How To Cook That: A Japanese Popin Cooking Kit Review

Welcome to How To Cook That, I'm Ann Reardon. Today, we're going to try out some Japanese popin cooking kits that were sent to us from Japan. We don't have these kits available in Australia, so it was exciting to receive them and give them a go.

The first kit we tried was a birthday cake kit. As soon as I opened the packaging, I noticed that all the instructions were in Japanese. I had asked you guys if this was why you wanted me to do a how-to video. When you open the kit, don't rip the packaging because you'll need it later on. Open it up, take everything out, and cut along the dotted lines.

So, you'll have your packaging, all the little packets that come inside, a cute piping bag, a stirring spoon, and decorations that they gave you. Cut along the lines on the plastic containers to get your triangle measuring cup and the strawberry molds separate from the rest of it. Now we're ready to begin.

You'll see that the tray has a star and a heart at the base, so you know which one to do in which. In the star one pour the orange packet and into the heart one tip the yellow packet. Add two scoops of water to the big one and one scoop of water to the small one and stir them both really well getting into all of those little edges.

And then tap it on the bench 10 times to get rid of any air bubbles, and then just pop it in the microwave for 50 seconds. Once it's done, use your spoon to loosen it from the edges and then tip it onto the plastic sheet. For the strawberry cream, add the red packet to the heart space and mix in one scoop of water.

To make the vanilla cream, place the dark blue packet into the star container and mix with two scoops of water. To make your strawberry jellies, you'll need to pour the strawberry cream powder into a separate container and then mix it with water to create the perfect consistency. You can pipe these onto wafers or use them as is.

Overall, I was pleased with how this cake turned out, but I have to say that I'm not loving the flavors. Kids didn't love it either, but they thought it was okay. I think all of these kits are great fun to make and look super cute – I just wish I could love the flavors a bit more.

The next kit we tried was an ice cream one. When you open the box, cut out your packet into pieces and then use them as instructed on the packaging. We have a strawberry cream packet, sprinkles, vanilla cream, a mini piping bag, a spoon, cute little ice cream cones, a dessert cup, and some wafers.

Cut the triangle off the corner of each wafer to create your measuring scoop. Pour the strawberry cream powder into one side of the bag and the vanilla cream powder into the other side. Add one scoop of water to each one and mix well. Twist the top and trim off the end to get a smooth tip for piping.

Pipe four dots onto one of your wafers, repeat that on the next one, and then pipe three rows of three dots so the top is completely covered. Stack those up and add some sprinkles on top. For the ice cream cones, just swirl the mixture into the cone and add your little wafer bit to the side.

You can use the holes in the center of the container as a stand to hold your ice creams as you do the next bit. Fill your wafer basket with the leftover mixture and sprinkle some on top. Pipe more around the edge, and then add the heart sprinkles to that as well. These look so super cute and taste like wafers with the same vanilla pudding mix we had on the cake.

The final kit we tried was a sushi one. When you open the box, cut out your packet into pieces. We have a strawberry cream packet, sprinkles, vanilla cream, a mini piping bag, a spoon, cute little sushi cones, a dessert cup, and some wafers. Cut the triangle off the corner of each wafer to create your measuring scoop.

Pour the strawberry cream powder into one side of the bag and the vanilla cream powder into the other side. Add one scoop of water to each one and mix well. Twist the top and trim off the end to get a smooth tip for piping. Mix the brown packet with water to make soy sauce, which was an interesting flavor addition.

Scoop out small amounts of the mixture and shape them into fish eggs using the clear mixture that has calcium salts in it. This creates a jelly-like effect that looks like fish eggs. The sushi wrapper tastes like bubble gum, the rice is chewy and sweet, and the salmon and egg have a jelly-like consistency.

Overall, these kits were great fun to make and look super cute – I just wish I could love the flavors a bit more. Would you like me to make some recipes for mini things that you can do yourself instead of having to use a packet? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great week and I'll see you on Friday.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWelcome to How To Cook ThatI am Ann ReardonYou asked me to do a popin cookin video soI ordered these in from Japan, we don't havehave them here in Australia.Lets start with this birthday cake kit, I'vegot three different kits for you.And the first thing you will notice is allthe instructions are in Japanese, is thatwhy you wanted asked me to do a how-to video?When you open it up don't rip the packagingbecause you'll need it, open it up, take everythingout and cut along the dotted lines.So you'll have your packaging, all the littlepackets that come inside, a cute piping baga stirring spoon and decorations that theygave you.Cut along the lines on the plastic containerso you get your triangle measuring cup andthe strawberry molds seperate from the restof it.Now we are ready to begin.You'll see that the tray has a star and aheart at the base so you know which one todo in which.In the star one pour the orange packet andinto the heart one tip the yellow packet.Add two scoops of water to the big one andone scoop of water to the small one and stirthem both really well getting into all ofthose little edges.And then tap it on the bench 10 times to getrid of any air bubbles and then just pop itin the microwave for 50 seconds.Once it is done use your spoon to loosen itfrom the edges and then tip it onto the plasticsheet.For the strawberry cream add the red packetto the heart space and mix in one scoop ofwater.To make the vanilla cream place the dark bluepacket into the star container and mix withtwo scoops of water.To make your strawberry jellies mix the pinkpacket with one scoop of water and then tipthat into the strawberry mold.Cover the bottom cake in vanilla cream thenadd the small one on top and cover that too.Place the strawberry cream into the pipingbag and cut off one corner.Pipe little dots all the way around the edgewhere the tow cakes are meeting.Then on the top layer pipe some little linesof pink following the line of the cake.Now you can of course decorate it howeveryou want it.Then add the decorations that they gave youand I'm just putting around the joins whereit is coming up all around the top of thecake.Add you strawberry jellies and pipe some morepink.You can leave it on the plastic sheet thatthey have given you or place it onto a plate.Now for the taste test.HMMM, it's not bad, but it's not great either.It's like dry cake with a spoonful of packetvanilla pudding with it.As a kid I probably would of enjoyed it Idefinitely would of enjoyed the process, Ithink that it's cute, it just needs some workon the flavour.Lets try the sushi one.This is s sushi candy so it should have adifferent flavour none of the vanilla creammixture in this one.Your packet has the plates and a couple oftemplates on it, then you have a spoon, adropper bottle and all of your little packetsof ingredients.First to make the rice, use the dropper bottlefill the oval container up to the fill line.Then add the blue packet in and mix well.To the whirly shaped pattern add water tothe fill line again then add the yellow powderand mix through this is going to be our egg.Smooth off the top there.Repeat that on the wavy one with the pinkpacket to make the tuna.Tip it in, stir it through and smooth offthe top.And then to make the fake seaweed they havegiven us black gooey soft candy.Just squash that and pull it out to the sizethat you need on the template wrapper thereand use a knife to trim it up.Now keep the left over bits and we'll usethem later on other ones.Take some of your rice, roll it into a balland wrap the seaweed around it.Squeeze it together on the side to make itstick to itself.Take another ball of rice, place half of theegg on top just use your spoon to get it out.Then wrap the spare seaweed candy around,it doesn't taste of seaweed, wrap that aroundyour sushi there.Roll another ball of rice and place some tunaon top.Now for some cool molecular gastronomy.Add water to the fill line of A and of B.Tip the orange packet into B and the greenpacket into A. Mix up A well, then wipe youspoon clean . It is important that you don'tmix these mixtures together.And then mix B.Using the dropper bottle put drops of theorange mix into the clear one and it willset straight away.Basically what is happening here is the orangehas a gelling agent that gels in the presenceof calcium.And the clear mixture has calcium salts init so when you drop it in it gels.Scoop them up and place them on top of yoursushi so it looks like fish eggs.Lastly mix the brown packet with water tomake soy sauce.The sushi wrapper tastes like bubble gum,the rice is chewy and sweet.The salmon and egg have a jelly like consistency.Overall it is sweet with a slight bubble gumflavour to it.But lets try the ice cream one.Open your box, cut out your packet into pieces.Then we have a strawberry cream packet, sprinkles,vanilla cream a mini piping bag a spoon andlook at these cute little ice cream cones,a dessert cup and some wafers.Cut the triangle off the corner and that willbe your measuring scoop just like we did lasttime.Use your scoop to cut a square off your wafer,then a second square, and a third one andyou'll be left with a little piece that we'lluse later.Pour the strawberry cream powder, which isthe pink packet into one side and the vanillacream powder which is the blue packet, intothe other side.Add one scoop of water into each one and mixwell.Add the pink to one side of the bag and thevanilla to the other, it's a bit tricky toget it all the way down to the tip of thebag.Twist the top and trim off the end.Pipe four dots onto one of your wafers,repeat that on the next one.Then on the last one pipe three rows of threedots so the top is completely covered.Then stack those up and add some sprinklesto the top.For the ice cream cones you just swirl themixture into the cone, add your little waferbit to the side.You can use the holes in the centre of thecontainer that they have given you as a standto hold your ice creams as you do the nextbit.Then fill your wafer basket with the leftover mixture and sprinkles on the top.Pipe some more around the edge and add theheart sprinkles to that as well.You can use the wrappers they provided aroundthe ice cream and as plates for your creations.These look so super cute and taste like waferwith the same vanilla pudding mix we had onthe cake.Kids didn't love it but they thought it wasOK.I think all of these are great fun to makeand look super-cute I'm just not loving theflavours.But I would of loved to make them when I waslittle.What do you think have you had them before?And would you like me to make some recipesfor mini things that you can do yourself insteadof having to use a packet?Let me know in the comments below.Have a great week and I'll see you on Friday.[music: the boat song by Set Sail used withpermission]\n"