Shupatto Foldable Tote
Cleverly designed in Japan, meet the Shupatto: the “one-pull” foldable bag. A perfect replacement for single-plastic bags, the slim-profiled Shupatto folds down neatly, so it’s easy to take on the go to carry groceries, shopping and baked goods. To open, the folded accordion pleats expand into a roomy bag; to quickly close, pull both ends of the bag until taut pleats form again, then roll back into a coil for storage. The Shupatto is made from lightweight (just 69 grams) durable material, too; when tested by the makers, the pleats still folded perfectly after 100 cycles in a washing machine. And the quick-drying material can handle wet or messy items, too. The Ougi print features a traditional Japanese folding hand fan. The Sakura print features a classic cherry blossom motif.
Kankitsu Labo 100% Yuzu Concentrate
If you haven’t yet come across yuzu, this Asian citrus brings together the fragrance of Meyer lemons, the tartness of lime and the bitter crispness of grapefruit. And yuzu is all that’s in Kankitsu Labo’s 100% Yuzu Concentrate. Once it’s harvested in Kawakami, the native Japanese habitat of yuzu, the fruit is pressed on all sides to maximize extraction, flavor and aroma. Sweet like an orange and tart like a lemon, with floral and herbaceous notes, this concentrate lends itself well to baking, cocktails, dressings and more. Use it in place of lemon juice, like on avocado toast, or add a dash to seafood, like when curing fish for ceviche. Even better? There are absolutely no additives, colors, fragrances or preservatives involved.
Yokofuku “More More Garlic” Teriyaki Sauce
An exclusive Milk Street staff favorite and chock-full of Japanese-grown garlic, Yokofuku’s “More More Garlic” Teriyaki Sauce brings bold, sweet, garlicky flavor to just about anything you add it to. Planted in mid-September in Kagoshima Prefecture, an area with active volcanoes that makes for the most fertile soil, the garlic in this sauce is harvested in early June and combined with soy sauce from the Kyushu region, mirin, sesame and oyster sauce for a punchy, thick final product. Right upfront you’ll taste salty soy combined with pungent garlic, then notes of sweet, nutty sesame, plus a little bit of acid and funk from the mirin and oyster sauce. Use this delightfully textured sauce as a marinade or dipping sauce for barbecued meats, roasted veggies and tofu; toss with noodles and rice or add for an instant flavor booster to soups.
Yokofuku Japanese Garlic Paste with Shio Koji
Crafted from Japanese-grown garlic, this velvety, creamy paste is a game-changing flavor booster—every jar contains two whole heads of garlic, finished with a hint of fermented funk from shio koji. Its texture resembles garlic butter—the garlic is raw when pureed into paste. The paste is ready to use out of the jar, bringing garlic, salt and umami to dishes without making a sticky, pungent mess of your hands or cutting board.
The first note is a bold hit of sweet garlic, with zero pungency or bite to follow up. The koji provides an earthy, rounded sweetness like other fermented ingredients—like gochujang or miso—and is our secret to perfect marinades. Shio koji’s enzymes break down proteins, for juicy, tender meat and fish. Mix it into marinades or brines (the fast-working shio koji save tenderizing time), toss with stir-fries or pastas, stir into soup or rub as is on to steak or chicken legs. We also like it as a condiment—slather it on toasted bread, serve on a charcuterie board or with antipasti, dish some up alongside grilled vegetables or fried chicken. This premium seasoning is made with zero artificial additives.
Wahei Freiz Deep Fry Pot
We love this new Japanese-made tempura pot from Wahei Freiz. To make tempura, veggies or seafood are deep-fried in a thin batter until puffed and crispy with a light texture (often referred to as “bloomed”). But more often than not, cold oil or a crowded pan delivers soggy, dense grease bombs, even if everything else is right.
Wahei Freiz’s pot is built to avoid this. Compact and shallow, like classic tempura pots, the carbon steel pot is about 10 inches in diameter and deep enough to hold over two liters of oil. The brilliance of its construction is in its details: A built-in thermometer with a highlighted frying range shows you exactly how hot your oil is, so you can heat or cool it for your recipe’s needs; we tested it against our gold standard thermometer and found complete accuracy. The removable lid sits open on an angle and with a built-in rack. So the moment a piece of tempura is ready, it can drain and cool on the pot lid while any extra oil drips back into the pot (meaning less oil waste, too). The rounded opening of the pot reduces spatter, or simply lower the lid for any bigger pops or splashes. Try the pot for any small or batchable fry jobs, like fritters; the pot works on induction, electric and gas stovetops.
Aux Co. Mesh Cover
A good splatter screen will protect your kitchen, arms and clothes from hot splattering oil while frying, but most trap steam that prevents crisping and cover the contents of your pan to the point it’s harder to see your food’s progress. Aux Co. Ltd’s Mesh Cover Splatter Screen solves these problems, both eliminating dangerous splattering from foods like bacon, while also allowing you to see inside your pan thanks to non-reflective material. It’s constructed from durable stainless steel—unlike other splatter screens made from flimsy plastic—plus, extra-fine mesh, which stops popping oil and allows steam to escape to ensure crispy results. And the mesh is non-stick, so it’s easy to clean. We love that it’s made in Japan’s Tsubame-Sanjo, an area renowned for its superior metal craftsmanship and expertise, so we trust it will be long lasting and stand up to grease and heat.
Kikka Blue Donabe 10-Inch Casserole
Made in central Japan, this striking blue casserole is a rarity: a ceramic donabe that’s electric-stovetop friendly and doesn’t require seasoning before first use. The donabe is made of banko ware, a traditional stoneware that’s become increasingly rare because of the high skill required to manipulate it. Often fired by direct flame, banko ware is valued for its durability and high heat tolerance. Lightweight and fast-heating, the donabe holds heat longer than other models we’ve tried, even after the heat is turned off, and easy-grip handles make transferring the pot to the table safer. Use the donabe to cook rice, soups, stews, braised dishes or even as a hot pot. The donabe can go on a gas or electric stovetop, as well as in the oven and microwave—and it’s beautiful enough to go from stove to tabletop.
Hasegawa Wood Core Soft Rubber Cutting Board
This cutting board is not only durable, but it also will prolong the life of your knife blade. The “pull and slice” technique is the common way to slice food in Japanese cooking, which can often lead to chipped edges if using a hard cutting board. But this one is coated in layers of soft plastic that provides much better protection for your knives and protection for your fingers, since it’s non-slip. Plus, the material has strong antimicrobial properties—one of the highest standards in Japan—so it won’t hold germs as much as a standard cutting board would between uses. It’s wood core keeps the cutting board from warping from use and high-temperature dishwashing. And since it’s not entirely made of wood, it much more light weight to use.
Aux Co. Grill Dutch Oven
Light and easy to handle, Aux Co.’s Japanese-designed Grill Dutch Oven heats up quickly for fast, efficient cooking. The vessel comes with a custom-fit rack and lid, plus a handle for easier maneuvering. Try it on the stove (including induction) or our favorite, a toaster oven, for small portions, side dishes and roasts—it’s ideal for one to two people. The lightweight material preheats quickly and is relatively nonstick, for easier release of dishes like a potato gratin. We use ours for roasted vegetables, small casseroles, pork chops, air-frying breaded foods and other small jobs.
Suncraft Silicone Slim Spatula
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Our very own Matthew Card (our creative director of recipes and products) loves this stylish and functional mini spatula: “This the best tool I've ever used for getting the last little bits out of a jar. It's really perfectly designed to get into every nook and cranny. With its wood core, it's solid enough to use some force, too; many other brands bend, so they aren't really that useful.” It helps cut down on food waste by squeezing into the corners of jars and packages, and its slender shape is great for swiping the sides of blenders and food processors.
Marukin Koikuchi 40% Reduced Salt Soy Sauce
Most low-sodium soy sauces lack flavor or complexity, but this premium product from Marukin packs a ton of rich umami flavor with half the salt. Established in 1907, Marukin is one of only 1% of Japanese soy sauce producers that maintain traditional production methods from the past century. Their low-sodium sauce is made from the same ingredients as regular soy sauce and is fermented in cedar barrels over a hundred years old; the natural bacteria and yeast that live on the barrels and in the air slowly ferment the soybeans into this naturally sweet, malty and complex sauce. It's the perfect substitute for regular soy sauce for anyone who is looking to reduce their sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. Add this reduced sodium soy sauce to any number of dishes, marinades and sauces.
Hanamaruki Foods Liquid Shio Koji
A traditional condiment made from fermented malted rice, shio koji is known in Japan for packing a punch of umami into everything from marinated meats to savory soups. All shio kojis aren’t created equal, though, for Hanamaruki Foods distills the powerful flavor properties of this essential Japanese ingredient into an easy-to-use liquid form—the only Liquid Shio Koji available on the market—to create the ultimate pantry secret weapon. We love the condiment’s clean, yet bold flavor: salty rounded out with a pronounced sweetness and burst of umami. It’s made by pressing shio koji in its original paste form and filtering until it yields the clear, golden-hued liquid. The product isn’t heat-treated, so its enzymes remain active and effective in rendering meat remarkably moist and juicy, balancing bitterness in veggies like eggplant and adding amino acids for a full-flavored finish to any dish to truly change the way you cook. Use as a marinade for meats and fish, drizzle into salad dressings and sauces to balance savory flavors, or incorporate into baked goods to add a layer of tantalizing complexity.
Milk Street Cast Iron Furusato
Here at Milk Street, we’re big proponents of cooking with cast iron because it heats evenly and retains that heat—which is why we designed our own pot for the ideal solution for soups and stews. Our Cast Iron Furusato is modeled after the traditional pot used for Japanese nabe (hot pot), but its durable cast-iron craftsmanship and stunning wooden lid carved from Japanese cedar make it a candidate for everyday use. Sturdy yet light enough to use often, it’s equipped with a swinging handle for easy maneuvering. Plus, unlike some furusato pots, this one is compatible with any stovetop, and it comes with a small silicone pot holder.
Maruhon Lightly Toasted Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is an essential ingredient in East Asian cuisine for adding aromatic depth, but too often it can be cloying and overpowering. We tasted numerous versions and especially like Maruhon Lightly Toasted Sesame Oil made by Takemoto Oil & Fat Company, the oldest operating oil-extracting company in Japan, which traces its roots to 1725. Maruhon Lightly Toasted Sesame Oil has a far more delicate, nuanced flavor than supermarket versions and tastes distinctly of sesame, unlike the generic nuttiness of some mass-produced versions. This producer uses a chemical-free extraction process, which is not only healthier but also yields a cleaner taste that doesn’t overpower light dishes but stands up to heavier ones. The oil adds just the right amount of nutty richness and is much more aromatic than others we've tried.
Aux Co. Ltd. Oroshi Spoon
Made in Japan, this unique tool is designed to grate and zest easily without clogging up, thanks to its sharp blades set at a 60-degree angle. It cuts through ginger and other tougher foods well, while preventing waste thanks to its spoon shape. Simply grate directly onto the spoon and use it to stir your ingredient directly into whatever you’re making—the solid bottom also ensures all of the gratings are kept on the spoon. And the angle of the blades make it easy to clean.
Namikura Red Miso
Red Miso is stronger, saltier and more assertively flavored than yellow or white miso due to its six-month aging process and has a higher proportion of soybeans for a richer taste. This particularly interesting version has sweet flavors reminiscent of sherry and milk chocolate that are perfect for pairing with red meat and other robust dishes.
Aux Co. Ltd. Miso Muddler
Made in Japan, this unique tool doubles as a measuring tool and a whisk, giving you the perfect dollop of miso every time for consistent cooking. Simply dip the rounded wire end into your tub of miso, turn it and gently lift it out to get a consistently portioned blob of miso every time. Then, just stir the whisk-like tool in your pot to dissolve the miso. Bonus: No need to clean more than one utensil. Available in both small (1 tablespoon) and large (2 tablespoon) options.
Cera Bakeware Square Baker
Greasing your glass bakeware with butter, oil or spray is usually one of the first steps in a recipe—and more often than not, most baked goods still stick to the pan anyway. Not so with Cera bakeware, designed in Japan to be truly nonstick, without any need for extra greasing agents, flour or parchment. And it’s only available in the US at Milk Street. Made from ceramic-coated glass that is durable, easy to wash and completely nonstick, this square baker is the perfect vessel for baked goods, roasts, casseroles and more. Anything you cook in it will come out cleanly, without any fuss or mess. The frosted glass is also easy on the eyes, ensuring your dish can go seamlessly from oven to table.
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