This product was discovered in an interview with Mari Nakano. Read full interview here.

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Anybody who eats rice, uses it everyday. Traditionally they are made of bamboo or wood but the one we saw at Mari’s apartment is from the Moma design store and was made of plastic. You could see the excitement in Mari’s voice as she goes on to explain why it is such a great tool and better than the traditional design.

 

Modern rice cookers are equipped with a groove on the side where the rice paddle can rest but incidentally not a lot of people use it as you don't see it at the back. Mari explains most people will take a bowl full of water and rest the rice paddle in it head down so the rice doesn't harden and stick to the paddle. Mari’s designer side comes through when she tells us how great the design is of this particular rice paddle. “Rice doesn't stick to it, it stands up straight as it is flat on the bottom and I don't have to worry about it flipping out of a shallow bowl and falling on the ground”.

 

She said when they found it 2-3 years ago, they felt enlightened and wanted to buy it for everybody they knew, even for friends in Japan who probably have a traditional everyday one. “We thought we must bring this for them from here. They probably have one in a kitchen store in Japan but I never bothered to look”.