Step 1 is to make sure you have Japanese style short grain white rice, rinsed properly and proportioned correctly with water in a proper rice cooker. Sounds like you have that mostly under control.
Step 2 is to get the rice wine vinegar + sugar + salt mixture right. The question is, "what is right?" The answer is, practice-makes-perfect. You might seriously screw up the first few times you make sushi vinegar. To be perfectly honest, if you've got a Japanese food store around, you might find a bottle of prepares sushi vinegar...not the easiest thing to find, but it makes the overall process easier, that's for sure.
Step 3 is to mix the finished rice and the sushi vinegar together correctly and in the correct manner (fanning, etc). This isn't quite an art form, but it's close. I've screwed up at this stage more times than I can count. LOL
Step 4 is making sure you use sushi grade fish that's FRESH FRESH FRESH, and you'll need a killer sharp knife to cut the fish with.
Step 5 is to decide what you're going to make. I find that Nigiri sushi is the easiest to make, assuming you get good at cutting attractive pieces of fish. Maki sushi is easy once you figure out how to work the bamboo mat (saran wrap is a great cheater).
I'm sure your online recipes are leading you in the right direction. I learned from books years and years ago, so I'm sure the online stuff is equally comparable. I also, thankfully, have some great Japanese shops nearby that always have the correct tools and ingredients.
BTW, I think my mother can make sushi in her sleep. Don't know why I didn't take advantage of learning from her when I was growing up and living at home. Guess I felt I didn't have to learn how, since she made it for me. LOL
:thumbsup:
