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Make Your Own Sushi? Use A Rice Cooker?

Hmm. Saw another post here, generally on sushi, but figured I'd make my own as the subject mater is entirely different.


Several questions, as I really enjoy eating and would like to make my own.


1.) Do you use a rice cooker? I've been making short grain rice on the range and its a pain (cook on medium high until slow boil; raise to high for 2 minutes; drop to medium for 5 minutes; remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes; place a towel inside lid, recover and wait 10 minutes).


How do you like the end result?

2.) Sushi grade fish. It has nothing to do with freshness. You can catch a fish yourself, filet it on the boat, and you can still get the parasites and little beasties. Granted, that's rare, but the fish needs to be frozen to an appropriate temperature for an appropriate amount of time.
- Do you know of any fish that are less prone to the parasites?
 
Rice cooker all the way. Every sushi house or Asian person I know uses a rice cooker instead of a pot. My wife is Korean American and we make a LOT of rice, ALWAYS in a rice cooker. I buy my sushi tuna from my favorite sushi house, if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. My wife and I have made sushi rolls before and ended up fine, not as pretty but tasty.
 
I don't think any fish is less prone to parasites. The best thing to do is find a fish monger that is overly particular about their fish. When I was in culinary school I talke to the vender and he tipped me off to a spot that has really high standards. He is pricey but worth it. I also go to an asian grocery and on the weekend they pull out a whole tuna and break it down as you buy it.
 
No to the sushi question, yes to the rice cooker question. We use it almost exclusively for Thai Jasmine rice, occasionally we will use chicken stock intsead of water, or if we having Indian food, I will put saffron in the water.

Risotto however is the old fashioned way!
 
Do you know of any fish that are less prone to the parasites?

Salt water fish are less dangerous than fresh water fish.

I also would advise you to be VERY careful and make sure that your fish has either been inspected by someone who knows what to look for, and/or appropriately frozen.

I got sick from some infested sushi 10 years ago, that I got at a local supermarket. It was two months of living hell that I wouldn't want to ever repeat. My doctors could not figure out what was wrong, until the problem rectified itself.

It was almost as bad as kidney stones. Lost a bunch of weight though...
 
Long grain rice is easily made in a pot, a rice cooker for that is for those who don't know how to cook rice.

The stickier short grains used in sushi are not trivial to cook in a pot, hence why sushi houses use them. I can't argue with that.

As to making sushi at home, there is a reason it takes many years to be cleared as a full sushi chef in Japan. It isn't about learning to cut pieces of fish, a lot of it is learning how to look at fish an decide whether it is likely to have parasites.

In the US, the vast majority of documented sushi caused parasite infections are from home sushi, yet only a small fraction of the total sushi consumed is at home.

Think about it...
 
Now that I've owned and used a decent rice cooker, I will never cook rice in a normal pot again.

'nuff said.
 
I think that the FDA requires that fish that is sold to be eaten raw is first frozen for a week. That's the way to go--no point in getting some nasty parasites that will be with you long after the sushi is gone. I wouldn't feel cheated either. If you go to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo and buy some top grade tuna, it's going to be frozen too.
 
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