If You Cook Japanese, You Must Buy the Book "Cool Tools: Cooking Utensils from the Japanese Kitchen"
Wasn't sure whether to post this in General Chowhounding Topics or Cookware, but for anyone who cooks Japanese food, you absolutely must buy the book: "Cool Tools: Cooking Utensils from the Japanese Kitchen" by Kate Klippenstee.
I meant to post this back when I got the book from Amazon in November - Amazon was selling the new hardback, which is list at $28, for the unbelievable price of $2.99. Unfortunately, I just checked on Amazon and the price is now $18.48, although it is offered on Amazon for less from other sellers.
The photography in the book is stunning, and even though it doesn't have any recipes, by concentrating on the cookware and explaining how it is used, it really demystifies a lot of Japanese cooking.
The only problem, of course, is that most of the stuff is not readily available, or not available at all, in the U.S., so there is a huge frustration factor in looking at the photos and wanting to run out and buy everything, but you can't.
The book, however, lists stores in Tokyo and Kyoto where really high-quality traditional cookware can be found, which is good because in those big metropolises (particularly Tokyo which is so huge), I would have never just stumbled upon those stores. So on my next trip to Japan, I'll be toting this book to cookware stores and pointing, which will do away with the problem of people trying to decipher my thick American accent (which is so bad that one of my Japanese friends is always beseeching me to shut up with the Japanese and just speak English).
omotosando
Dec 13, 2006 04:09AM
My wife and I went shopping at Daiichi Department store in Taipei. While we did not get traditional Japanese cookware, we had a ball getting modern gadgets. A thermal pot (finishes cooking rice or other dishes in a thermos), a very cool tabletop convection oven, and a couple of knives.
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In a suburban Seattle mall there is a Japanese 'dollar store', that sells many inexpensive cooking items. I can only guess the use for some items, since there are few English instructions or labels.
paulj
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Very little in the book looked inexpensive - think handcrafted knives, copper daikon graters, handemade cypress utensils. I think the book features the Japanese equivalent of the highest end French cookware. No modern gadgets in the book - the author is a real proponent of "slow food" Japanese-style.
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Interesting that one of the Amazon reviewers is none other than the Shochu Queen herself, Yukari Pratt. I, for one, take that as quite an endorsement.
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Sorry but most Japanese friends sniff at this stuff as bait for cooking otaku obsessed with acquiring kitchen gear they rarely--if ever--use.Who has the time or money to fondle it? The best Japanese kitchen gear saves time and effort or just works better than run-of-the-mill but doesn't cost a fortune.
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I dunno - the Japanese culture, almost beyond any other, maintains a repect for gadgets - especially if they are traditional, technically superior, and virtual works of art.
The respect is really for the master - the user. But the tools are an important part. Just as a sushiya hones his many different knives every night, with care and respect for the tools of his trade.
The common Japanese person - especially the youth of today - may not reflect this respect for tradition. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not simply the realm of bakka gaijin.
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Another constraint may be space. A typical Tokyo apartment kitchen does not have a lot of room for specialized cooking items.
paulj
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I dunno. with Western cookware I have generally found that there is a significant difference between high-quality (generally expensive) cookware and the cheapo stuff. When I finally bought a decent knife well into adulthood, I was shocked at the difference it made in cutting things. I can't imagine why the same wouldn't be true of Japanese cookware.
That being said, I find the el cheapo plastic onigiri makers to do just fine making onigiri. But still with knives and pots and pans, I just can't believe that there isn't something to be said for craftsmanship and quality.
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I'd say about 80 percent of the stuff would be found in an average Japanese kitchen. Most folks wouldn't have the gorgeous knives and some of the other items would only be found in a pro kitchen, and bamboo baskets are usually replaced by plastic or stainless. But certainly nothing in the realm of otaku stuff.
Maybe you need to meet some Japanese Chowhounds, because a lot of folks here these days can't be bothered to cook and don't care much about these kind of things, that said there are plenty who still care about these things.
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