainable ingredients thing. It must be a ratio thing! Or a temperature thing? Please teach this poor ignorant soul.
posted by Mizu at 6:22 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by Mizu at 6:22 PM on July 25, 2012
So, yeah, if any of you out there in Metafilter land can instruct us on how to make perfect sushi rice, I think this would be an excellent thread to do that.
Please?
posted by louche mustachio at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2012
Please?
posted by louche mustachio at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2012
You're still assembling and rolling it. I don't understand how this helps you at all. It's MORE work.
posted by Malice at 6:32 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Malice at 6:32 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yes, you use the singing elephant for rice just as gilrain says. It transformed our household, it can transform yours. And buy the good rice from the Asian grocery. And rinse it well.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2012
It's a dessert topping AND a floor cleaner
posted by gwint at 6:45 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by gwint at 6:45 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
It's easy to mock this kind of thing, but it's not unlike similar sushi-making contraptions that plenty of Japanese folks use already. In fact, is this Japanese? Wouldn't surprise me. Sure, any traditional sushi chef will sneer at this, but for most housewives, they'd first giggle then give it a try.
The traditional way to make (roll) sushi at home is with a bamboo mat like this. Wrap your sushi up in it and press in a roll, though my wife makes it more rectangular than round. Not that it matters. The Sushezi just adds a few levels of complexity under the guise of convenience, but I don't see a problem with it.
Most Japanese folks don't make sushi at home, not regularly anyway. People go out to eat sushi, generally. Getting the rice down is tricky, yes, but getting good sashimi can be equally tricky, especially if you are farther from the coasts up in the mountains. Restaurants will generally have better fish than the supermarkets, pluse its all prepared and competition makes the prices pretty cheap, so people will just gravitate there instead of making it at home.
posted by zardoz at 6:50 PM on July 25, 2012
The traditional way to make (roll) sushi at home is with a bamboo mat like this. Wrap your sushi up in it and press in a roll, though my wife makes it more rectangular than round. Not that it matters. The Sushezi just adds a few levels of complexity under the guise of convenience, but I don't see a problem with it.
Most Japanese folks don't make sushi at home, not regularly anyway. People go out to eat sushi, generally. Getting the rice down is tricky, yes, but getting good sashimi can be equally tricky, especially if you are farther from the coasts up in the mountains. Restaurants will generally have better fish than the supermarkets, pluse its all prepared and competition makes the prices pretty cheap, so people will just gravitate there instead of making it at home.
posted by zardoz at 6:50 PM on July 25, 2012
Awesome, easy rice:
1. rinse your rice a billion times
2. zojirushi
3. this. Perfect seasoning, without any need to worry about screwing up the awesome moisture level that step 2.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:52 PM on July 25, 2012
1. rinse your rice a billion times
2. zojirushi
3. this. Perfect seasoning, without any need to worry about screwing up the awesome moisture level that step 2.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:52 PM on July 25, 2012
[made]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:53 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:53 PM on July 25, 2012
I am not eating anything that I personally have extruded.
posted by Flunkie at 6:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 6:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
Pro Tip: use a Play-Doh Fun Factory instead, and you can get 10 different-shaped sushis!
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:57 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:57 PM on July 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
There's always an alternative device called the MakiSushiki or another one Sushi Magic.
Or if you're really really lazy, you can go straight for the pre-made Sushi Popper.
posted by reiichiroh at 6:58 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Or if you're really really lazy, you can go straight for the pre-made Sushi Popper.
posted by reiichiroh at 6:58 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I wonder, completely theoretically, if it is possible to re-purpose the Sushezi for making single-serving jelly rolls.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:03 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:03 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Getting good rice is pretty important. The stuff in the supermarket is just going to cut it. We're lucky in that we live in a region with a lot of expat Japanese folks, so there are a couple of excellent Japanese grocery stores here.
We get Koshihikari grown in Texas, but it just doesn't taste the same as the Koshihikari back in Fukui (the birthplace of the Koshihikari strain of rice).
We used to run a cram school (an after-school and Saturday school where we helped kids prep for entrance exams) and our students would give us 50kg bags of unpolished rice, all grown within a 5 minute drive of where we lived in the country.
So, yeah, it is tough to make sushi rice outside of Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:14 PM on July 25, 2012
We get Koshihikari grown in Texas, but it just doesn't taste the same as the Koshihikari back in Fukui (the birthplace of the Koshihikari strain of rice).
We used to run a cram school (an after-school and Saturday school where we helped kids prep for entrance exams) and our students would give us 50kg bags of unpolished rice, all grown within a 5 minute drive of where we lived in the country.
So, yeah, it is tough to make sushi rice outside of Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:14 PM on July 25, 2012
Extrude your own sushi.
Is that what they're calling it now?
posted by anothermug at 7:33 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Is that what they're calling it now?
posted by anothermug at 7:33 PM on July 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
And how does one get Nori that doesn't have Fukushi output in it in?
posted by rough ashlar at 7:45 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by rough ashlar at 7:45 PM on July 25, 2012
A major thing I've noticed about American versions of maki is that there's a TON of rice. Like, way too much rice. There's no "normal size" for maki sushi rolls; it's a thin layer of rice and whatever stuff you put in the middle of it. Which this device cannot accommodate.
And yeah, bamboo mats are easy to learn. You can even wrap them in plastic cling wrap for less stickiness.
You can also spread rice on the bamboo mat, play on a piece of nori, then your fillings. Roll for inside-out maki.
Tip: keep a big tall pitcher/vase filled with fool water. Dip your slicing knife in it to wet, before you slice pieces off of the roll. Re-wet when the knife starts getting sticky.
posted by porpoise at 7:53 PM on July 25, 2012
And yeah, bamboo mats are easy to learn. You can even wrap them in plastic cling wrap for less stickiness.
You can also spread rice on the bamboo mat, play on a piece of nori, then your fillings. Roll for inside-out maki.
Tip: keep a big tall pitcher/vase filled with fool water. Dip your slicing knife in it to wet, before you slice pieces off of the roll. Re-wet when the knife starts getting sticky.
posted by porpoise at 7:53 PM on July 25, 2012
(oh yeah, the more you use the bamboo mat the more "non-stick" it'll get, kind of like with cast iron; oils and such get imbued into the wood and cordage and makes it easier to roll with)
posted by porpoise at 7:54 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by porpoise at 7:54 PM on July 25, 2012
The makisushiki actually makes hako zushi, which is the original form of sushi.
We use a press for making onigiri for our kids' lunches, but for some reason I hesitate about this gadget.
Apropos of this discussion, Mrs. Tanizaki and friends has a meal of zaru soba and kakiage waiting for me when I came home tonight.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2012
We use a press for making onigiri for our kids' lunches, but for some reason I hesitate about this gadget.
Apropos of this discussion, Mrs. Tanizaki and friends has a meal of zaru soba and kakiage waiting for me when I came home tonight.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2012
Working in a youth hostel years ago, I was charged with finding a few more activities to make available to guests. I canvassed the staff and one guy -- the redoubtable Daisuke, a Japanese national and former sushi chef -- suggested he could teach a class in how to prepare sushi. I said I thought it sounded like an excellent idea and asked him to give some thought to what kind of prep work was needed. Specifically, I said, we would need to estimate the costs involved for the raw materials.
Daisuke kept putting off the work and despite my bugging him once every week or two for a couple of months, never furnished an estimate. After about my sixth time asking, just to put an end to my bugging him he gave a brilliant response in his charmingly erratic English: "I think it will cost approximately not very much."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:33 PM on July 25, 2012
Daisuke kept putting off the work and despite my bugging him once every week or two for a couple of months, never furnished an estimate. After about my sixth time asking, just to put an end to my bugging him he gave a brilliant response in his charmingly erratic English: "I think it will cost approximately not very much."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:33 PM on July 25, 2012
I've always had really good results with Alton Brown's Sushi Rice recipe, but we add some kombu to the rice when we are boiling it.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 8:34 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by WinnipegDragon at 8:34 PM on July 25, 2012
Hmm, it appears to be a Play Dough Sushi Extruder. It should be sold with this.
posted by DrMew at 9:06 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by DrMew at 9:06 PM on July 25, 2012
And how does one get Nori that doesn't have Fukushi output in it in?
The majority of the world's nori comes from China a country that has a, shall we say, less than stellar reputation for food safety. Anyway, nori is not normally associated with Fukushima - you need sheltered inlets and bays for that, and the Fukushima coastline is exposed to the Pacific.
Before 3/11, a lot of nori came from Iwate to the north, which has coastline of fjords and coastlines. The tsunami wiped out most of the aquaculture production up there. Japanese nori these days would come from Nagasaki and Kumamoto, far, far to the southwest.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:39 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
The majority of the world's nori comes from China a country that has a, shall we say, less than stellar reputation for food safety. Anyway, nori is not normally associated with Fukushima - you need sheltered inlets and bays for that, and the Fukushima coastline is exposed to the Pacific.
Before 3/11, a lot of nori came from Iwate to the north, which has coastline of fjords and coastlines. The tsunami wiped out most of the aquaculture production up there. Japanese nori these days would come from Nagasaki and Kumamoto, far, far to the southwest.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:39 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
I got one of these for Xmas last year, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I'm already proficient "enough" with a bamboo mat to make the rolls without it. Getting the rice right is still where I fall down.
However if anyone is making a Star Wars costume and wants a ready-made lightsaber handle the Sushezi is pretty damn good.
posted by dumbland at 9:54 PM on July 25, 2012
However if anyone is making a Star Wars costume and wants a ready-made lightsaber handle the Sushezi is pretty damn good.
posted by dumbland at 9:54 PM on July 25, 2012
Blazecock Pileon: " Making sushi rice is actually not all that easy.
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick."
And rice. I use rice.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
Rice vinegar and sugar are the trick."
And rice. I use rice.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:56 PM on July 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
Mats and this machine is harder than just using your hands. It's really not hard at all. Practice on about four rolls and you'll get it pretty quickly.
posted by Malice at 11:48 PM on July 25, 2012
posted by Malice at 11:48 PM on July 25, 2012
They should've made it 4 feet long and called it the sushi bazooka.
posted by orme at 1:57 AM on July 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by orme at 1:57 AM on July 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
But can it make ISO rolls? I can make Makizushi just fine, but I can never get ISO rolls to come out right.
posted by alby at 3:06 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by alby at 3:06 AM on July 26, 2012
They should've made it 4 feet long and called it the sushi bazooka.
And now I want one so I can chase my husband around kitchen whilst yelling "Say hello to my leeetle friend!"
But seriously, I'm sure I saw a US version of this (or something very similar ) YEARS ago that included some crap plastic dishware and a cheap-looking "sushi" knife and various other cruft.
I've always liked the idea of this one. If all else fails, you could roll a humungous blunt with it.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:43 AM on July 26, 2012
And now I want one so I can chase my husband around kitchen whilst yelling "Say hello to my leeetle friend!"
But seriously, I'm sure I saw a US version of this (or something very similar ) YEARS ago that included some crap plastic dishware and a cheap-looking "sushi" knife and various other cruft.
I've always liked the idea of this one. If all else fails, you could roll a humungous blunt with it.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:43 AM on July 26, 2012
Woah, I bet you could totally sell this in Japan. No, seriously, Japanese people love this kind of shit
posted by dubitable at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by dubitable at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2012
I like adding kombu to the rice while it cooks also. I use a rice cooker (sadly, not a singing elephant type, though I will remedy this posthaste) and then spread it out, season, gentle mix, and FAN! FAN! FAN! until it's lukewarm.
I personally love using cream cheese in my rolls (shut it) and would much rather locate an easy to clean extruder for that than for the roll itself. Otherwise, I just put it in the fridge and then slice it into weird, blobby lengths of cream cheese rope. It's...not pretty.
posted by custardfairy at 7:30 AM on July 26, 2012
I personally love using cream cheese in my rolls (shut it) and would much rather locate an easy to clean extruder for that than for the roll itself. Otherwise, I just put it in the fridge and then slice it into weird, blobby lengths of cream cheese rope. It's...not pretty.
posted by custardfairy at 7:30 AM on July 26, 2012
I always follow Maki's instructions for making rice on her (often Japanese-centric) food blog Just Hungry.
She also has a great guide to onigiri-making on her companion blog Just Bento.
posted by Baethan at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2012
She also has a great guide to onigiri-making on her companion blog Just Bento.
posted by Baethan at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2012
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