This is the final round of sushi roll making tournament. These sushi chefs are under a lot of pressure with their coworkers cheering as they are preparing each sushi plate. I’m not sure what prize the winner will get, but the recognition will be sure to go a long way. The tournament ended with no one losing his fingers.
Come to think of it this can be a good reality show idea in US.

Sushi Machines – The Silent Business Partner For Sushi Restaurants
By Justin Bryceand Melvin Wee

If you have gone to a sushi restaurant these days, you might have noticed the number of customers it serves. You might have wondered, too, how some three to four chefs working in the kitchen deliver the orders of the crowd in no time. You understand the complexity of sushi making, and then you begin to ask yourself: “How’d they do that?”

Most sushi restaurants nowadays have included specialized equipments in their kitchens. Whether it is a traditional, Japanese-style restaurant or a fast-food sushi bar, equipment such as the maki machine and nigiri robot are used to increase productivity, save time and labor costs.

It has been said that the pioneers of sushi-machines invented such equipment to mainly address the expansion of the industry. Sushi culture has spread wide across the globe, and the maki machines today need not be Japanese. Since everybody is learning the sushi making process and is venturing into the business, it is no doubt that these machines are of help to them.

Sushi machines come in various sizes and uses. A wrapping machine is used to wrap the rice in a nori sheet. In traditional method, you use the bamboo mat to press the nori into the stuffed rice. The main difference here is that, there is no direct contact of the hands meaning less work and faster production. Those who use sushi machines claim that compared to traditional methods, it is less messy and more hygienic, which doesn’t mean though, that sushi made by bare hands is unclean.

Another machine that is used in sushi making process is the sushi roll cutter. It cuts a maki roll into clean, equal slices. The traditional method of cutting maki is by using a sharp kitchen knife. Unlike the sushi roll cutter, there is occasionally a chance that the knife will jam the rice stuffing. Using the machine, the nori and the rice stuffing appears intact.

Still one of the sushi machines that are used today is the rice ball machine. This is used for making onigiri, a rice food that is different from sushi. By replacing the moulds, you can make several kinds of onigiri with this machine.

A number of sushi machines are designed for desktop-portable and space-saver. They are also great for home. Portable sushi machines, especially the maki machine, usually come in easy-to-use designs that even a child can operate them. On the other hand, industrial sushi making machines are the heavy-duty types used for mass-production of sushi. They are huge in size and can do thousands of pieces of sushi in an hour or less.

It seems that you can easily identify a machine-produced sushi from the traditional “hand-made” one. Occasionally, the rice falls out of the nori when turned over or dipped in soy sauce. It happens with the usual method, which may be the result of working in haste. Most machine-made sushi is intact even when they are dipped or flipped.

If you are planning to start a sushi business, it is best to familiarize yourself first with sushi making machines. They will give you good profit returns and help improve your sushi business.

Melvin Wee is so passionate about sushi making. He makes sure that every sushi is perfectly made, that is of course with the aid of sushi rice maker. Sushi rice maker and sushi rice machine makes beautiful sushis. Visit the Sushi Machine website for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Bryce

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Sushi Made Easy – Top 5 Tips to Making Authentic Sushi
By Maggie Tan

After all fattening ourselves with chocolates and bacon and lots of wine throughout the festive months, it is time to start thinking and eating healthy.

What better way than to try our palates on some sushi? If you are squeamish about raw fish, don’t worry. Sushi is much much more than raw fish. There are gorgeous California rolls, Avocado rolls and literally any kind of rolls that you can conjure which does not involve raw ingredients.

‘Credit Crunch’, I hear you say? Yes, indeed, I know just too well how expensive sushi is. I have been a victim to my addiction for sushi and had paid silly prices in sushi bars and restaurants. However, I have found a sure proof way to get around this problem.

I was lucky to be let into a little secret, which taught me just how easy it is to carve my own authentic sushi! I just have to share this secret with all Sushi Lovers.

It may sound unbelievable, but you are only 5 Steps away from dishing up an Authentic Looking and Tasting Sushi Platter.

5 Steps to the Perfect Sushi

1) Sushi Rice

This is the essentially the heart of sushi, so if you get this right, you are 80% to making the perfect sushi! It is therefore not surprising that Sushi Experts place so much emphasis on how to prepare Sushi Rice.

Unlike normal long grains, sushi rice grains are a lot starchier. Therefore, the rice grains have to be rinsed in clear water for about 5 times before actually cooking it.

Once the sushi rice has been cooked, loosen it with a wooden ladle and transfer it to a wooden (preferred) or glass bowl. Use a damp clean cloth to cover the bowl to prevent the sushi rice from losing moisture.

*Important* Never store sushi rice in the fridge as the sushi rice will lose its moisture and taste exactly like the hard and gunny sushi that you get from supermarkets or even some sushi restaurants and bars

2) Nori

Very often, we think of nori as just the seaweed sheet for rolling sushi. However, nori plays a very important role in delivering the flavour and aroma of sushi.

To get the most out of a nori, lightly toast it over the hob for 2 seconds. That will give it a crisp texture when you sink your teeth into the sushi roll. Toasted nori are also more aromatic.

Over handling of the nori is a mistake that many sushi amateurs made. Remember to wipe your hands dry before handling the nori and minimise touching the surface of the nori unnecessarily. This will prevent the nori from becoming damp and losing it crispiness.

3) Rolling the Roll

A pretty sushi looking sushi will whet a person’s appetite even before he/she bite into the sushi. Hence, care must be taken in rolling the sushi.

Rolling the sushi roll is actually not difficult. The key to this is not to overstuff the sushi with rice and ingredients. You want the sushi to look sufficiently pack, but not overflowing to the point that the nori is not large enough for all your contents.

A thin layer of sushi rice that covers the surface of the nori is sufficient. It may look very little when you spread the rice onto the nori, but once you add your strip of cucumber and carrot or other ingredients that you fancy and roll the sushi, the sushi will get its bulk.

The other trick is to always remember to leave 0.5 inch border on one length of the nori when you spread your sushi rice i.e. there should be a 0.5 inch border on one length of the nori that is not covered with sushi rice. This will allow the nori to sealed easily when you roll it

4) Cutting the Roll

Have you ever been amazed at how clean cut each piece of sushi looks in restaurants? If you drive a knife through a sushi roll and try to cut it, you will find it very hard to complete your sawing motion. This is because sushi rice is sticky, so the knife will not be able to move smoothly through the roll.

What you need is a sharpen knife so you can avoid excessive sawing motion and more critically, you need a slightly wet knife so that it will run smoothly through the roll. The knife needs to be lightly wet for every single cut.

5) Garnish & Decorations

When it comes to packaging, Japanese is King. It is no different when it comes to their local delicacy. What makes sushi so attractive is not just the colours in the sushi, but also the garnishing and decorations that goes with the sushi platter.

Of course it helps if you are an expert at vegetable carving, but in reality, how many of us are that proficient? That’s where play dough cutter comes into play. Just use small vegetable cutters to cut out flower from carrots and cucumbers. To give it more colours, you can use red, green or yellow capsicums as well. Even just strips of these colourful vegetables will spice up your platter tremendously.

Sushi is a very neat dish, so don’t scatter your garnishing all over, but place them neatly along side the sushi.

Just remember these tips and tricks and you can most certainly present a platter that’s of restaurant standard.

To find out more about how to make sushi, watch a video demonstration of making sushi and obtain more information about The Art of Sushi Dining and get more Sushi Recipes, visit http://www.HowtoMakeSushi.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maggie_Tan

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James Han, chef of Wild Fish in Seattle, teaches Sushi Monsters how to cut and plate sushi rolls! More info at http://www.sushimonsters.com

Kampai Roll: Spicy salmon over shrimp tempura and avocado.

Find a sharp knife and cut the roll all the way through, into individual pieces.
Experiment with different cutting orders and methods to find which works best for you.
Serve your sushi on a plate.
For less fragile rolls, pick up the sushi with both of your hands. This way, you can easily plate the sushi in a U shape or another shape with curves.

Tornado Roll

Here, the chef is cutting the sushi in half each time. This may eliminate the problem of ending up with two many pieces in the end.
When plating fragile rolls, grab the pieces one by one.
Arrange them on the plate in a staggered way.

Lion King: Spicy crab over shrimp tempura, avocado, and tomato.

The salmon is being seared.
Sushi roll pieces vary in width, but making each piece a little under 3/4 of an inch is a good place to start.
Picking up the roll at once makes curving the roll on the plate easy.
Tasteful application of sauces and garnish helps with presentation as well.