How many people own a rice cooker?

[Rambler]

We have 4 of them. 2 in Japan and 2 in the US...DW is Japanese...the 4th was my reward for 25 years at megacorp. It is by far the best of those we own, induction heating and fuzzy logic. And yes, the rice cooker you use does make a big difference to those who really love their rice. So, why do we have 4 of them? Well, a rice cooker does best when it cooks close to capacity. So, when it is just the two of us, we use the small one. When we have a huge crowd, we use the big 10 cup cooker. The best thing about these rice cookers, IMO, is that you just have to use the included cup to measure your rice (not your household measuring cup...the cup size is different!), rinse the rice (unless you are using rice that is "no-wash"), fill with water to the appropriate line for the number of cups of rice you put in, and hit the right switch. The fuzzy logic kind of cooker adjusts cooking time based on temperature and pressure. Te length of time required to bring it to the appropriate temperature changes with the amount of rice and water in the pot.

R

 

[Janet H]

Last night I tried cooking red quinoa in my rice cooker (y'all have inspired me). It was perfect and easy. What do you think about non-stick vs, standard aluminum inserts?

 

[RetirementColdHardTruth]

i have a $7.99 rice cooker. It has worked flawlessly for well over 5 years. We cook rice every day to mix in with the dog food for our 17 year old dog. We always have rice for dinner as well.

Save your money get a cheap one.

 

[audreyh1]

<sigh> I knew I should not have clicked on this thread. I love rice. I make rice in a pan and every time it's a challenge of being too sticky, not done, and sometimes - just right.

I just bought a basic little 3.3 Cup Panasonic off Amazon. It will probably be here the first part of next week. Do any of you rinse the rice before using your rice cooker? If so, does it really make a difference in cooking or is it just to diminish the frothing?

I have the Panasonic 3.3 cup - $25 on Amazon. It works great for smaller quantities. I usually cook 1.5 cups of rice. Usually brown long grain. The cooker does 1 cup very well. I don't dare do more than 2 - if it gets too full, it can get messy!

On the rice cooker you usually use a little less water than on the stove top. That has been the trickiest part for me - learning how much water to use. Also - when the rice cooker is done, it's best to let it still sit for 10 minutes before opening to let it finish steaming.

I don't bother rinsing my rice. I like my rice fine without.

I think if you rinse it, it will be a little less starchy/sticky. You should try it to see if you prefer it rinsed.

Diminish the frothing - I think adding a wee bit of oil may help that. I usually do - pinch of salt, wee bit of olive oil. Otherwise - a little frothing does not bother me.

I also sometimes use part chicken broth, throw in some crumbled saffron threads and stir in some frozen green peas (1/4 cup). Makes a lovely yellow "spanish style" rice - with an awesome perfume.

Audrey

 

[spncity]

I am thinking about replacing my old-style pressure cooker (with the weight that sits on top) with a newer model.

My father-in-law gave me a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker and it is a dream. And so quiet!

 

[veremchuka]

can you cook dried beans that you soaked for 5 or 6 hours in a rice cooker? i often wonder what i'll do when i need to replace my 25 year old pressure cooker. it still has the original rubber seal but i figure sooner or later that'll be the thing that causes me to have to replace it.

 

[audreyh1]

can you cook dried beans that you soaked for 5 or 6 hours in a rice cooker? i often wonder what i'll do when i need to replace my 25 year old pressure cooker. it still has the original rubber seal but i figure sooner or later that'll be the thing that causes me to have to replace it.

No, I don't think so. I use a crock pot on high - but that's probably slower than any other method (pressure cooker or regular pot on the stove).

 

[LightningDawg]

Hate to break this to you, but Kokuho Rose is grown in the US, in Ca! The owner isn't Korean, he's Japanese! I've been using this brand for almost 30 years. I have a cheap 5 or 6 cup cooker. I use 1c:1.5c water ratio. With brown rice I use 2c water. Here's the website, they have a history page on the company and family:

Www.kodafarms.com

I don't know how I thought it was Korean. In any case, I haven't found a better tasting rice. And we've been eating rice for over 50 years.

 

[kyounge1956]

Tip: It doesn't hurt to put too much liquid in. When it's done, drain the rice like pasta, fluff it, and it will steam off the rest for perfect rice.

I reported earlier that my white rice on the stove top always comes out great. I don't cook brown rice very often, but wanted it for a meal tonight, and googling brought up this:

Perfect Brown Rice - Saveur.com

And that is what this recipe does, to an extreme. It seemed strange to me, but you boil the rice in a LOT of liquid (3 Quarts water for 1 cup dry rice). It says boil for 30 minutes, I lost track so tasted/tested as I went along, and drained it when it was just slightly less than fully done (probably 30 minutes though). Drain, put back covered but unheated for 10 minutes, then I stirred in saute'd mushrooms, scallions, and some toasted pecans, no salt or other seasonings and it was really good.
-ERD50

I never knew until well into adulthood that there was any other way to cook rice than using lots of water. That's how my mom always used to cook it when I was a kid growing up. I don't cook plain rice often, but when I do I usually use my pressure cooker. Sometimes I make a rice pilaf, but more often I use bulgur for that, because it cooks so much faster.

 

[modhatter]

can you cook dried beans that you soaked for 5 or 6 hours in a rice cooker? i often wonder what i'll do when i need to replace my 25 year old pressure cooker. it still has the original rubber seal but i figure sooner or later that'll be the thing that causes me to have to replace it.

According to my Rice Cooker book, you can. But as you said I think you have to soak the beans first. Then you can cook them alone or mix with rice. I would have to get my book out and look it up.

 

[Orchidflower]

Cook rice here the old fashioned way: me, a pot with a lid and water. Trying to stick to brown rice, too.
I had no idea so many would have rice cookers..wow...

 

[East Texas]

My little Panasonic just came.... Ah, it's a happy time in the East Texas household.

Question - there is a 1/2 mark on the little measuring cup. If I just want to make a 1/2 cup of (uncooked) rice, how much water goes in the pot? There's not a 1/2 mark.

 

[ERD50]

I never knew until well into adulthood that there was any other way to cook rice than using lots of water. That's how my mom always used to cook it when I was a kid growing up. I don't cook plain rice often, but when I do I usually use my pressure cooker. Sometimes I make a rice pilaf, but more often I use bulgur for that, because it cooks so much faster.

Seems like there are many ways that work, so I guess it is largely dependent on what you learned or grew up with.

Despite my life-long adherence and success with the ~ 1 3/4 Cups water to 1 Cup rice method, I really liked the 'boil in lots of water for 30 minutes, drain & steam for 10 minutes' approach for the brown rice I cooked. It just seems so much more fault tolerant. Only down side I can think of is that it takes a bigger pot, might be an issue when you need the big pots for other things. My 2.5Q pot that I use with the small amount of water method won't cut it, and the next size up for us are the big 6Q stock pots.

Is that the same thing you do with white rice?

I also recall an Iranian friend of mine mentioning some rice dish that was a staple in their house. I don't recall the name (probably would butcher it anyhow), but it seemed like it was supposed to get browned at the end and forming a nice crust was part of the 'trick' and a sign of it being properly prepared. Anyone make that?

edit/add: OK, googled and found this - sounds pretty basic and good:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Persian-Rice-with-Golden-Crust-100915


-ERD50

 

[caninelover]

I love my Sanyo fuzzy logic rice cooker. I use it once a week (but usually make a big batch for leftovers), usually set it up the night before, than when I get home from w*rk there is perfectly cooked rice automagically waiting for me. So one less thing to worry about, it makes cooking good healthy food a breeze.

I also use it to cook steel cut oats and will use it like a slow cooker on occasion. Also my instruction book came with a recipe for risotto in the rice cooker, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet, though I want to someday...

I could make white rice on the stovetop just as well, but for brown rice the cooker does it so perfectly, way better than my old stovetop efforts. Also cleanup is very easy on mine.

Next to my food processor, I think its my favorite kitchen small appliance.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I also recall an Iranian friend of mine mentioning some rice dish that was a staple in their house. I don't recall the name (probably would butcher it anyhow), but it seemed like it was supposed to get browned at the end and forming a nice crust was part of the 'trick' and a sign of it being properly prepared. Anyone make that?

-ERD50

Had this all the time as a child, but with the old standard riceland xl grain white rice. My mom made it the old fashioned way a reg. pot and was cooked to a crispy golden brown crust. If you can do that consistently, you've mastered the old style way of cooking rice. The other reason for this was to make a cheap dessert/snack out of the crusties from the bottom. Either scrape it up, add salt and eat it dry or add some water/broth to make a semi crunchy/soggy rice soup. I always looked forward to the crunchy snack w/salt. The only problem is you really need to closely monitor the pot, it's quick to burn the rice if you're not watching, hence, the need for the almost fool proof rice cookers everyone seems to sell today.

East Texas, your rice to water ratios depend on how you like your rice to end up. Different ratios for each type of rice. I use 1.25 - 1.50 water:1 rice for xl grain rice, 1.5 - 2.0 water:med. grain sushi style and 1.75 - 2.25 water:1 brown rice. Also humidity and altitude affect the outcome of the rice. Less water makes the rice drier/fluffier and more makes it more wet/denser.

 

[modhatter]

East Texas

I am not familiar with your Panasonic. Does it have different lines for White ver Brown rice? If it is white rice and it has a one cup line, and you use only 1/2 cup you could try filling water to half way to one cut line. However, my guess is, there is always a minimum amount they advise you to make with cooker. Since mine is a 5.5 (or six cup) the minimum they advise is two cups. So if yours is the small 3.5 cup cooker, then probably 1 cup is the recommended minimum.

Besides, you will quickly find that refrigerating rice in a sealed container and using for another day is a great idea.
I just had some breakfast/lunch. An orange and some left over white rice that I poured milk into, then reheated in micro in small micro dish for 3 minutes on the reheat cycle.
Then added some Stevia sugar and stirred. Delicious.

Going to try Steel Oats next.

 

[audreyh1]

My little Panasonic just came.... Ah, it's a happy time in the East Texas household.

Question - there is a 1/2 mark on the little measuring cup. If I just want to make a 1/2 cup of (uncooked) rice, how much water goes in the pot? There's not a 1/2 mark.

That 1/2 mark is probably for > 1 cup (1 1/2, 2 1/2, etc). I'm not sure if the cooker will do only 1/2 cup. I suspect 1 cup is the minimum.

 

[audreyh1]

For my rice cooker - 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice, I use 2 1/2 cups water.

A lot of brown rice bags say 2:1 on the water (3 cups for 1 1/2 cups rice) but that just makes a soggy sticky mess.

I think for white rice I use the 1 1/2:1 ratio, so 2 1/4 cups water in the rice cooker for 1 1/2 cups rice. Actually, I probably use a wee bit less - more like 2 1/8.

When using the less water amount, leaving the lid on for 10 mins after the cooker turns itself off is important.

Audrey

 

[modhatter]

New Sanyo fuzzy logic reporting in here. Just made a porridge with organic steel cut oats, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and some raisins.

Threw all the ingredients in cooker, stirred, set for porridge,
and let the cooker do it's thing. About 1 hour later: Ding....

It was very good, but more like a desert to me. Next time, I am going to use less cinnamon and maple syrup, and I think it will suit my taste better (unless I'm feeling like desert)

By the way, on this recipe you need a fuzzy logic type rice cooker to make a lot of the porridge's and deserts.

 

[Dimsumkid]

New Sanyo fuzzy logic reporting in here. Just made a porridge with organic steel cut oats, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and some raisins.

Threw all the ingredients in cooker, stirred, set for porridge,
and let the cooker do it's thing. About 1 hour later: Ding....

It was very good, but more like a desert to me. Next time, I am going to use less cinnamon and maple syrup, and I think it will suit my taste better (unless I'm feeling like desert)

By the way, on this recipe you need a fuzzy logic type rice cooker to make a lot of the porridge's and deserts.

What you just described here is what I call Steel Cut Oatmeal that I have for breakfast sometimes. I use McCann's Steel Cut with all your ingredients except salt. I think of porridge as "congee" or "jook". I don't see any way to make it in a rice cooker unless it can hold a gallon or two of ingredients, simply won't last more than 1 meal otherwise (for 3). It's a multistep process too. You need to salt and boil the bones for a while, then add this with meat, skin and some fat for the porridge base with the rice. This gets topped off w/green onions, ginger, soy sauce and/or sesame oil. There's even a special bread to eat with it, it's a little greasy, we found potato chips (yes, it's true!) mimic the taste if you don't have any. There's restaurant that specialize in making this dish. I like mine thick like a stew and DW like it's really soupy.

 

[bright eyed]

Hm, I never measure the water - just stick in a finger and water level is about one and a half above the first line on my finger, I'm good, perfect every time...

 

[swakyaby]

I've prepared rice in a rice cooker all my life. It has nothing to do with limited number of burners, but more to do with the convenience of having nearly fool proof rice ready with my daily meal. For most of my life, I used a simple on/off or on/keep warm rice cooker that consistently made good rice. More recently I read about the fuzzy logic rice cookers, and wondered if the higher price tag correlated with even better cooked rice.

So I bought a 5.5 cup Zojiurushi fuzzy logic cooker. It does seem to produce a more pleasing short grain white rice. I do rinse the uncooked rice 3 times to remove the excess starch that otherwise makes the cooked rice too sticky. I think the higher cost is only really worth it to people who love rice, make it frequently during the week, and can detect the subtle difference--like me!

 

[Rambler]

My little Panasonic just came.... Ah, it's a happy time in the East Texas household.

Question - there is a 1/2 mark on the little measuring cup. If I just want to make a 1/2 cup of (uncooked) rice, how much water goes in the pot? There's not a 1/2 mark.

best to make 1 cup, eat half, and freeze the rest. freeze the leftovers in a small tupperware about the same size as the leftover. Next time you want rice, nuke it for 3 minutes. It is nearly as good as fresh cooked. if you do this with larger amounts of leftovers, you could wrap it in saran wrap in squares of approx 1 cup (cooked), and zap for 3 min when ready to eat.

Source: Japanese DW

Enjoy!

R