When I first became aware of the emphasis Japan placed upon the process of making sushi rice, I was baffled. I had made rice my whole life. It wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t difficult whatsoever. And here I was, hearing about chefs who train up to 10 years, learning how to be a professional sushi chef and a very large portion of this time is spent in learning how to get the rice for making sushi perfect.

I could not wrap my head around this concept. After all, it was just rice with a bit of vinegar and salt. How hard could it be?
But then, I had the opportunity to see a master sushi chef at work and I came to realize just how much attention to detail and deliberation is necessary to make it possible to make sushi that one can be proud of. I even had the opportunity to prepare the rice as well as the sushi and realized first hand, the intricacies involved in the process of sushi making. Today, I will share with you my experiences in the field of making sushi rice and why it is an art that truly does take a significant amount of time, patience and discipline to master.

We will also take a look at whether or not using a sushi maker can help achieve sushi that tastes delicious and stays true to its essence.

The Rice

The first step to the sushi making process is the rice. Rice comes in hundreds of different varieties so it is important to choose the strand of rice carefully prior to making sushi. Short to medium sized rice grains are used for this purpose. This is due to the fact that short grained rice usually has more gluten content and this adds to its sticky consistency allowing it to form the rice mold much easier. In addition to this, it also adds to the glossy sheen that is indicative of fresh high quality sushi. Polished white short-grain Japanese rice or medium-grain California rice would be great examples of this kind of rice. Sushi can be made using longer grain varieties but they tend to have a much smaller gluten content, leading to a lot less shine and difficulty in keeping the rice together when the sushi is made.

Making Sushi Rice

The process of making sushi rice seems simple at first but it requires a lot of subtle techniques and iterations upon reiterations to perfect. For example, the rice itself is washed over twelve times with gentle yet firm strokes, ensuring that the grains merely brush against each other instead of rubbing or scratching. The water is drained after each individual rinse and the process is repeated numerous times to ensure that the rice is as well prepared as possible. Some establishments also run their rice underneath a constant stream of water during this process to achieve this result.

Once this part of the preparation is complete, the next part of the process is to cook the sushi rice.

Cooking Sushi Rice

Rice that is meant to be used in Sushi requires a different method of cooking when compared to usual household rice.  It is usually cooked with lower water content as this allows for the sushi rice to be sticky without becoming overly mushy. It is a delicate balance that requires timing and precision to the dot. A difference of even 5 more seconds can alter the quality and consistency of the rice. It is small details like this that make sushi rice so special.

As such, it takes a significant amount of training and discipline to ensure that the sushi rice is prepared and cooked perfectly each and every time. Especially when it involves being produced in a restaurant during rush hour. Technique and experience go a long way in the culinary arts and are often overlooked in terms of importance. But sushi is a prime example of why that is so.

Seasoning the rice

Once the rice is cooked and taken out of the cooker, it is then immediately seasoned so as to allow for maximum moisture and flavor retention.
There are several recipes when it comes to seasoning sushi rice but the traditional and most popular one involves rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Some sushi rice recipes also involve the use of kelp or kombu to add a certain umami flavor to the rice. In this case, small bits of kelp are added to the water prior to the rice being cooked. Once the rice is cooked, it is then mixed with the ingredients mentioned above. However, their proportions need to be measured carefully depending upon the consistency and moisture content of the rice as well as the variety of the rice itself.

This is a skill that one achieves over years and years of training and repeated iterations. Extra care has to be taken that the sushi rice and the fish harmoniously blend together. The sushi rice must not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the fish, it must instead compliment it and often times contrast it. The knowledge and experience needed for understanding this takes many chefs several years of training.
This is where a sushi maker steps in. A sushi maker is capable of maintaining the texture, flavor, and consistency of the rice. The sushi maker does all this while being able to precisely divide the rice into bit sized nigiri sushi maker or flatten it into sheets for maki sushi rolls.
We will look more into the function of a sushi maker as well as how you can benefit by incorporating a sushi maker into your business as well.

If you’d like to learn more about our top of the line sushi maker machines, keep reading!

Want to know more? Here is a more detailed sushi rice recipe that you can easily follow along!

Making Sushi using a Sushi Maker

Despite these intricacies, please do not let yourself be discouraged. Delicious sushi is something that we can all indulge in and a sushi maker allows us to do exactly that. A sushi maker enables businesses and chefs to incorporate the precision and swiftness of a trained sushi chef with technology to deliver a truly unique experience. Allowing for this much flexibility also lets chefs focus on creative recipes, such as delicious and simple vegan sushi recipes. When it comes to combining the best of human ingenuity and mechanical swiftness and precision, there is no question that we at Top Sushi Maker do it best.
Feel free to peruse our sushi machine listing to get a better idea of what we offer and how you can incorporate a sushi maker into your business.
Top Sushi Maker boasts a diverse clientele from all over the world benefiting from their very own sushi maker, provide high quality to their customers and community.

Whether you wish to start a brand new sushi business or expand on an already existing one, we here at Top Sushi Maker would be more than happy to help find the perfect sushi maker that is perfectly suited for your business and its needs. If you wish to consult with us regarding a sushi maker then please do not hesitate to reach out to us via our contact page. Or just drop by the sushi maker product listing page to get an idea as to what we offer. We will be more than happy to assist you in finding the perfect sushi maker for your individual needs.