How to avoid sushi rice sticking to your hands when making sushi

How to avoid sushi rice sticking to your hands when making sushi
(4.7 / 5)

Firstly, why?

Inspired by the “How to make sushi meme” by _molg.h – I have decided to write short tutorials about sushi fails: why they happen and how to fix them. Hopefully, this will make many of you out there make better sushi, fail less and feel more loved.

The problem with sticky sushi rice

Every home sushi maker knows how annoying it is to have sticky rice glued to your hands and refusing let go no matter how hard you try. This can cause a lot of grief as well as particle issues as you need your hands clean at all time while making food. This is especially true with sushi.

 

So, how to avoid sushi rice getting glued to your hands

The solution is quite simple. When making sushi, have a ‘cereal bowl’ with water next to you and use it to wet your hands before working with sushi rice. The trick is the splash a bit of rice vinegar to the water – that helps keeping the rice from sticking to your hands.

Prove it!

A’righty. Here you can see what difference a splash of rice vinegar can make. In the first image, regular tap water was used to wet the hands. And the result? Multiple instances of sticky rice, refusing to leave the hand surface. Total disaster.

In the next image however, rice vinegar splashed water was used and voila, except for one grain the hands are sparkling. 99% less sushi rice stickage! Even that single grain was very easy to lose, by simply touching the nori it simply leaped off to its ultimate destination as part of a greater roll.

In summary

Don’t be a hero out there. Splash some rice vinegar into your sushi water bowl and look after each other.

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2 Responses to How to avoid sushi rice sticking to your hands when making sushi

  1. Prepare the rice as close as possible to making your sushi. It is not meant to be kept in the fridge.
    Don’t use any other vinegar but rice vinegar. It won’t taste as good.
    The working temperature for the rice is room temperature, while some prefer ‘body temperature’.
    If you are making sushi rice for the first time, use only half the vinegar mixture. Mix. Taste. And decide if you want to add the rest.
    Soak the rice in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking. That helps soften the rice grain kernel.
    Use our calculator to decide exactly how much rice to make. It’s a shame make more than you really needed.
    The average dinner would enjoy having 2 rolls in one sitting. Sometimes more. Absolutely no judgment.
    Don’t forget to get creative. This is your sushi. Own it!
    The vinegar mixture is only added after the rice has cooked.
    Prepare the rice as close as possible to making your sushi. It is not meant to be kept in the fridge.
    Don’t use any other vinegar but rice vinegar. It won’t taste as good.
    The working temperature for the rice is room temperature, while some prefer ‘body temperature’.
    If you are making sushi rice for the first time, use only half the vinegar mixture. Mix. Taste. And decide if you want to add the rest.
    Soak the rice in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking. That helps soften the rice grain kernel.
    Use our calculator to decide exactly how much rice to make. It’s a shame make more than you really needed.
    The average dinner would enjoy having 2 rolls in one sitting. Sometimes more. Absolutely no judgment.
    Don’t forget to get creative. This is your sushi. Own it!
    The vinegar mixture is only added after the rice has cooked.
  2. Anonymous November 11, 2021 at 9:15 am

    Your problem sounds like you are using regular rice. Sushi rice is made out of short grained rice, which has way more starch in it than regular long grained rice, resulting in making it stickier. That is also the reason why sushi rice is being washed a few times before it is being cooked, if we wouldn’t do that there would be too much starch on it, making it way too sticky.

    Reply
  3. One flew over the sushi place December 21, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    That solves one problem. But how do you make it stick to begin with?

    Reply

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