1+1 no Wa no Ryouri

「高太郎」のおつまみ和食 "Kotaro" no Otsumami Washoku

Written by Kotaro Hayashi, the owner-chef of the popular izakaya "Kotaro" in Shibuya, Tokyo, this book is a guide to a number of the "otsumami" dishes that he creates. The book has great visual guides to different ratios for liquids used in the dishes (dashi, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, etc) as well as detailed recipes and explanations of cooking techniques. Otsumami refers to the small, tapas-esque dishes that pair well with alcoholic beverages and are a staple at Japanese izakaya. Great book for those who enjoy long conversations over a glass of wine or two while nibbling on smaller bites.

* This book is Japanese language only.

This is a smaller sized 1000/3000 combo stone, designed for chefs who need a portable sharpening option. Though it's not a splash-and-go stone, it does soak rather quickly and provides good cutting speed and tactile feedback. Though the finishing stone is only 3000 grit, it leaves a great polish and a very nice toothy edge appropriate for many kitchen tasks. The 3000 side also makes a great touch-up stone.

This is a smaller sized 1000/3000 combo stone, designed for chefs who need a portable sharpening option.  Though it's not a splash-and-go stone, it does soak rather quickly, and provides good cutting speed and tactile feedback. Though the finishing stone is only 3000 grit, it leaves a great polish and a very nice toothy edge appropriate for many kitchen tasks.  The 3000 side also makes a great touchup stone.  This stone comes with its own base, which provides additional stone height in sharpening and a more stable base on which to sharpen.  This stone holder is designed to work specifically with this stone, and will not work well with other stones.

Fukin are a type of Japanese towel made from "kaya", or a style of mosquito netting.  They are extremely soft and absorbent, and therefore make great dish towels.  Over time, with proper care, they become even softer.  These are some of our favorite towels, both in the kitchen and around the house.

This type of Fukin contains 15% hemp, which increases toughness and durablity.  It also changes the texture of the fukin, making it ideal for wiping off hard smudge/fingerprint prone items like glassware and lacqured items.

When preparing to use these for the first time, they should be soaked in hot water until the water runs clear.  This initial soaking removes some of the natural glue used to hold the fibers together, helps soften the fukin, and prepares it for initial use.  Following the soaking, rinse the fukin and air dry them.  They can be washed in a washing machine with cold water and a delicate setting, but should always be air dried (never use the dryer for them).

Fukin work well for a wide variety of tasks, but are especially good at drying things like glassware, due to their absorbent nature.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.