{"id":1376,"date":"2015-08-30T22:16:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T05:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/?p=1376"},"modified":"2022-07-21T13:38:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T20:38:27","slug":"very-japanese-cooking-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1378\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\" alt=\"main2\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Have you ever been to a Japanese supermarket and gone to the kitchenware section? Maybe you were looking for chopsticks or a good knife or a bamboo mat to roll your own <em>sushi?<\/em> I&#8217;ll bet you came across some strange looking paraphernalia that caught your eye, and you wondered, &#8220;what the heck is that for?&#8221; If you think some American kitchen gadgets are pretty strange, take a look at some of these inventions that were made specifically to do a task needed for Japanese cuisine. If you get serious about going Japanese, you gotta get one of these!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rice Washer<\/strong> There&#8217;s no way you would know that the device above is for washing rice if you saw this tool all by itself. The plastic helix-shaped whisk even unfolds so it can be washed thoroughly from the inside-out. Not only does it save chapped hands, it&#8217;ll save your nails too, when faced with this almost daily chore in a typical Japanese household.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/gyozapress.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/gyozapress.jpg\" alt=\"gyozapress\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><\/strong><strong>The <em>Gyoza<\/em> Press<\/strong> Homemade potstickers anyone? This clamp crimps the dough to make perfect little potstickers. Just lay the wafer-like dough on the press, fill with filling, and fold over. Beats making a lopsided one by hand, right?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/eggmold.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1384 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/eggmold.jpg\" alt=\"eggmold\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Egg Molds<\/strong> Create animal shaped eggs for your kids&#8217; <em>bento<\/em> lunches! Boil an egg, place in mold when still hot, then close. Leave in cold water for a few minutes while your egg cools, and out pops a hard boiled egg bunny!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/fishroaster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1390 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/fishroaster.jpg\" alt=\"fishroaster\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Fish Roaster<\/strong> This handheld grill is made to roast fish on your stove top, which many Japanese families do, instead of over a charcoal grill. It does a remarkably nice job&#8211;just keep your vent fan on high!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/donabe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/donabe.jpg\" alt=\"donabe\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Donabe<\/strong><\/em> This earthenware pot is usually used to cook hot pot dinners on a hot plate at the dining table. These pots can be fairly expensive and very exquisite, especially the authentic Japanese ones handcrafted by artisans. They&#8217;re as much a tabletop centerpiece as they are a cooking vessel. Here&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/recipe\/-i-chanko-nabe-i-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><em>Chanko-nabe<\/em> recipe<\/span><\/a> from the Zojirushi site.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/omelet.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1395\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/omelet.jpg\" alt=\"omelet\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Omelet Pan<\/strong> This rectangular pan is used specifically to cook omelets in this shape. They are then rolled and sliced into the egg toppings for <em>sushi.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/takoyakipan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1397\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/takoyakipan.jpg\" alt=\"takoyakipan\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Takoyaki<\/em> Maker<\/strong> No, this does not cook eggs, even though it looks like it. Each cavity in this unique pan makes a ball of batter flavored with chunks of octopus, known as <em>takoyaki, <\/em>or octopus balls. The doughy snack is a favorite of <em>Osaka.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/onigiri.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1398\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/onigiri.jpg\" alt=\"onigiri\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Onigiri<\/em> Mold<\/strong> In the old days, homemakers used to be adept at shaping rice balls into triangular shapes without the aid of a mold. My Mom used to make them this way, and the one advantage was that she would dust her hands with salt so she could flavor our <em>onigiri.<\/em> But you can&#8217;t beat modern conveniences, can you?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/scaler.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/scaler.jpg\" alt=\"scaler\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Fish Scaler<\/strong> You may never find one of these in an American kitchen, but many home cooks scale and clean their own fish in Japan, where it is often bought whole and fresh at the market.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/okonomiyaki.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1404\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/okonomiyaki.jpg\" alt=\"okonomiyaki\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Okonomiyaki<\/em> Spatulas<\/strong> These odd looking spatulas were created specifically for flipping <em>okonomiyaki,<\/em> sometimes known as Japanese style pancakes. Usually used in pairs so you can get underneath both sides of the pancake, you deftly flip the whole thing when one side is done cooking. Also used to slice it up into smaller pieces. You can find a Zojirushi recipe for <em>okonomiyaki<\/em> <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/recipe\/-i-okonomiyaki-i-with-shrimp-i-kansai-i-style\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/tsukemono.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/tsukemono.jpg\" alt=\"tsukemono\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Pickling Press<\/strong> Japanese pickles, known as <em>tsukemono,<\/em> used to be made in large ceramic pots. The vegetables, whether cucumbers or cabbage or eggplant or other, was placed in a pot with fermenting ingredients and pressed down by the weight of a heavy stone to get the excess liquid out. These modern presses are much easier and don&#8217;t require heavy lifting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/sukiyaki.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1410\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/sukiyaki.jpg\" alt=\"sukiyaki\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Sukiyaki<\/em> Pot<\/strong> Another tabletop favorite at Japanese households, especially when celebrating special occasions, is <em>sukiyaki.<\/em> This cast iron pot keeps the broth bubbling as it continuously cooks over the hot plate at the dining table. Try Zojirushi&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/recipe\/-i-sukiyaki-i-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><em>sukiyaki<\/em> recipe<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/bento.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1411\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/bento.jpg\" alt=\"bento\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Bento<\/em> Accessories<\/strong> You may think, &#8220;why do I need plastic grass?&#8221; but if you want to make authentic Japanese <em>bento,<\/em> you need plastic grass to separate the food inside your <em>bento<\/em> box. It&#8217;s used to keep the flavors from mingling and as a decoration. The tiny disposable vials are for soy sauce. Look, little fishies!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/katsuobushi.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/katsuobushi.jpg\" alt=\"katsuobushi\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Katsuobushi<\/em> Shaver<\/strong> A carpentry tool in the kitchen? No, but close to it. Cooks who take their <em>umami<\/em> seriously might insist on shaving their own dried bonito, otherwise known as <em>katsuobushi,<\/em> a prime ingredient of soup stock and source of the savory 5th taste known as <em>umami.<\/em> Smoked and dried bonito can be bought in chunks, which is then shaved into flakes with this wooden planing tool; or you can simply buy it by the bag at a grocery store. <em>Katsuobushi<\/em> is an important ingredient in Japanese cooking; see how to make your own soup stock <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/recipe\/-i-ichiban-dashi-i-japanese-broth-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Guess what? Almost all of these tools can be found at your local Asian supermarkets if you have one, and if you don&#8217;t, I&#8217;ve seen them online too. Part of what makes cooking fun is getting to use all these gadgets, right?<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos courtesy of: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/stores.ebay.com\/kunjiadaren?_dmd=2&amp;_nkw=potsticker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kunjiadaren<\/a><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kotobuki\/b\/ref=bl_dp_s_web_2595005011?ie=UTF8&amp;node=2595005011&amp;field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Kotobuki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">,<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kotobuki\/b\/ref=bl_dp_s_web_2595005011?ie=UTF8&amp;node=2595005011&amp;field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Kotobuki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kotobuki<\/a><\/span>,<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"> <a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/andrewyang\/3481407867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Andrew Yang<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/miyacompany.wordpress.com\/2011\/11\/30\/how-to-care-for-your-donabe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miya Company<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/japanese-kitchen.net\/tag\/takoyaki\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Japanese-Kitchen<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tastewiththeeyes.com\/2011\/08\/exquisite-side-miso-yaki-onigiri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TasteWithTheEyes<\/a><\/span>, Okutsu, <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youfoundkeke.com\/Kyuri-asazuke-pickled-cucumber\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouFoundKeke<\/a><\/span>, Ikenaga, &amp; <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ninben.co.jp\/katsuo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ninben<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever been to a Japanese supermarket and gone to the kitchenware section? Maybe you were looking for chopsticks or a good knife or a bamboo mat to roll your own sushi? I&#8217;ll bet you came across some strange looking paraphernalia that caught your eye, and you wondered, &#8220;what the heck is that for?&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-bert-san"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Very Japanese Cooking Tools - Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Very Japanese Cooking Tools\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you ever been to a Japanese supermarket and gone to the kitchenware section? Maybe you were looking for chopsticks or a good knife or a bamboo mat to roll your own sushi? I&#8217;ll bet you came across some strange looking paraphernalia that caught your eye, and you wondered, &#8220;what the heck is that for?&#8221; [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zojirushiusa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bert Tanimoto\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@zojirushiusa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@zojirushiusa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bert Tanimoto\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bert Tanimoto\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048dc5b37add8e3f985d9a72539db6c6\"},\"headline\":\"Very Japanese Cooking Tools\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\"},\"wordCount\":927,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"From Bert-san\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\",\"name\":\"Very Japanese Cooking Tools - Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Very Japanese Cooking Tools\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Zojirushi Food & Culture Blog\",\"description\":\"Treasuring Everyday Life\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zojirushi\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/zojirushi-logo-square-696x696-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/zojirushi-logo-square-696x696-1.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Zojirushi\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zojirushiusa\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/zojirushiusa\",\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zojirushiamerica\/\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ZojirushiAmerica\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048dc5b37add8e3f985d9a72539db6c6\",\"name\":\"Bert Tanimoto\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce8f846847361d2527a8a4815eaaf69f0c7c0537c8f2e5320548b9a500ff937c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce8f846847361d2527a8a4815eaaf69f0c7c0537c8f2e5320548b9a500ff937c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bert Tanimoto\"},\"description\":\"Oldish father (still) of two youngish (but now young adult) kids. Zojirushi enthusiast and professional writer. California resident with roots in Hawaii and Japan. Classic rock, popcorn movies, audio books, spam, sushi and cone filtered coffee. Guilty pleasures include donuts and pop bands like ABBA and Wham! Don't laugh, you should see my vinyl collection--I give hair bands and prog equal credit.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/author\/btanimoto\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools - Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools","og_description":"Have you ever been to a Japanese supermarket and gone to the kitchenware section? Maybe you were looking for chopsticks or a good knife or a bamboo mat to roll your own sushi? I&#8217;ll bet you came across some strange looking paraphernalia that caught your eye, and you wondered, &#8220;what the heck is that for?&#8221; [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/","og_site_name":"Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zojirushiusa","article_published_time":"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Bert Tanimoto","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@zojirushiusa","twitter_site":"@zojirushiusa","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bert Tanimoto","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/"},"author":{"name":"Bert Tanimoto","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048dc5b37add8e3f985d9a72539db6c6"},"headline":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools","datePublished":"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/"},"wordCount":927,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg","articleSection":["From Bert-san"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/","url":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/","name":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools - Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg","datePublished":"2015-08-31T05:16:42+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-21T20:38:27+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/main2.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zojirushi.zojirushi.com\/blog\/very-japanese-cooking-tools\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Very Japanese Cooking Tools"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/","name":"Zojirushi Food & Culture Blog","description":"Treasuring Everyday Life","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Zojirushi","url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/zojirushi-logo-square-696x696-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/zojirushi-logo-square-696x696-1.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Zojirushi"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zojirushiusa","https:\/\/x.com\/zojirushiusa","http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zojirushiamerica\/","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ZojirushiAmerica"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048dc5b37add8e3f985d9a72539db6c6","name":"Bert Tanimoto","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce8f846847361d2527a8a4815eaaf69f0c7c0537c8f2e5320548b9a500ff937c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce8f846847361d2527a8a4815eaaf69f0c7c0537c8f2e5320548b9a500ff937c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bert Tanimoto"},"description":"Oldish father (still) of two youngish (but now young adult) kids. Zojirushi enthusiast and professional writer. California resident with roots in Hawaii and Japan. Classic rock, popcorn movies, audio books, spam, sushi and cone filtered coffee. Guilty pleasures include donuts and pop bands like ABBA and Wham! Don't laugh, you should see my vinyl collection--I give hair bands and prog equal credit.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/author\/btanimoto\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1376"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6254,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1376\/revisions\/6254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}