You are ready to cook Japanese food! But what are the essential utensils? Here is a list of 10 ideas of utensils for Japanese cooking, you will find them easily in Asian grocery stores or on the internet.
- 1- Japanese knives and whetstone
- 2- A rice cooker, a hangiri, a rice spatula and a fan.
- 3- A makisu, a bamboo mat
- 4- Japanese chopsticks ryoribashi
- 5- Square pan, takoyaki pan, donburi, wok…
- 6- Moulds, presses, cookie cutters
- 7- A mandolin
- 8- Fish scaler, fish bone tongs
- 9 -A teapot
- 10 – The basic accessories
- Where to get these utensils in Japan?
1- Japanese knives and whetstone
The Japanese knife is an indispensable utensil! There are several types of Japanese knives, here are some of them:
- Yanagiba, is a long asymmetrical knife particularly suitable for cutting sashimi
- Santoku is a versatile knife. It is used to cut meat as well as vegetables
- Usuba is a knife with a more square shape. It is used exclusively for cutting vegetables.
- Deba bocho is a knife used to lift fish fillets and cut them.
Which one to choose? To begin with, I recommend the santoku which is quite versatile, then the deba bocho for lifting your fish fillets.
Next to you, a sharpening stone is essential. Your knife must always be sharp to cut food. It’s like writing with a used pencil, it’s more precise and pleasant if it’s sharp!
It is important to know that these Japanese knives are made either for a right-handed person, a left-handed person or an ambidextrous person.
2- A rice cooker, a hangiri, a rice spatula and a fan.
In Japanese cooking, rice is omnipresent, so a rice cooker is very convenient because you don’t have to do much to cook rice. You can also make your own Japanese rice in a pot.
To finish the preparation of your Japanese rice, you have to spread it in a hangiria large flat wooden container. The rice spatula, made of wood or plastic, is used to mix the rice without crushing it. The fan is used to cool the rice and make it shiny. Finally, thehangiri is used to preserve the rice once cooked.
This last step is important and even crucial in the preparation of the rice because it is at this moment that you will obtain a glutinous, brilliant, light and tasty rice in mouth. You have to be rigorous and precise.
3- A makisu, a bamboo mat
A makisu 巻き簾 is a small bamboo mat that is used to roll up the maki during their preparation. You can also use it to spin vegetables like spinach or to compress the tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) to give it a square shape.
4- Japanese ryoribashi chopsticks
Chopsticks are used to eat but also to cook! Indeed, there are long Japanese chopsticks called ryoribashi. They are often used for frying and allow not to burn yourself and to turn the food in the hot oil… There are other slightly shorter ones called saibashi which are used to serve hot food.
5- Square pan, takoyaki pan, donburi, wok…
1 Square frying pan: This frying pan allows you to make tamagoyaki, those famous Japanese omelettes. It is not essential but practical all the same.
2 Takoyaki pan: This pan allows you to make small balls of “takoyaki” takoyaki. You can put the ingredients you want inside, to own if you are a takoyaki fan.
3 Donburi pan : The handle of this pan is vertical and allows you to make oyakodon, a rice dish on which you put a mixture of eggs and chicken.
4 A wok: Japanese recipes are inspired by Chinese recipes, many use the wok which is very useful to mix ingredients thanks to its wide and rounded bottom.
These pans are not essential but more adapted for certain recipes. You can always use your classic round pans.
6- Molds, presses, cookie cutters
If you are in a hurry and you want to make some bento for your children, plastic molds and cookie cutters exist and will save you a lot of time!
For the onigiri (rice balls) for example, the maki(rice balls), the gyoza (Japanese ravioli), original shapes, moulds for taiyaki (fish-shaped pastry)… in plastic or cast iron, we admit it is very practical and efficient!
Tip: You can moisten them so that the rice doesn’t stick to the mold, so you can unmold more easily.
7- A mandolin
The art of Japanese cooking is also in the cutting of the food. The mandolin will allow you to cut the food very finely, which will give your dish a fine taste and a very neat visual.
8- Fish scaler, fish bone tongs
In Japanese cuisine, fish takes an important place. The tongs will allow you to remove the bones and a fish scaler will make your life easier in the kitchen if you regularly have fish on the menu.
The latter is not essential because your fishmonger will be able to scale your fish for you, but the fish scaler is necessary.
What is more unpleasant than having a fishbone in your mouth! It spoils a meal.
9 -A teapot
Some Japanese savory recipes use brewed green tea as a base for dishes like chazuke. Note that green tea accompanies almost all Japanese dishes, so a teapot is essential.
10 – The basic accessories
A frying pan, a saucepan with a lid, a strainer, a salad bowl, kitchen scissors, a measuring cup, a mortar… The accessories you have will be very useful in Japanese cooking, if you have a food processor, a blender etc… then you will be very well equipped!
Having a wet cloth at your side will also be important because it will keep your hands wet when you handle the rice, it will also moisten your knife and clean it when cutting. Having wet hands helps the rice not stick.
And for the cooking enthusiasts, a wasabi grater is a plus! Fresh wasabi is a delight and nothing like the fluorescent green tubes we know.
Where to get these utensils in Japan?
You are going to Japan and want to get these utensils on the spot? A district in Tokyo will allow you to get these utensils, more exactly in the street of Kappabashi located between Ueno and Asakusa. You will easily recognize it thanks to the huge cook’s head sign on top of the building!
More than 200 stores sell restaurant utensils there, of course you can buy them! You will find everything, Japanese knives, chopsticks, bento boxes, molds, presses, those famous sampuru (plastic dish) … You will be delighted ! It is really a place to see !
