This Japanese cooking tool is revolutionising kitchen tech

The Anaori Kakugama is a new multi-purpose kitchen tool that uses carbon graphite to lock in umami flavour.

Anaori Kakugama, a new multi-purpose Japanese cooking tool that uses carbon graphite technology
(Image credit: press)

Anaori Kakugama is a new multi-purpose Japanese cooking tool that uses carbon graphite technology to grill, simmer, poach, fry, and steam food that is packed with umami flavour

Oddly enough, the genesis of this innovative new product was inspired by a sweet potato. Specifically, the sweet potatoes Anaori's founder, Eiichi Anaori, remembered his father roasting on chunks of carbon graphite that were discarded from a local factory. 

Anaori Kakugama, a new multi-purpose Japanese cooking tool that uses carbon graphite technology

(Image credit: press)

Working with legendary Japanese Chef Hirohisa Koyama, Anaori began figuring out how he could translate the unique cooking properties of carbon graphite into a tool that could be used in a modern kitchen. 

The result is the Anaori Kakugama, a square block of carbon graphite within which there is a grill and imo-gata (rounded bottom) pot that is ideal for boiling water, cooking broths, or making rice. Carbon graphite has the unique ability to minimise the cellular destruction of cooked ingredients, meaning that regardless of the source of heat and the mode of cooking, the essence of each ingredient is enhanced.

Food being grilled on Anaori Kakugama, a new multi-purpose Japanese cooking tool that uses carbon graphite technology

(Image credit: press)

The Anaori Kakugama is compact enough to sit on a countertop and can be used for grilling, simmering, poaching, frying and steaming with a hinoki cypress lid that locks in umami flavour. Think of it as a combination of a crockpot and George Foreman grill reimagined with sleek Japanese aesthetics and eco-conscious technology. 

To celebrate the release of this unique product, the brand is launching the 'Naturality Tour,' which invites 24 world renowned chefs to cook with the Anaori Kakugama in their kitchen. 

Soup being cooked in Anaori Kakugama, a new multi-purpose Japanese cooking tool that uses carbon graphite technology

(Image credit: press)

Guests include Toru Okuda, head chef at Tokyo's famed Ginza Kojyu restaurant, and Rafael Cagali of London restaurant, Da Terra.

INFORMATION

anaori-international.com (opens in new tab)

Beauty & Grooming Editor

Mary Cleary is the Beauty & Grooming Editor of Wallpaper*. Having been with the brand since 2017, she became an editor in February 2020 with the launch of the brand’s new beauty & grooming channel. Her work seeks to offer a new perspective on beauty, focusing on the pioneering personalities, product designs, and transformative trends within the industry.