Japanese Kitchen Gadgets & Equipment

[prasantrin]

I do have a fish grill! But it's awfully small. I took a look at that page, and I couldn't understand all the instructions--how would you get the bottom of the crust crispy in a fish grill? Would you have to turn it over?

The nice thing about a pizza stone is that it will make the bottom of the crust crispy, too, because of the heat generated by the stone (I think that's how they work...)

I prefer the control of using an oven--I can set the temperature to what I need it to be, and I won't have to watch the pizza while it's cooking. But until I get a pizza stone (if I ever do), perhaps the fish grill will be the way to go!

[Hiroyuki]

I do have a fish grill!  But it's awfully small.  I took a look at that page, and I couldn't understand all the instructions--how would you get the bottom of the crust crispy in a fish grill?  Would you have to turn it over?

←

You're right!

If your grill is of a type that has a burner on top only (katamen yaki), then preheat the grill for 5 minutes, bake pizza for 1 minute, turn it over, put toppings on it, and grill for 3 minutes.

片面焼きグリルの場合、予熱は5分。ピザ生地の裏を1分焼いた後でトッピングをして、表を3分焼く。

If your grill is of a type that has burners on top and bottom (ryomen yaki), then preheat it for 2 minutes and put pizza in it and bake for 3 minutes and a half.

両面焼きグリルの場合、予熱を2分した後（熱いのでヤケドには十分ご注意ください）

焼き時間の目安は3分30秒。

Alternatively, how about this item?:

http://www.bidders.co.jp/pitem/4455231

Put it on the gas stove, and you can bake pizza at 300oC or higher.

[prasantrin]

Alternatively, how about this item?:

http://www.bidders.co.jp/pitem/4455231

Put it on the gas stove, and you can bake pizza at 300oC or higher.

←

Wow! That's like a pizza stone deluxe! Maybe I need that one, instead...it's a lot more, though (a set of 2 8" stones is about Y3000). But I could use it as an extra oven for baked potatoes while I'm roasting in my regular oven. Hmmm....must think more....

[Hiroyuki]

Alternatively, how about this item?:

http://www.bidders.co.jp/pitem/4455231

Put it on the gas stove, and you can bake pizza at 300oC or higher.

←

Wow! That's like a pizza stone deluxe! Maybe I need that one, instead...it's a lot more, though (a set of 2 8" stones is about Y3000). But I could use it as an extra oven for baked potatoes while I'm roasting in my regular oven. Hmmm....must think more....

←

Baked potatoes...? Is it understood that the three photos in the link above show three different kitchen items for cooking rice, baking pizza, and roasting sweet potatoes, respectively?

[prasantrin]

Baked potatoes...?  Is it understood that the three photos in the link above show three different kitchen items for cooking rice, baking pizza, and roasting sweet potatoes, respectively?

←

But you could still use the stovetop oven for things liked baked potatoes, other breads. roasted vegetables, etc. You could probably even use it for things like large prawns (my favourite Italian place uses their wood-burning oven to do prawns--and they're delicious!). After some practice, I'm sure you could even use it for making things like cakes (heavier ones, like pound cakes or quick breads). It's still an oven, though it doesn't have a precise temperature control.

[helenjp]

Hey that...err..."thing" would be great for making the kind of griddlecakes and muffins etc that used to be baked on griddles and hearthstones.

I've wondered for a while whether a pizza stone would be usable in a Japanese oven with a turntable...would it get hot enough? And if you preheated it at the top of the oven in the oven tray then put it on top of a ceramic turntable, would the turntable crack? Could you take the turntable off and just use the stone?? I'm hoping somebody *else* will experiment!

[Franci]

This is a good pizza oven and relatively cheap, I checked they don't have a distributor in Japan, only in Singapore:

Fornetto ferrari

[_john]

I'm looking for an oven. I've heard that they have this model at Costco. Can anyone confirm that, or does anyone know the Costco price? I hacked my toaster oven so that I can turn on and off the heating element whenever I want which helps create a wide range or temperatures but my super mini sourdough dinner rolls are no longer cutting it. That and I found cheap chickens at a bulk supermarket chain called Gyoumyou (I forget the kanji but it starts with 業). I want something cheap, big, and simple.

[torakris]

I'm looking for an oven. I've heard that they have this model at Costco. Can anyone confirm that, or does anyone know the Costco price? I hacked my toaster oven so that I can turn on and off the heating element whenever I want which helps create a wide range or temperatures but my super mini sourdough dinner rolls are no longer cutting it. That and I found cheap chickens at a bulk supermarket chain called Gyoumyou (I forget the kanji but it starts with 業). I want something cheap, big, and simple.

←

I am pretty sure I saw that oven at the Costco in Tokyo (actually Minami Osawa), I think it was even cheap closer to 20,000yen. My next trip to Costco is 3/6 if you haven't gotten it by then I can confirm the price.

[prasantrin]

It should be noted, however, that not all Costco stores carry the same stock. John's best bet is to get a guest pass (I think there is a 5% surcharge on non-member purchases), or a membership (a very affordable Y5000, and if you decide to cancel your membership they prorate and refund the rest), and check out the nearest Costco himself.

[torakris]

I'm looking for an oven. I've heard that they have this model at Costco. Can anyone confirm that, or does anyone know the Costco price? I hacked my toaster oven so that I can turn on and off the heating element whenever I want which helps create a wide range or temperatures but my super mini sourdough dinner rolls are no longer cutting it. That and I found cheap chickens at a bulk supermarket chain called Gyoumyou (I forget the kanji but it starts with 業). I want something cheap, big, and simple.

←

John,

I was curious about this oven so I popped it into Kakaku.com and one store is selling it for 20,622 yen. I just scanned it quickly but it looks like if you make a purchase over 10,000 yen the shipping is free, though there is a 300yen handling charge. You can also pay by most credit cards.

[_john]

I'm looking for an oven. I've heard that they have this model at Costco. Can anyone confirm that, or does anyone know the Costco price? I hacked my toaster oven so that I can turn on and off the heating element whenever I want which helps create a wide range or temperatures but my super mini sourdough dinner rolls are no longer cutting it. That and I found cheap chickens at a bulk supermarket chain called Gyoumyou (I forget the kanji but it starts with 業). I want something cheap, big, and simple.

←

John,

I was curious about this oven so I popped it into Kakaku.com and one store is selling it for 20,622 yen. I just scanned it quickly but it looks like if you make a purchase over 10,000 yen the shipping is free, though there is a 300yen handling charge. You can also pay by most credit cards.

←

that's excellent Kristin. Thanks for the info. I found it here for the same price. I wonder if those two sites are related. I think it also has free shipping because I proceeded to check out with it and there was no mention of shipping charges. It has a rotisserie too! On a side not the chickens at this super market are really nice. They come with neck, organs, and feet attached and are sold by weight. Most of them are around 700-800 yen. Good flavor as well. I'm excited to start baking again. I've been pouring over my copy of The Cheese Board: Collective Works (which I recommend for those who love cheese and bread) in anticipation.

[torakris]

John,

It is the same site. Kakaku just lists which stores sell them for the cheapest and the store you ordered from is the cheapest listed there.

I can't wait to hear how you like it.

[_john]

purchased.

i'll update when I get it and test it out.

[prasantrin]

I bought a pizza stone last December when I was back home, and I've used it exactly once. I set my oven to 250C, or 200C, I can't remember, and when the preheated beep when off, I assumed it meant the stone was hot, too. It didn't take my oven much longer to preheat than usual, but what do I know?

Well, the stone clearly wasn't hot enough, because when the pizza was done, the top was brown (just on the side of too brown for pizza), the bottom was still white!

Any ideas how long I should try preheating my pizza stone in my teeny tiny Japanese oven? Or how I can test if the stone is hot? I'm guessing I can't throw a big of water on it, so is there another way?

[Blether]

I don't have a stone, but I'm in Japan and bake pizza. I like the typical Tokyo Italian restaurant, thin crust / sparse topping style, and that's what I make at home.

When I read up about them, it seems one main point of the stone is that it doesn't get as hot as the temperature in the open oven. So, you bake with high temp above the pizza and a significantly lower temp below. You've probably noticed that if you simply bake on a plain metal tray, the bottom of the crust gets too crisp and your pizza's more like a big cracker.

My oven is a National dual microwave / electric oven with a big internal space and two shelf positions as well as the turntable at the bottom. It will preheat to 300C from cold, then maintain 250C. If the oven's already in use, the highest temperature you can select is 250C. For pizza, I gave up on the 300C as I wanted a set method that I can use for repeated bakings.

I don't have a stone. To keep the tray temperature down, I use two baking trays, one on top of the other, so that there's an air space between them (in my case about a quarter of an inch / 5 or 6mm; this has worked and I haven't tried other spacings). I preheat one tray, lay the pizza on the other (cold) using a sheet of baking paper to avoid any sticking problems, and when the oven is hot, simply lift the pizza-on-cold-tray onto the other tray, close the oven and hit 'start'. At 250C, seven or eight minutes bakes it beautifully - lightly browned round the upper, outer crust; lightly crisped but not hard, and not coloured, below; nicely cooked through.

That's my story. If you read around in eGullet, you'll find people pre-heating their stones for an hour and a half. Elsewhere I've seen 30 minutes suggested as sufficient.

Edited April 20, 2007 by Blether (log)

[helenjp]

What Blether says about times is about what I remember. I can't recall how long I preheated my cheap one either. Considering the price of electricity here, I leave the pizza stone in the oven while cooking something on the other shelf, and then in goes the pizza.

Then of course, it stays hot, so it's a waste to cook just one! With 2 teenage boys, cooking a single pizza is never an option.

The problem I find is that living in Japan, I just don't use my oven as often as I would if I were in a western country. That means that cooking 2-3 dishes in succession to make best use of oven time while preheating/using retained heat requires a big departure from my normal "heartful kitchen life" = it's a hassle. Hence, pizza stone stays in box...

[prasantrin]

I'm not willing to use the gas/electricity to preheat my oven for that long. I guess I'll have to wait until I make more no-knead bread, and stick my stone in at the same time (except I usually use the round rotating pan, so I'll have to see if the Le Creuset fits on the shelf pan).

So I hauled that heavy stone here for nothing? I'll try the double-pan/insulated method. That seems a bit easier and a bit less wasteful. And I've used my stone as a serving plate for my quiche, so I guess it wasn't entirely a waste bringing it over...

[GlorifiedRice]

Here are STOVETOP Pizza Stones:

http://www.fantes.com/soapstone.htm

Enjoy!

[helenjp]

Sounds interesting, but JUST IMAGINE THE POSTAGE!

[Gilb3rt]

Where can i find some info on the simple grills they use in most izakaya, or what are the proper name on that type of grill for skewers?

Made info on how to build one or where to buy it..

Br..

Gilbert

[Joe Blowe]

Be sure to read the Wiki entry on shichirin and last summer's eGullet thread.

[JasonTrue]

In Japan, you can find shichirin at department stores and probably Tokkyu Hands.

In the US, they are harder to find, but if you have any trouble locating them, let me know. I don't normally sell shichirin but one of my California-based vendors has them, and they may have an office in the Netherlands that imports them. I don't think they were quite as expensive as the ones on the other thread, but the style was more like the simple clay-colored ones I've found brought to tables in restaurants in Japan. I really like them for outdoor summer dining.

You'll also want to find a source for Japanese-style binchoutan, dense oak charcoal, though you might be able to get by with lump charcoal. It's readily available and reasonably cheap in Japan, though it looks like it's a bit expensive here.

Edited August 2, 2007 by JasonTrue (log)

[_john]

I recently stumbled upon this print at an antique book store. I really wanted to buy it but it was 15,000¥ a little above my price range. So I did a little digital shoplifting... It appears to depict mostly kitchen tools that would be standard equipment for a well to do house in the past. Can you name them all? I would be really interested to know that some of them are, or what their use is. Click for a very large version.

Click here for the very large version

[Hiroyuki]

Of course, I can identify and name many of the items there, but it's a little time-consuming to name them all. So, I would suggest (since you seem to be a teacher somewhere) to give your students an assignment: Name all the kitchen items in the photo. Or, you can simply ask some kind Japanese around you for help.