I'm looking to get a rice cooker and have been asking for advice among my friends and colleagues, and they have given me suggestions that fall into two vastly differing categories:
1. Go to some Asian market and buy a good, programmable Asian-brand cooker
2. Go to Walmart and by the cheapest American brand you can find
Anyone here have any advice? I have been cooking a lot more basamati rice recently in a pot, and want to include more rice (of various types) in my diet. Would the more expensive cooker be worth it? Or can I do everything in the cheap American one, with a little more supervision?
Thanks!
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I absolutely love my rice cooker. I have owned both a cheap version and a spendy version.
The only reason to get a programmable rice cooker is if you think you will want to plan meals that far ahead. For instance, program it and ready it the night before so you can grab some before you leave in the morning to take with your lunch.
If you don't think you would use the timing feature, then a $15 cheap version will work just fine. They all cook rice the same - the only difference is in the bells and whistles.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
We don't really use one.
However, ironically, I suspect that the cheap American brand is made in China whereas the more expensive ones in the Asian supermarket may very well be made in Taiwan or Japan (which city do you live in?). Maybe check first.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
I live in Ithaca, New york, but know of really good Asian markets in some nearby cities (Rochester, Buffalo).
Mucus, do you just cook your rice in a pot? I've got a system down that makes very good rice, but it is a delicate system and hard to manage if I'm also cooking some other foods.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
If you generally cook rice for one meal, right before the meal, and it is pretty much always a basic rice recipe, this is the way to go: Microwave Rice Cooker
Easy to use, easy to clean, makes good rice, even keeps it nice and warm for a decent while after cooking (more than you'd suspect), never, ever burns rice, $12.90.
If you want to keep rice perfect for a long time (up to half a day), use your rice cooker for fancy rice recipes, plan rice well in advance, or anything like that, get a japanese rice cooker such as the ones here: http://www.jlifeinternational.com/Tiger/ricecookers_e.html Posted by Matt Schillerberg (Member # 12233) on :
You can select what kind of rice you are cooking.. which is important if you want to cook more then jasmine rice. I like to cook brown rice and semi-brown rice and this will do that perfectly.
TWW: Yeah, basically. We burn rice occasionally though, we've been thinking about getting a rice cooker but we've been a) trying to avoid one with a non-stick coating and b) lazy.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
quote:Originally posted by katharina: I absolutely love my rice cooker. I have owned both a cheap version and a spendy version.
.... They all cook rice the same - the only difference is in the bells and whistles.
I think you may have lucked out with your cheapie, kat. Kristy got an inexpensive 10 cup capacity rice maker a year or so ago, and we've had horrible results with it. Some of the rice always ends up soggy, and some of it ends up burnt (unless we add so much water that it's all soggy, or so so little that much of it is burnt). I agree that all of the bells and whistles aren't necessary, but I think that it's worth the money to get a higher quality rice cooker without all of the pricy bells and whistles. I bought such a rice cooker about...wow, that was 12 years ago. It's still going strong, and consistently making great rice.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
My friend specifically recommended a Tiger brand cooker.
I'm leaning towards the 5 cup Tiger one (this one).
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
We have a cheap one, and we've been using it for almost a decade without any trouble whatsoever. The only thing I'd say is that where it has markings on the side of the bowl for how much water to put in per cup of rice, always put in more water than it says. If I put in 3 cups of rice, I fill it past 4.
Posted by Matt Schillerberg (Member # 12233) on :
I agree you don't need all the bells/whistles...but they sure are nice if you cook a lot of rice.
I love to be able to set the time I want the rice to be *done* at and the cooker will start cooking when it needs to based on the rice type, etc.
No guessing involved and never any waiting for the rice cooker to finish.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I have a cheap one and I agree with Lisa on the add more water. Other than that, it works great.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jake:
quote:Originally posted by katharina: I absolutely love my rice cooker. I have owned both a cheap version and a spendy version.
.... They all cook rice the same - the only difference is in the bells and whistles.
I think you may have lucked out with your cheapie, kat. Kristy got an inexpensive 10 cup capacity rice maker a year or so ago, and we've had horrible results with it. Some of the rice always ends up soggy, and some of it ends up burnt (unless we add so much water that it's all soggy, or so so little that much of it is burnt). I agree that all of the bells and whistles aren't necessary, but I think that it's worth the money to get a higher quality rice cooker without all of the pricy bells and whistles. I bought such a rice cooker about...wow, that was 12 years ago. It's still going strong, and consistently making great rice.
I think there are levels of cheap. I have a cheap one that works great, and a shockingly cheap one that . . . well, doesn't. Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I think there are levels of cheap. I have a cheap one that works great, and a shockingly cheap one that . . . well, doesn't.
That's definitely the case. Kristy got hers for between $20 and $30, while I paid...hm...it was probably about $60 in 1998. The metal of the pot in hers is noticibly thinner than that of the pot in mine, and the whole thing just feels very flimsy.
JCPenny often has this rice cooker on sale for $30. A friend of mine has one, and reports that it does a very good job. If I were needing a new one I'd probably keep an eye on their sales and pick up one of these models when they were super cheap.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: We have a cheap one, and we've been using it for almost a decade without any trouble whatsoever. The only thing I'd say is that where it has markings on the side of the bowl for how much water to put in per cup of rice, always put in more water than it says. If I put in 3 cups of rice, I fill it past 4.
Do you use actual measuring cups, or the cup that comes with the rice cooker? The rice cooker cup is a little smaller, though I have no idea how much.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I use the cup that comes with the rice cooker.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
It's proportions, right? So it doesn't matter if the in-package cup is an actual cup or not.
Although I always add more water than is recommended, for both the cheap and spendy rice cooker. I use brown rice, though, so I thought the recommended levels were for white rice.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Rice is really sensitive to environment. Lisa: something about the environment the rice is in (could be your city, could be the place in your house, could be lots of things) is probably drying the rice out a bit too much, so you have to add extra water to compensate.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Different types of rice need different amounts of water. The measurements on the rice cooker are typical designed for Calrose (short grain rice). Long grain rice and Basmati rice require more water.
I've also noted that if I add more water I get lighter fluffy rice, if I add less the rice is stickier, which is better is really a matter of taste.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
Maybe it was because I lived in Brazil, but I can't stand rice cookers. I have to cook my rice the old fashion way. Cut up some onions and garlic. Put some oil in a pot and throw the onions and garlic in and cook them a bit. Then throw some salt and the rice in and fry it for a minute or two while it is still hard, then put water in and wait until it is done.
Cook some black beans in a pressure cooker to go with it, and voila! The perfect side to any dinner.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
Another tasty thing to do if you're cooking rice the old fashioned way is to heat up a little oil in the pot you'll be cooking your rice in, and then toss in some cumin and some black mustard seed. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, pour in your water and rice and cook as you normally would. The flavor that this imparts to the rice is just phenomenal. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by fugu13: Rice is really sensitive to environment. Lisa: something about the environment the rice is in (could be your city, could be the place in your house, could be lots of things) is probably drying the rice out a bit too much, so you have to add extra water to compensate.
I doubt it. It was the same in Northern California. My guess is that the Rabbit is right. We cook brown rice almost exclusively, and I bet the settings are for white.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Mine has lines for brown rice and "other" rice. Brown definitely calls for more water.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
All the ladies at the Japanese society here in town use cheapy ones, as far as I can tell. At least, those are the ones they always bring to potlucks.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
Kristy got a really high end Zojirushi model for Christmas last year. It's small, with only a couple of cups capacity, and strangely adorable. I don't think that the rice that it produces is any better than what comes out of my relatively cheap one, though it's a lot better than what her cheapie produces.
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That's definitely the case. Kristy got hers for between $20 and $30, while I paid...hm...it was probably about $60 in 1998. The metal of the pot in hers is noticibly thinner than that of the pot in mine, and the whole thing just feels very flimsy.