:goodpost:
All good info up there!
Use short grain rice. long grain rice is weird, and medium is more forgiving than short grain when adding vinegar. But you just can't beat short grain for sushi.
The rinsing is very important, just don't beat up the grains too hard, you can literally do that until the rice falls apart(done it). Usually roughing it up between your hands and dumping the rinsewater over and over is best, and takes about 6-10 times in my experience. Use real cold water, even if it hurts your hands. Cold grains and cold pot water are desirable for Shari.
Fill the pot up with water just until the rice is covered--it's hard to say how much, because in a sushi bar setting, it is done by putting your hand on the rice and measuring using your knuckles. But the proportions are different with small home pots, and without you already knowing what it looks like, it's hard for me to relate. But you don't want the rice cooked all the way--the acidic vinegar and extra liquid will finish off the rice, and you don't want it to get mushy. The goal is to get the rice to stick to itself, but fall apart when damp(in your mouth).
Don't beat the rice up afterward, especially right after it comes out of the pot. You can work it like bread dough and make it all gluey and terrible--so fold and cut the rice, don't smash it.
The amount of vinegar you put on the rice is basically up to the rice and you. You want it to saturate the rice, but the rice should just shine, not drip or sit soggy. If you add it all at once, you'd better know exactly how much you need, because there's no going back--but if you add it a tiny bit at a time, it is easy to overwork the rice between adding it.
Cool it with a moist towel covering--this is important. Stir it occasionally until it's about body temperature.
IME a hangiri isn't necessary unless you are doing batches over and over or lots at a time--and it's a hassle to keep up with(it's a saturated cedar bowl). I use a normal glass prep bowl here at home, and have had no issues. Just use a big one.
Don't wait for the Nori to get stretchy and wet from the rice/fish when rolling Maki. Its tempting, but if you just roll the maki with confidence and conviction, but not force, as long as it closes, it will be crispy and perfect at first, and then as it sits, the nori will shrink and hold it tight--if it's tight when you roll it, it will shrink and bust on the table as it sits(not that sushi ever sits around my wife and I).
Buy imported crab sticks, if that is your thing--don't buy American imitation crab, the stuff made from Pollock, you want the stuff made from Bream or Tai, usually from Japan or Thailand. Might be labeled "Surimi"
Sauces and stuff--man I barely like any of those. I like sugar-soy-marinated Shitake mushrooms for sushi, but I never got into the eel sauce, mayo and more mayo thing. If you can get real wasabi it is life-changing and totally worth it. Totally worth it.