OT: Fueling your rides - School me on Rice Cookers

[William]

I cook rice all the time, and probably should have looked into a rice cooker years ago. What are some tried and true stand alone brands I should look for? Or, should I just stick with the old school methods?







William

[guido]

I just use a medium size pot with a lid. For me the trick is Calrose rice. It almost cooks itself...

[ceolwulf]

Zojirushi is the gold standard, from everything I've heard. I just use a pot on the stove though ...

[Raffy]

Zojirushi is the Sidi of rice cookers. Most removable parts are replaceable and the ones I've used have cooked nothing but excellent rice IMO.

[Jad]

I use a ~10"x3" skillet for all my rice. It works very well for me, but I'd think one of the advantages of a rice cooker is transportation/travel.

[Exonerv]

I've been using the $30 Aroma model from Costco for years. It's super easy and I can't imagine how a more expensive model could work any better.

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

[kramnnim]

Zojirushi, yes. But even the basic ones are extremely easy to use...just measure the rice, put in water, press the button down, and wait.

[jchasse]

Zojirushi is the Sidi of rice cookers. Most removable parts are replaceable and the ones I've used have cooked nothing but excellent rice IMO.

Agreed. We've had a Zijirushi for years and it's great. As a bonus, it has different fuzzy logic settings for different rice types (brown v white etc), and a great timer that lets you dump ingredients in and set the time you want it ready. So with the "porridge" setting you can put rolled oats in at night and set it, and wake up to the scent of perfectly cooked oatmeal. :banana:

[goonster]

We have a Cuckoo that is impressively complex and warns us in Korean before venting.

[azrider]

My dad managed a massive rice farm in the bootheel of Missouri so we've been eating rice for years. Few years ago my wife bought a very nice rice cooker and we used it a few times, but went back to our tried and true pot handed down to us by my grandma.

I say stick with a regular old pot and just work on technique

[flydhest]

How effective is the Zojirushi with brown rice? I can cook white rice in a pan without problem. Brown rice, however, leads to inconsistent results.

[verticaldoug]

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/living/tourist/en/ricecooker.html

Wife is Japanese so sometimes I think the rice cooker is more important than our stove. She actually likes make homemade amazake (rice + Koji) in it. It runs for like 2 days straight at some low setting.

Any of the top brands will be fine. The fact you can make extra rice and it will keep it warm and fresh to eat later, is very nice.

You should figure out how to make amazake. You might get hooked.

[MatthewL]

http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-rice-cooker/

[kramnnim]

Cooker does brown rice just fine, just need to use more water.

[zennmotion]

Zojirushi. Whatever you get, a glass lid so you can see what's going on without lifting the lid is a plus, plus it's heavier than a sheet metal lid that can lift off with vigorous cooking in larger amounts. The other thing is to be sure that the pot is steel and not aluminum. Al cookware is not a healthy choice, and it cooks less evenly and tends to burn more easily. You also don't need or necessarily want non-stick coating, it eventually flakes off, not something I want to eat from. Brown rice is fine, the cooker has less to do with the end result than the amount of water you add. All rice should be rinsed well (if you've ever been to overseas rice and grain processing facilities that I've seen you wouldn't skip this). White rice is often coated with talc to keep it from sticking, but you definitely want to rinse this well until the water is no longer cloudy. I put the dry rice in the pot, fill it with water, swish it around squeezing handsfull of rice grains to get the coating off and pour it through a wire mesh strainer, usually repeated 3X. When you cook the rice, white or Brown, when the cooker switches to warm I unplug it, fluff up the rice a little, replace the lid and let it set for 5 mins or so, this will result in nice fluffy rice and prevent sticking to the bottom. The warm cycle on most electric cookers including the Zojirashi will cause buring on the bottom. Let your rice "breathe" another minute with the lid off before serving. Most people use too much water, the "recipes" you find online and in books are wrong especially for small quantities (less than 2c of dry rice). Larger quantities are easier to get it right than smaller quantities that are more sensitive to too much or too little water. Red "cargo" rice is one of my favorites and commonly found in Asian Markets. If you can find pink (very light brown) rice that comes from Madagascar, buy it, it's the best stuff on earth. Brown basmati is an everyday favorite in our house. Short grained "sweet rice" (brown not white) is good when you want sticky, sushi type rice that has better flavor than traditional white sticky rice. White rice bores me.

[ColonelJLloyd]

I use a small Cuisinart rice cooker for long grain and basmati. But, the best method I've found for brown rice is the oven (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe.html). It just is. I do not like mushy rice.

How effective is the Zojirushi with brown rice? I can cook white rice in a pan without problem. Brown rice, however, leads to inconsistent results.

[notsew]

We have a Zojirushi we received as a Christmas gift 5 years ago or so. It cooks everything flawlessly. It is impossible to mess up rice or anything else you put in there. Plus, it sings a happy little song when it is done.

It has a setting for brown rice which produces perfect brown rice.

[mktng]

i have a basic cheapo black and decker. (mine doesnt sing for me when the rice is done)

cooks two cups of rice easily.

you can have the gold standard of cookers and still mess it up.

its really down to knowing how much water you need.

dont blow your $$ on fancy cookers. save that money for bike stuff :) !

[carpediemracing]

We just got an Oyama. Seems fine so far. If the Zojirushi is really good it's the same price.

Stainless steel pot, not aluminum or non-stick. We replaced an aluminum pot one, it burned the rice more. The old one is probably 30 years old.

Brown rice for me is a bit off but I'm used to Japanese style rice, i.e. softer.

We've left it on for about a day (warm). My sis-in-law, with a larger household, has a perpetual pot of rice on warm. You can walk in their house any time and serve some rice. Actually it's not just rice, because white rice is really bad for blood sugar conscious people. It's some kind of mix from Costco.

Until I was diagnosed pre-diabetic (Dec 2015) I ate a lot of white rice. Now the rice cooker doesn't get used much at all.

[weisan]

dont blow your $$ on fancy cookers. save that money for bike stuff :) !

Back where I come from, they started feeding me rice as soon as they know I won't choke myself to death...just get whatever they have at Costco, including the rice.

[Likes2ridefar]

I had a cuckoo cooker for ~13 years but we finally retired it as it was looking pretty nasty. It worked great.

We replaced it with a much cheaper costco $30 multi-use aroma cooker.

It is not as fast usually taking about 10-30 minutes longer depending on the rice but cooks rice just as good.

It will also slow cook and steam veggies nicely among other things.

[choke]

+whatever for Zojirushi. It works very well.

[ptourkin]

Agreed. We've had a Zijirushi for years and it's great. As a bonus, it has different fuzzy logic settings for different rice types (brown v white etc), and a great timer that lets you dump ingredients in and set the time you want it ready. So with the "porridge" setting you can put rolled oats in at night and set it, and wake up to the scent of perfectly cooked oatmeal. :banana:

Exactly. I love waking up to hot congee or porridge and the fuzzy logic does work to make really good rice. Also look at Panasonic fuzzy logic.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SKTTHI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

[mvrider]

Rice cookers are a bit like bicycles: you can get by with a very functional, $5 pot, or spend $1000 on a pressurized cooker with a heavy ceramic pot, and more computing power than the Space Shuttle. The electronics stores in Japan have some mind-blowing options.

A couple of years ago we sprung for a ~$450 Zojirushi model sold at a local Japanese supermarket, primarily because it is made in Japan. It makes great rice, even brown rice or sticky rice. I'd say the rice doesn't taste better than that made in a pot, but it takes a lot of the guesswork away.

The most amusing thing about the Zojirushi is the rice washing instructions in the manual: wash, rinse, wash, rinse, wash, rinse, wash. In drought-stricken California, we tend to skip most of those steps, and the rice tastes just fine.

The most impressive display of rice cooking skill I've ever seen was by a family in the hills of Thailand. They had a big pot cooked over a open wood fire, and it came out just perfectly. No fuzzy logic necessary.

[deechee]

Not all Zojirushis are the same. There are different levels, and the amount of power they draw. Consider cleaning (some have more detachable parts than others), handles and other niceties that you may appreciate. Also, minimum and maximum capacity is important as larger cookers won't cook small amounts of rice nicely, and in the same token, small cookers have problems at their max capacity.

I own both the NS-LAC05 and NS-ZCC10. A 3 cup and 5.5. Both of these models have thicker steel pans vs. the aluminum ones in some other models. These are less scratch prone and have specific modes for cooking mixed rice (throw in mushrooms, fish, salmon etc with the rice and let it all cook together) The downside is of course, they are slower at cooking.

In all honesty though, the end result is not THAT different with a traditional one flip switch cooker. You just need to find what rice you like and what features (like the timer) that works for you. Some rices taste better in one cooker vs. the other. And basamati is just better in a pot.

Brown rice: There are a lot of newer short grain brown rice varieties that cook as quickly as white rice. I personally like mixing some Fukkura with my Koshihikari white rice as it adds some nuttiness.

http://media.shopwell.com/gladson/00011152186931_full.jpg

ps. Be weary of models with built in clocks. Most have batteries which are practically impossible to replace yourself. My parents' old Sanyo battery died pretty early on and it was really annoying.

pps. You most definitely should be rinsing your rice. Besides finding impurities, you're washing off arsenic (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm)which ALL rice has.

[azrider]

The most impressive display of rice cooking skill I've ever seen was by a family in the hills of Thailand. They had a big pot cooked over a open wood fire, and it came out just perfectly. No fuzzy logic necessary.

I dated a girl in college who was Thai and i loved going to her parents for meals as there was ALWAYS the most perfectly cooked pot of rice on hand (usually avail morning day and night) as well as the aroma of boiled peanuts.

YUM

[Seramount]

my Zojirushi cooker is the BEST appliance I've ever purchased. cost $150, but worth it.

measure rice (I've done white, brown, black), rinse, then add water to the appropriate line, press START. that's it...

perfect rice every single time.

and it will hold the rice at temp for hours without ruining it. also has a delayed timer setting so you can load it up and have it come on later.

[pdmtong]

The most impressive display of rice cooking skill I've ever seen was by a family in the hills of Thailand. They had a big pot cooked over a open wood fire, and it came out just perfectly. No fuzzy logic necessary.

my aunts used to cook rice for extended family gatherings (like 30-40 people) in a beater 20-30 qt stock pot over an ancient gas stove. this method adapted from the one described above since now they are in the USA not the old country.

go modern. make your life easier. Zojirushi.

[paredown]

Another vote for Zojirushi--ours is more than 10 years old and going strong. The non-stick pot eventually wears, but we picked up a new one, and now #2 is looking long in the tooth.

I find it works fine with brown rice as well--I use one cup rice and fill with water to the 2c 'Sweet Rice' mark on the inside--seems to work fine.

If you leave it for more than a day, it will start to go crusty/dry on the warming cycle, but we tend to use it fast enough.

Pots work fine--if I am doing other stuff in the kitchen and can keep an eye on the rice, I'll do it in a medium heavy bottomed pot--but I love that you can set and forget with the cooker.

[gemship]

Rice cookers are a bit like bicycles: you can get by with a very functional, $5 pot, or spend $1000 on a pressurized cooker with a heavy ceramic pot, and more computing power than the Space Shuttle. The electronics stores in Japan have some mind-blowing options.

A couple of years ago we sprung for a ~$450 Zojirushi model sold at a local Japanese supermarket, primarily because it is made in Japan. It makes great rice, even brown rice or sticky rice. I'd say the rice doesn't taste better than that made in a pot, but it takes a lot of the guesswork away.

The most amusing thing about the Zojirushi is the rice washing instructions in the manual: wash, rinse, wash, rinse, wash, rinse, wash. In drought-stricken California, we tend to skip most of those steps, and the rice tastes just fine.

The most impressive display of rice cooking skill I've ever seen was by a family in the hills of Thailand. They had a big pot cooked over a open wood fire, and it came out just perfectly. No fuzzy logic necessary.


Ha,ha I can just picture some Ti momma playing the rice police hovering over that pot whilst sweeping the floors all day long....

[grawk]

I love my zojirushi as well, but I also have a $30 walmart special. Any rice cooker does fine generally speaking, and beats having to watch the pot.

[ceolwulf]

So while we are on the topic, does anyone know of a rice cooker that is good at making a single serving?

[etu]

my wife bought a $250 zojirushi 22 years ago. thought she went way overboard, but it is still making great rice and the non-stick pan is fine. as with so many things, good quality stuff lasts.

cooking rice in a pot is more retro than friction DT shifters!:p

[weisan]

So while we are on the topic, does anyone know of a rice cooker that is good at making a single serving?

I bought a small electric one at a Goodwill not too long ago, just the right size for a camping trip.

[ptourkin]

So while we are on the topic, does anyone know of a rice cooker that is good at making a single serving?

My Sanyo (now Panasonic) programmable, makes a single cup fine. Zojirushi can too but make extra and use it for congee.

[Peter P.]

The last thing I want is another kitchen gadget taking up space and having limited use.

I use a 2 cup sauce pan with a lid. About five minutes shy of when the rice is done (I read the package and set a timer), I pull it off the heat and let it stand, covered, for the remaining five minutes. It comes out perfect and doesn't stick to the cheapo Farberware sauce pan.

It makes a single serving just fine, too.

[dsillito]

I have a "National" brand rice cooker. It has seen at least 30 years of regular use, and I've never had a problem with it. No LCD display or electronics to fry out. I can't comment on any of the modern ones, but if they are like 99% consumer electronic products produced these days, it is designed and built to outlive a minimal warrantee by a day or two. I'd look for a second hand one. Yard sale season is coming!

The documentary "The Lightbulb Conspiracy" is a great introduction to planned obsolescence. Available online, from what I remember :D

[weisan]

The last thing I want is another kitchen gadget taking up space and having limited use.

I use a 2 cup sauce pan with a lid. About five minutes shy of when the rice is done (I read the package and set a timer), I pull it off the heat and let it stand, covered, for the remaining five minutes. It comes out perfect and doesn't stick to the cheapo Faberware sauce pan.

It makes a single serving just fine, too.

See! Who says we (esp. men) need to read Housewives and Southern Cooking to learn about such things when we can pick up those same skills right here.

[572cv]

We have the Aroma rice cooker, and have had excellent luck with it for many years. I like the detailing, ease of use and the timer.

[p nut]

I had a Zoj for ~20 years. Gave it to my sis-in-law and it's still working. We replaced it with a Cuckoo. Works great as well. We've had it for about 5 years now. We bought a $70 Cuckoo to the inlaws and they love it too. Going strong for about 4 years now. Either brand, you can't lose. Cuckoo is cheaper, though. Keeps the rice warm and fresh better than the Walmart brands.

[milkbaby]

Everybody says Zojirushi...

For white rice, a method I've learned that always works for me is to use a pot with a lid, typically a saucepan in the 2 to 3 quart range. I pour in the rice, then add water until it is above the level of the rice by the height of the first joint on my pointer finger. I bring it to a boil with the lid off, then lower to a simmer and cover for twenty minutes. That's it. Seems to work for long and medium grain white rices. It probably depends on the shape of your pot too, but for some reason it always seems to work out okay for me.

[smontanaro]

Zojirushi is the Sidi of rice cookers. Most removable parts are replaceable and the ones I've used have cooked nothing but excellent rice IMO.
We've got a Zojirushi. Not sure what size or model it is. Perfect size for us empty nesters. They are fairly pricey, but Ellen got a deal when she worked for Crate and Barrel. We cook brown rice and steel cut oats in it all the time. Both take about an hour, so using a normal saucepan kind of ties you to the kitchen. The rice cooker gets it perfect every time, allows delayed start, and keeps the food warm for about as long as you want. Not sure how we managed without one for so long.

[Elefantino]

I have had the same rice cooker for more than 35 years. It's a National (Matsu����a/Panasonic's Asian brand), made in Japan, and it just works. Cooks everything well; easy to clean. Never been tempted to get another.

For comparison purposes, I have had 23 bikes in that time.

http://cookwitheva.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Ricecooker-1.jpg

[deechee]

Red "cargo" rice is one of my favorites and commonly found in Asian Markets. If you can find pink (very light brown) rice that comes from Madagascar, buy it, it's the best stuff on earth. Brown basmati is an everyday favorite in our house. Short grained "sweet rice" (brown not white) is good when you want sticky, sushi type rice that has better flavor than traditional white sticky rice. White rice bores me.

I'll have to try the "red" rice. I occasionally mix in some purple glutinous thai rice with my white rice (the koreans do it a lot) and that adds funky color and texture.

I don't agree white rice is boring. There are many Japanese short grain rice varieties coming from California these days (Koshihikari, Hitomebore) which are flavorful but less expensive than glutinous sweet rice/Mochigome. Glutinous rice should also be steam cooked, rather than shoved into a rice cooker. I wouldn't compare it to sushi rice at all - in fact I'm pretty sure nobody adds vinegar to glutinous rice, which is what "sushi" means, despite its use as a synonym for raw fish in the US.

Instead of using a rice cooker, I find microwave-cooking glutinous rice nets the best quick results short of steaming. Soak the glutinous rice overnight in a microwave-safe container, and then microwave in 3 min batches. Eventually it'll absorb all the water and you can eat the rice with your hands. Its sooo goood.

[Dired]

Is anyone familiar with multicookers? These are essentially rice cookers with multiple modes besides rice that can slow cook, steam, etc. You can quickly cook different meals at the same time, for example saute meat in the main bowl while steaming vegetables in the top tray. We've been using a 6 cup model for years but need increased capacity and panasonic just discontinued their line... Any recommendations?

Here is what we're currently using:
This is the http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SR-DE103-Fuzzy-Pre-Program-Cooker/dp/B004SKTTHI