Japanese Cuisine Craftsman cheat sheet

Two-stage cooling rule: 21°C within 2 hours, then 5°C or below within a further 4 hours; total cooling time must not exceed 6 hours.

Danger zone is 5°C–60°C; bacterial generation time for common pathogens is roughly 20–30 minutes in the 30–45°C band.

Refrigerator target 4°C or below, freezer −18°C or below; verify with a calibrated probe thermometer at opening and closing.

Ice-point calibration: 0°C in slush; boiling-point check adjusted for altitude (about 100°C at sea level, −1°C per 300 m).

Handwashing sequence: wet, soap, scrub 20 seconds including fingertips and thumbs, rinse, dry with single-use paper; repeat after each raw-protein contact.

Cross-contamination control: separate cutting boards by colour or by labelled use (raw fish, raw meat, vegetables, cooked foods); sanitise with 200 ppm chlorine or 75% ethanol.

HACCP seven principles: hazard analysis, CCP identification, critical limits, monitoring, corrective action, verification, record keeping.

Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne outbreaks linked to raw bivalves; inactivation requires heating to 85°C for 90 seconds or longer.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafood is controlled by holding fish at 4°C or below and by thorough cooking of shellfish to an internal 63°C for 15 seconds.

Macronutrient energy values: protein 4 kcal/g, carbohydrate 4 kcal/g, fat 9 kcal/g, alcohol 7 kcal/g.

Japanese dietary reference intakes express protein as a percentage of energy; typical target range is 13–20% of daily energy for adults.

Umami compounds: glutamate (kombu), inosinate (bonito, mackerel), guanylate (dried shiitake); combining glutamate with either nucleotide produces synergistic amplification up to several-fold.

Maillard browning begins around 140–150°C on dry surfaces; caramelisation of sugars starts near 160°C.

Starch gelatinisation occurs at 60–70°C in excess water; retrogradation (staling) accelerates below 4°C, which is why cooked rice is held at 40°C+ or frozen rapidly.

Myosin denatures and coagulates at 50–60°C; actin at about 70–80°C; this explains the tender texture of fish cooked at low temperature.

Collagen converts to gelatin with moist heat above roughly 70°C held for hours; acid (vinegar, citrus) accelerates the conversion.

Sodium target for adults in Japan is under 7.5 g salt/day for men and 6.5 g for women; a single bowl of shoyu ramen can supply 5–7 g.

Dashi proportions: first dashi (ichiban-dashi) uses 10 g kombu and 15–20 g katsuobushi per 1 L water at 60–70°C for kombu and 80–85°C for bonito.

Kombu is never boiled for dashi; above 80°C it releases mannitol and alginates that turn the stock bitter and slimy.

Shoyu types: koikuchi (all-purpose, ~1.6–1.8% nitrogen), usukuchi (lighter colour, higher salt, used in Kansai), tamari (thick, low wheat), shiro (high wheat, pale).

Miso types by fermentation length and colour: shiro (short, sweet), aka (long, 6 months to 2 years, salty); koji-to-rice ratio determines sweetness.

Mirin contains 40–50% sugar and 14% alcohol; hon-mirin is distinguished from mirin-fu chomiryo (sweetener with under 1% alcohol).

Rice vinegar is 4–5% acetic acid; sushi-zu is a blend of rice vinegar, sugar (about 10–15% of rice weight) and salt (about 2%).

Katsuobushi quality is graded by mould-fermentation cycles (honkarebushi has 3 or more); thinner shavings release aroma faster.

Seasoning order for Japanese simmering: sa (sugar), shi (salt), su (vinegar), se (soy), so (miso); sugar first to penetrate, miso last to preserve aroma.

Three fundamental cuts: sengiri (julienne), koguchi-giri (small bite-size), and rangiri (rolling cut for uneven cylinders such as daikon or cucumber).

Katsuramuki is a continuous thin sheet peeled from a rotating cylinder; used for daikon garnish and cucumber wraps; requires a single-bevel usuba or nakiri.

Sogigiri (angle cut) increases surface area for marinating and speeds cooking; used for buri and negi.

Hone-kiri (bone-cutting) is performed with the heel of a deba; never with a yanagiba, which is a single-bevel slicer and will chip.

Fish preparation order: scale, remove head, gut, fillet along the backbone, then skin and pin-bone with a pair of tweezers; keep the blade angled toward the bone.

A yanagiba is sharpened with the bevel flat and the uraoshi (hollow back) barely touched; deba uses a steeper 25–30° edge for durability.

Sashimi slice angle: hira-zukuri (flat, for tuna and salmon), usu-zukuri (thin, for flatfish), kaku-zukuri (cubes, for squid); cut in a single draw, never saw.

Vegetable prep for nabemono: cut to a uniform 3–5 mm so all pieces reach doneness in the same simmering time.

Dashi temperature ladder: kombu 60–70°C, katsuobushi 80–85°C; boiling either produces bitterness and cloudiness.

Nimono (simmering) uses a drop-lid (otoshibuta) to keep ingredients submerged and prevent movement; simmering liquid is kept at 90–95°C, never a rolling boil.

Nitsuke is a stronger, reduced simmer with soy and mirin; the sauce is reduced to about one-third for fish such as buri.

Yakimono: shioyaki (salt-grilled) uses 2–3% salt by fish weight and rests 20–30 minutes before grilling; teriyaki glaze is applied in the final 1–2 minutes to avoid burning.

Agemono oil temperatures: karaage 170–180°C, tempura 170–180°C, katsu 170–175°C, renkon chips 160°C; oil is strained and discarded after 2–3 uses or when it darkens past a set colour reference.

Tempura batter: ice-cold water, low gluten mixing, about 1:1 flour-to-water by volume for a thin coating; lumps are desirable and over-mixing toughens the shell.

Musimono (steaming): chawanmushi custard is steamed at 80–90°C for 12–15 minutes; a rolling boil causes the egg to curdle and form honeycomb holes.

Aemono and sunomono are cold-dressed dishes; salt-pull (shio-momi) removes excess water from cucumber and daikon before dressing.

Ichiju-sansai structure: one soup, three side dishes (typically a protein, a simmered dish, and a vegetable), plus rice and pickles.

Kaiseki progression: sakizuke, hassun, mukozuke (sashimi), takiawase, yakimono, shiizakana, gohan, mizugashi.

Plating rule: odd numbers (3, 5, 7) are preferred for garnish counts; even numbers read as static and are avoided.

Height and asymmetry: the tallest element is placed at the back, the front edge left open; the main protein occupies about one-third of the plate.

Colour balance uses five hues: white, red, green, yellow, black; a dish missing one is considered visually incomplete.

Seasonal garnish (hashō) is chosen by month: sanshō leaf in spring, yuzu in winter, momiji-fu in autumn; the garnish signals the season to the guest.

Sushi rice is shaped to about 15–18 g per nigiri; the neta should overhang the rice by 5–10 mm and the rice should be body temperature, not cold.

Miso soup is served at 70–80°C, poured from a ladle, with the miso dissolved off the heat to preserve aroma and live enzymes.

Food cost percentage = (cost of food sold ÷ food sales) × 100; Japanese washoku operations typically target 28–32%.

Yield percentage = edible portion weight ÷ as-purchased weight × 100; a whole fish yields roughly 45–55% fillet, a daikon about 80%.

Portion cost = as-purchased price per kg ÷ yield % × portion weight in kg.

Menu engineering quadrants: stars (high popularity, high margin), plowhorses (high popularity, low margin), puzzles (low popularity, high margin), dogs (low popularity, low margin).

Mise en place sequencing: stock and dashi first, then long-cook items (nimono), then prep for grilled and fried items, then cold items (sashimi, sunomono) last to preserve freshness.

Sanitation workflow at close: scrape, wash with detergent, rinse, sanitise, air-dry; cutting boards are sanitised separately and stored vertically.

Temperature log entries should record time, item, temperature, initials, and corrective action; retain for at least 3 months or per local regulation.

First-in first-out stock rotation: label with receipt date and use-by date; daily checks on fish (eyes clear, gills red, flesh springy) and shellfish (closed shells, no ammonia smell).

Allergen disclosure is mandatory: the eight specified raw materials in Japan are shrimp, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut; a further 20 are recommended for labelling.

Food fraud red flags: mislabelled species (for example, tilapia sold as tai), substitution of hon-mirin with sweetener blends, or falsely claimed origin.

Sustainability rules: avoid juvenile fish below the size set by local fishery rules; respect seasonal closures for shirako, uni, and ayu.

Hygiene and appearance standards: clean uniform, short nails, no jewellery, hair restrained, hands washed; a visible cut must be covered with a waterproof dressing and a glove.

Customer communication: confirm allergies and dietary restrictions at the point of order; a chef must be able to describe every ingredient in a dish on request.

Confidentiality: recipes, supplier pricing, and customer information are not shared outside the kitchen.

Waste reduction: use trim for dashi, stock, or staff meals; track waste weight weekly and set a reduction target.

Respect for the supply chain: pay suppliers on agreed terms, do not demand unplanned discounts, and credit the producer on the menu where appropriate.