Please help me find: Japanese non-food products

[chefdavid321]

So, I am interested in purchasing a little japanese grill. I have researched the topic for some time and have found two that I am considering. Anybody have experience with these or any advice? Here are the websites.

http://www.korin.com/product.php?pid=418&df=korin

And

http://www.imperialkamado.com/shichirin/i_...hirin_index.htm

The korin model is expensive but really cool. The shichirin is more traditional and cheaper. I would buy some sumi or binchotan charcoal and have a grand old time grilling on the patio. I really want a kamado, but live in an apartment and think that one of these little grills would be ideal.

[bruce]

So, I am interested in purchasing a little japanese grill.  I have researched the topic for some time and have found two that I am considering.  Anybody have experience with these or any advice? 

The second (small round) one is pretty much the one we use, particularly on evenings when we want to grill but don't want the overhead of firing up our larger coleman bbq. I think ours cost sengohyaku-en...call it a bit less than 15 bucks US.

I love it. Very easy to clean though be careful not to damage the special cloth-like material that lines the sides of the well holding the sumi. Very easy to grill...one of the main uses for ours is cooking sate and other kinds of yakitori and it packs nicely into the car -- we're bring ours to the Earth Celebration on Sado this year :-)

The korin model looks nice but I think this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000SW0U...8401&s=merchant

will do the same job for as much fun and a rather smaller sticker price (US25.00) This is the kind of hibachi my folks used back in small-kid time.

[_john]

Check out the yakitori grill I made for about $5. I used a rectangular terracotta flower pot and a cheap grill I bought at the hardware store. Granted, I do live in Japan, but im guessing you could make something similar from things you can find at the hardware store in America. I put another grill on the inside to hold the choacoal. I put two wires on top when I am making yakitori and put the grill on when I am making regular grilled foods. I ignite the charcoal on my stove using the fish grill and then transfer it to the yakitori grill with tongs. I researched many many shichirin and decided none of them were worth the cost. The biggest factor in my mind is that the cheap ones are round ... a shape that is not very good for making most grilled foods that I enjoy. The rectangular ones were all too big for my needs and were very expensive. I can fit 10 yakitori skewers on my grill, which is just about the right amount for one round. And the price is right!

Edited July 10, 2006 by _john (log)

[chefdavid321]

Thank's for your help. I love the homemade one and thought about it, but is it safe with the glazing inside of the pots? Also, I wonder if there is a U.S. source for those yakiniku tables with the grill in the center? It would be great to have one of those on a back deck (when I get one).

[_john]

Thank's for your help.  I love the homemade one and thought about it, but is it safe with the glazing inside of the pots?  Also, I wonder if there is a U.S. source for those yakiniku tables with the grill in the center? It would be great to have one of those on a back deck (when I get one).

←

The pot is unglazed, and I "burned" it with a large amount of charcoal before using it just in case there were some nasty chemicals. I have seen those yakinuiku tables in Los Angeles and San Francisco, so there must be someone importing them. Try calling restuarant supply places in those areas and seeing if they can ship you one.

On a side note, I know someone with a full sized okonomiyaki grill in their house. Now that's a true Osakan!

[Jason Perlow]

You could also go for the American-Made, SON OF HIBACHI!

http://www.sonofhibachi.com/index2.html

I've actually heard a lot of good things about this product from a friend who owns one and I'm thinking of getting one myself.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[bruce]

Hey if we're going DIY here, a lot of the yakitoriya's around my neighborhood just use two parallel walls of bricks, spaced apart the length of a standard skewer, not even bothering with a grill! I like that approach but during rainy season, it's nice having handles so you can move the grill out of the rain if needed.

[_john]

Hey if we're going DIY here, a lot of the yakitoriya's around my neighborhood just use two parallel walls of bricks, spaced apart the length of a standard skewer, not even bothering with a grill!  I like that approach but during rainy season, it's nice having handles so you can move the grill out of the rain if needed.

←

I was going to go the brick direction but I settled on the flower pot for two reasons: you can move it easily, and by moving the bricks it sits on over the drainage holes I can vary the amount of air the coals are fed and effectivly manage the temperature.

Thats son of hibachi is awesome, I dig the chimmney lighter idea.

[chefdavid321]

Good stuff. I like the flowerpot idea and will go to the hardware store to check it out. I also like the brick idea and may consider that when I move into a house. I like the son of hibachi, and may research it more. Keep it up!