How long does it take to become a sushi chef in Japan?

Sushi chef & sake sommerlier Zoë Escher
In Japan, it takes several years to be trained as a Japanese sushi chef. There are several reasons why

In Japan, there is a slightly different approach to taking an education. In Japan, you are never really finish your education. This means that the better you become at your skills, the more difficult are the techniques used as well.
It is very normal that it takes 10, 20 or 30 years to master sushi techniques at restaurant level.

The quality of sushi in Japan is something completely different than in Europe.
In Japan, the level of Japanese sushi restaurants is very high. The higher the level in the Japanese restaurants, the longer it takes to become good at mastering the various cooking techniques.
It is very normal that it takes several years to learn how to cook sushi rice to perfection. The Japanese customers only want to eat sushi which is made with rice which is perfect in consistency.

In Japan, the sushi restaurant follows the season for fish. There are typically 10-15 different fish on the menu.
As a sushi chef, you need to know how to handle the different fish species and be able to turn them into delicate and tasty sushi pieces.

Read more about Sushi Chef Zoë Escher & Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

How to get the best avocados!

I love mature avocados, but they should not be so mature that they have also turned brown.

It can be difficult to pick ripe avocados. There are several reasons for this.

Some avocados appear soft on the outside but are rock hard on the inside. This typically happens when the avocados are pressed.

Most green avocados that come to Europe are of an avocado variety that is not mature until they have changed color to be dark brown.

The best way to ensure that you get good avocados in the shopping cart is to go for avocados that are wrapped. These are avocados that are packed in such a way that they do not get very many marks.

It is best to buy avocados a few days before they are to be used. Avocados benefit from lying on the kitchen table or near the window for a few days and ripening.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

What is best to drink to sushi?

What is best to drink for sushi depends on where in the world you are.

Denmark is a country where wonderful wines are enjoyed all year round. Wines that go well with heavier dishes with meat or fish and seafood dishes that is lighter.

On a warm summer evening, I would suggest that you drink cold white wine that goes well with seafood. There are several different white wines and, I would recommend that you look past a wine merchant, they will be able to make the perfect match.

Champagne is also a very delicious wine to drink for sushi. The fine bubbles go really well with sushi. In Denmark, bubbles are most often drunk at special events. White wine and/or champagne are good choices for sushi.

In Japan, sushi restaurants most often serve cold beer for sushi. At the exclusive restaurants such as Michelin restaurants, you as a guest are offered sake. Sake is not just sake. Of course, it is important to sake wine that goes well with sushi.

When it comes to sushi, the selection of drinks is huge.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Is it difficult to make Japanese gyoza?

There are more and more people who have tasted Japanese dumplings called gyoza in Japanese. It is a classic dish in Japanese cuisine, most often eaten as a small appetizer, snack with glass of wine or as a main course.

It is delicious dish most often made with pork added Japanese ingredients and raw materials which give the unique Japanese flavor. Gyoza is an exciting challenge to learn to make. Several techniques are used to prepare the ingredients for gyoza, various hand techniques are also used to fold the delicate gyoza.

The way to cook gyoza is different. They do not come in a frying pan, as in some countries. They have to go through several steps before it is ready to be eaten while still hot.

At the Traditional Japanese cooking class for Beginners, learn how to make delicious and tasty gyoza from scratch just as they are served at restaurants in Tokyo.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.