Delamu 20-in-1 Sushi Kit: A Hands-On Review from My Home Sushi Bench

If you’re itching to roll restaurant-worthy maki at home without the sticky-rice chaos, the Delamu 20-in-1 Sushi Making Kit is one of those “everything in the box” bundles that promises to flatten the learning curve. I put it through several weeknights of real cooking—maki, uramaki, temaki for a table of friends, and gunkan—using the same standards we hold for sushi tools: durability, functionality, ergonomics, precision, and safety. Here’s what’s great, what’s just okay, and how to get the cleanest cuts and neatest rolls from day one.

What You Actually Get (and Why It Matters)

The kit typically includes two bamboo rolling mats, a “bazooka” roller tube, two cone rollers for temaki, a rice mold, a basic sushi knife, five pairs of chopsticks with two rests, a rice paddle and spreader, two sauce dishes, a cutting guide, and a printed mini-booklet with instructions and simple recipes. Plastics are food-safe; bamboo is smooth and unfinished. The footprint fits a standard kitchen drawer, and the bundle covers every common home-sushi scenario from first roll to party night.

Why this matters: having multiple shaping options (mats + bazooka + rice mold) means beginners get consistent results faster. The cutting frame helps portion even pieces—less wasted rice, fewer crushed rolls.

How I Tested

I ran a mix of California and spicy-tuna uramaki, classic maki (tuna, cucumber), temaki for guests, and two gunkan batches using the rice mold. To keep things fair to first-timers, I followed the included booklet for one full session, then switched to my usual flow (seasoned rice, wet hands/knife, plastic-wrapped mat for inside-out rolls). I judged on:

• Durability (mats, plastics, seams)
• Functionality & precision (evenness, diameter control, cut quality)
• Ergonomics (ease of loading, grip, comfort)
• Safety & cleanup (hand-wash routine, no snaggy edges)

Setup: From Box to First Roll in One Episode

Learning curve: low. The booklet is basic but enough to go rice → roll without a YouTube detour. If you’ve never prepped sushi rice, follow the ratio, fan briefly, and use the spreader to keep the layer thin and even.

Bazooka vs. bamboo mats:

• Bazooka roller: Pack rice on one side, lay fillings in the channel, close, then extrude a tidy cylinder. Wrap with nori and you’re already past the hardest step. It’s fast, consistent in diameter, and great for a crowd.
• Bamboo mats: Traditional, flexible, and reliable—just plastic-wrap your mat for uramaki. Cleanup time shrinks from minutes to seconds.

Cutting guide MVP: Set the roll in the frame, run a wet blade through the grooves. Your slices are uniform and the filling stays centered. Presentation wins.

Build & Materials

• Bamboo mats: Smooth, no splinters, easy rinse and air-dry. Any mild “new bamboo” smell vanishes after the first wash.
• Plastics: Firm, BPA-free, clean molding without seam edges that catch rice.
• Knife: Serviceable for a couple of rolls, but this won’t replace a sharp chef’s knife or yanagiba. Plan an upgrade for the cleanest slices.

Precision, Consistency, and Plate-Ready Results

With the cutting frame and bazooka, roll diameter and slice thickness were near-identical. Using the mats, the included spreader keeps rice ~3–4 mm, so you don’t overfill. The rice mold produced uniform “boats” for gunkan; add a nori belt and top with chopped tuna or tobiko for a pro-looking bite without hand-forming fuss.

Ergonomics & The Fun Factor

I ran a temaki bar: nori squares, seasoned rice, fillings (avocado, cucumber, crab, tuna), plus two cone rollers. Guests built their own while I pumped out uramaki. Kids gravitated to the bazooka; adults liked mats after a roll or two. Small ergonomic wins—dedicated spreader, fair-sized paddle, and the cutting frame—prevent the squeeze-and-saw mistakes that squish rolls.

Cleanup: Keep It Simple

Hand-wash only applies across the board (bamboo + plastics). My routine: wrap the mat if doing inside-out rolls, keep a small bowl of water with a splash of rice vinegar for fingers and blade, rinse tools immediately, towel-dry, and stand the mats up to air-dry. Done.

Where the Kit Excels (and Where It Doesn’t)

High Points

• Beginner friendly: Multiple shaping paths (mats + bazooka + mold) shorten the learning curve.
• Uniform slices: The cutting frame is the quiet MVP for neat plating.
• Value: A complete starter bundle that covers almost every home use case.

Trade-offs

• Knife: Adequate, not excellent—upgrade if you’re slicing more than a roll or two.
• Hand-wash only: Standard for bamboo; plan the quick wrap-and-rinse routine.

Who Should Buy This

• First-timers & casual rollers: “Everything you need” is real here. You’ll get solid results fast.
• Families & date nights: The bazooka + cutting guide combo keeps frustration low.
• Intermediates: You’ll still use the mats, spreader, and frame often—just pair with a better knife.

Pro Tips for Day-One Success

1. Season rice correctly. Slightly firmer than daily rice; glossy and sticky, never mushy. Leave a bare nori strip for a clean seal.
2. Water + vinegar bowl. Lightly wet fingers and blade for stick-free forming and slicing.
3. Rest the roll 30–60 seconds. Nori hydrates, rice sets, slices stay sharp.
4. Load the bazooka smart. Keep fillings in a tight line; use sauces sparingly or after slicing.
5. Plastic-wrap your mat for uramaki. It’s the fastest cleanup trick there is.

Specs Snapshot

• Pieces: 20 (2 bamboo mats, bazooka, 2 cone rollers, rice mold, knife, 5 chopstick sets + 2 rests, paddle, spreader, 2 sauce dishes, cutting frame, booklet)
• Materials: Bamboo + BPA-free plastics; hand-wash only
• ASIN: B089ZY5ZGP

Pros & Cons

Verdict

If you’re building your first sushi setup—or just want a low-stress way to host sushi night—the Delamu 20-in-1 kit is easy to recommend. It’s not chef-grade; it’s confidence-grade. The mats are solid, the bazooka gets beginners rolling fast, and the cutting frame keeps your platter photo-ready. Pair it with a sharper knife when you can, and you’ll keep using most of these pieces well after you’ve graduated from “first roll” to “house specialty.”

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