A Sensei in Your Pocket: The "Teach Me Sushi" iPhone and iPad App

Fashion Sandwich made using the new "Teach Me Sushi" app tutorial

I've never feared eating sushi. My fear is making it. Two cookbooks and one mangled sushi kit later, I've discovered an iPhone app tutorial that has turned my past sushi-making missteps into descent results. The new Teach Me Sushi app is the creation of Jake Davidow and Drew Lane, who take would-be sushi makers by their virtual hands and lead them, by degrees, into assembling and composing attractive and tasty sushi. I know because all week I've tested the app, which is also available for iPad users. Here's what you get with this $5.99 app:

A Video Menu

Video recipes and demonstrations for making popular sushi rolls, essential for crowd pleasing, include Maki and Futo Maki rolls, Hand Rolls, Nigiri, Rainbow Rolls, Sashimi, and the South African invention, the "Fashion Sandwich." The app also includes video guidance for buying equipment and the freshest fish, preparing vegetables, and cooking rice. Jake includes a video FAQ and invites users to e-mail him directly to get more specific questions answered within 24 hours.

Screenshot Used with Permission from Jake Davidow

Shopping Help

I decided to make a vegetarian version of the Fashion Sandwich, which Jake says is unknown to many outside of South Africa. I headed to Wegman's, which has an impressive number of ingredients for making sushi. The Teach Me Sushi app includes a GPS enabled map that finds the nearest market selling Japanese food ingredients.

Used with Permission

The calculator and shopping list are supremely helpful. All you need to know are the number of people being served. Enter this information and the app will calculate the number of sushi pieces needed as well as ingredient amounts. Not sure what equipment you need for making sushi? This app lists basic equipment along with photos.

Cooking and Assembling Help

What I love about the app is this: Jake and Drew thought of each step for making sushi, down to timing the rice. A rice timer is included in the app as well as clear, brief instructions for making perfectly cooked rice for your sushi. Best of all, Jake is on camera demonstrating and discussing every type of sushi recipe on the app. Jake appears friendly and engaging (he's also good looking--just saying). I felt confident making the fashion sandwich with Jake's coaching.

I wouldn't be honest with readers if I didn't mention that the sound quality in the videos could be improved. Jake's voice reverberates in the videos. However, this flaw did not affect my understanding of the directions nor did it impact the result.

If you adore sushi as I do and are less than confident about your sushi-making skills, $5.99 is a small investment for all that Teach Me Sushi offers in this new app. More video recipes are available for downloading for 99 cents each, but even if you don't buy additional recipes, there are more than enough types of recipes and guidance to put you well on the way to sushi-making mastery.