Pichit Paper, 32 Sheets
Pichit Regular, 32 sheets of about 25 x 35cm: the Japanese osmotic dehydration sheet that draws water and fishy odour out of fish and meat, with no heat and no salt.
Wrap a fillet in Pichit (ピチット), put it in the fridge, and the sheet pulls free water out of the surface while the flavour stays in the fish. The box puts it simply: 包むだけで、生臭みをとり、旨みを凝縮する, just wrap it to remove fishy smells and concentrate umami. It is made in Japan by Okamoto, and this is the Regular (レギュラー) grade in the 32-sheet professional (業務用) box, the high-absorption grade in a range that also includes a gentler Mild and a stronger Super.
Why Chefs Choose This
- No heat, no salt: it firms and dries fish without cooking it or seasoning it, so you decide the cure separately
- Cleaner flavour: it takes out the drip that carries fishy odour, leaving a cleaner-tasting fillet
- Better texture: firmer flesh for sashimi and a drier surface that sears rather than steams
- Repeatable: the same sheet and the same time give the same result, which paper and a cold shelf do not
How to Use
- Sashimi and sushi: wrap saku blocks in the fridge to firm the flesh and tighten the flavour before slicing
- Thawing: wrap frozen fish before it thaws so the sheet takes up the drip instead of the fish sitting in it
- Before searing or smoking: dry the surface of fish, duck or pork so it colours evenly and takes smoke well
- Ichiyaboshi: an overnight semi-dry for fish in the fridge, without hanging it outside; the Super grade goes further
Japanese fish cookery has always started with water. Salt draws it out (the furijio, 振り塩, of a light salting), kombu draws it out in kombujime (昆布締め), and air draws it out in ichiyaboshi (一夜干し), fish dried overnight. Each method leaves its own mark on the flavour. Pichit does the same job with none of that. Each sheet is a pouch of semi-permeable polyvinyl alcohol film sealed around a concentrated starch syrup (水あめ) layer. The syrup's high osmotic pressure pulls water, and the odour compounds carried in it, through the film, while the umami-carrying amino acids stay in the food.
How is Pichit different from kitchen paper?
Kitchen paper only takes up liquid that is already on the surface. Pichit works by osmosis: the concentrated layer inside the sheet keeps drawing water out of the outer layer of the fish for as long as it is wrapped, so the flesh itself tightens rather than just being blotted. Because the film only lets water and small molecules through, the fish loses moisture and much of its fishy smell but not its flavour. The practical result is a firmer, cleaner-tasting piece of fish and a surface that is properly dry.
Product Details
| Type | Food-use osmotic dehydration sheet (食品用浸透圧脱水シート) |
| Brand and Maker | Pichit, made by Okamoto (オカモト株式会社), Japan |
| Grade | Regular (レギュラー), high absorption (高吸収) |
| Contents | 32 sheets, professional pack (業務用) |
| Sheet Size | Approx 25 x 35cm |
| Construction | Polyvinyl alcohol semi-permeable film enclosing a starch syrup layer |
| Origin | Japan |
| Best Used For | Fish, shellfish and meat before slicing, searing, smoking or after freezing |
How long should I leave fish wrapped?
It depends on the size and type of the piece and how far you want to go, so start short and check. Wrap the fish completely, keep it in the fridge, and unwrap to look and touch: the flesh firms and the sheet swells as it takes up water. Thin fillets change quickly; thick blocks take longer. Once you find the time that suits a dish, it repeats.
Which Pichit grade do I need?
Okamoto makes three strengths. Mild is the gentlest, for keeping fresh sashimi. Regular, this one, is high absorption and the all-round kitchen grade, and the one Okamoto points to for freezing and thawing. Super is the strongest, for overnight-dried fish and preparing fish for smoking.
How should I store unused sheets?
Keep them sealed in the box in a cool, dry place away from humidity and direct sunlight, as the sheets are made to take up water. Take out only what you need. A sheet that has been used on fish or meat has done its job and should be thrown away.
SKU : T3064