Gift Guide 2015: Nice for Rice

This is a handai, the traditional vessel used in Japan in the final step of making sushi rice.  Cooked short grain rice is turned into a wide cedar bow, the vinegar/sugar mixture is poured over the rice which is fanned as it cools.  The cedar absorbs excess moisture from the rice.

I don't make a lot of sushi at home, but this vessel is not only beautiful, but also fabulously fragrant . It's a perfect way to make the most ordinary dish of rice look very lovely on the table.