In Japanese cooking, a ''makisu'' (巻き簾) is a small mat woven from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

and cotton string that is used in food preparation. Makisu are most commonly used to make a kind of rolled

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

called ''

makizushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include ...

'' (巻き寿司), commonly called maki. They are also used to shape other soft foods such as

omelets In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish (food), dish made from beaten egg (food), eggs, Frying, fried with butter or Cooking oil, oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to ...

, and to squeeze excess liquid out of food. A makisu is usually 25 cm × 25 cm, although they come in various sizes. Generally, there are two variations, one with thin flat bamboo strips and the other with small cylindrical strips (see attached photo). Some cooks cover the makisu with plastic film before use to reduce the cleaning effort. This is especially necessary for producing ''

uramaki is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," als ...

'' (裏巻), a kind of maki with the rice on the outside of the roll. After use, a makisu should be scrubbed to remove food particles and thoroughly air dried to avoid the growth of bacteria and fungi. Makisu are inexpensive so people can simply dispose of them after use.

References

{{reflist Japanese food preparation utensils Japanese words and phrases Japanese bamboowork