I don’t know if an app for iPhone and iPod Touch can actually put you on par with a professional sushi chef, but Teach Me Sushi ($4.99) will get you darn close.
Through a series of 13 instructional videos—and no, you can’t find them on YouTube—Jake from Teach Me Sushi guides novices through every step, from gathering your equipment, choosing your fish and cooking your rice, to creating a variety of sushi, including maki, nigiri, rainbow rolls and sashimi. Teacher Jake is clearly passionate about creating sushi at home, and this translates into his lessons. In all, app purchasers get about 45 minutes of one-on-one-style lessons, which are engaging and well-produced. Not bad for $5.
The first few steps are only available in video format, but once you get into the nitty-gritty of making the different rolls you’ll be able to follow the written step-by-step directions at your own pace. The app also includes a rice timer, lists of necessary ingredients and equipment, and a GPS function to help you find the nearest Japanese market.
Teach Me Sushi is a five-star app (and a huge file, so Wi-Fi will be required to download), but for the price, it would be nice if the developers added a sound alert for the rice timer. Recipes for specific rolls—the ever-popular spicy tuna comes to mind—would be a nice addition, too. Helpfully, the folks at Teach Me Sushi are active on Twitter and Faceboook if you have individual questions.
