Rice cooker…

[Digby]

Thanks all for the input. A surprising amount of information on display for something relatively simple! Much appreciated.

I have to admit, I quite like the idea of a dedicated machine, despite some of the other methods suggested here. It looks like I will have to give it a go.

[LunarOne]

I must admit I've been tempted, but I only cook rice 2-3 times a month and I keep any excess in the fridge so I get several meals each time. I have the same temptation with buying a bread maker. My brother makes a loaf daily and it smells absolutely fantastic!

As I only have myself to feed, I can't justify either in kitchen space used to store it - I have too many kitchen gadgets already!

[Timberwolf]

We have one of the most basic Korean rice cookers available, it's a Cuckoo with nothing more complicated than two LEDs and a switch marked "COOK" and "WARM" which goes from one to the other with a loud bang when the rice is done. Absolutely brilliant and it's one of the few kitchen gadgets I wouldn't want to be without.

I can cook rice in a pan just as well if I keep an eye on it, but it's like doing a quarter mile in a 4WD automatic vs. a peaky 2WD car with an awkward clutch; the rice cooker is perfectly consistent giving the same result every single time without having to think about it anything more than filling it and turning it on. Plus if I've misjudged the time slightly it'll just sit there keeping the rice ready without me having to muck about with tea towels or warming drawers or any of the other myriad methods for keeping a pan of rice balanced between "burnt" and "cold" while at the critical point of a meal where everything else also needs attention.

[Digby]

Well, I read some reviews, decided how much I was willing to spend at this stage, got depressed at how much cheaper they are in the USA and ordered this one...

Yum Asia Kumo YumCarb. 80 to 90 quid seems to be the going rate.

---

I'll no doubt get moaned at mind you, because this one would have looked good next to our Ninja.. 99 on Amazon.

[Ken_Code]

Digby said:

Well, I read some reviews, decided how much I was willing to spend at this stage, got depressed at how much cheaper they are in the USA and ordered this one...

Yum Asia Kumo YumCarb. 80 to 90 quid seems to be the going rate.

---

I'll no doubt get moaned at mind you, because this one would have looked good next to our Ninja.. 99 on Amazon.

I’ve got that one, it’s good.

I could have sworn I only paid £30 for it, but checked and I paid the same as you.

[Digby]

Ken_Code said:

I’ve got that one, it’s good.

I could have sworn I only paid £30 for it, but checked and I paid the same as you.

Good to know!

I'm really keen to try coconut rice in the new toy - it's me fave! Although I wonder if it's best to get plain rice and add flavouring, or buy something already coconutedededed

I will get more adventurous, I promise.

[mikef]

The Gauge said:

I used to use a Zojirushi rice cooker, but I get far better results just cooking it in a pan having discovered the following method..

Wash rice until water is clear
Place in a large pan with lots of water
Bring to boil and leave on rolling boil
After about 6/7 mins spoon a couple of grains out and taste, it wont be cooked but your looking for the outer to have softened but still be hard in the centre
Drain quickly and return to hot pan, off the hob
Cover with tea towel and leave for 5mins

This allows the rice to continue steaming and cooks through. Stir with a fork and serve. Turns out perfect every time

Well yes, you can futz about if you don’t have other dishes to worry about. Or buy a Zojirushi or Yum Asia or similar, put the rice and water in and come back in 45 minutes for perfect rice

There’s a reason that these are standard household items in the Far East

[Mr Pointy]

Digby said:

Ken_Code said:

I’ve got that one, it’s good.

I could have sworn I only paid £30 for it, but checked and I paid the same as you.

Good to know!

I'm really keen to try coconut rice in the new toy - it's me fave! Although I wonder if it's best to get plain rice and add flavouring, or buy something already coconutedededed

I will get more adventurous, I promise.

I loked at the Yum Asia rice cookers but got put off when reading that not only can they not tell you how long the rice will take to cook but it can also take an hour which is way longer than I'm prepared to wait.

[The Gauge]

mikef said:

The Gauge said:

I used to use a Zojirushi rice cooker, but I get far better results just cooking it in a pan having discovered the following method..

Wash rice until water is clear
Place in a large pan with lots of water
Bring to boil and leave on rolling boil
After about 6/7 mins spoon a couple of grains out and taste, it wont be cooked but your looking for the outer to have softened but still be hard in the centre
Drain quickly and return to hot pan, off the hob
Cover with tea towel and leave for 5mins

This allows the rice to continue steaming and cooks through. Stir with a fork and serve. Turns out perfect every time

Well yes, you can futz about if you don’t have other dishes to worry about. Or buy a Zojirushi or Yum Asia or similar, put the rice and water in and come back in 45 minutes for perfect rice

There’s a reason that these are standard household items in the Far East

If you read my post properly you'll see that I did have a Zojirushi rice cooker, it made decent rice but certainly not perfect as the grains were never separate, they clumped together. Then I learnt the above method and found it made much better rice, so I sold the Zojirushi.

So yes I had perhaps the best rice cooker you can get, but it didn't make rice as good as the above method, which only takes about 15 minutes and has no futzing about, compared to your 45mins. It's a no brainer.

Edited by The Gauge on Wednesday 15th May 18:28

[Mobile Chicane]

mikef said:

The Gauge said:

I used to use a Zojirushi rice cooker, but I get far better results just cooking it in a pan having discovered the following method..

Wash rice until water is clear
Place in a large pan with lots of water
Bring to boil and leave on rolling boil
After about 6/7 mins spoon a couple of grains out and taste, it wont be cooked but your looking for the outer to have softened but still be hard in the centre
Drain quickly and return to hot pan, off the hob
Cover with tea towel and leave for 5mins

This allows the rice to continue steaming and cooks through. Stir with a fork and serve. Turns out perfect every time

Well yes, you can futz about if you don’t have other dishes to worry about. Or buy a Zojirushi or Yum Asia or similar, put the rice and water in and come back in 45 minutes for perfect rice

There’s a reason that these are standard household items in the Far East

Indeed.

I also cook buckwheat, quinoa and freekeh in mine. All perfect, and as you say, no futzing about.

[Cotty]

The Gauge said:

If you read my post properly you'll see that I did have a Zojirushi rice cooker, it made decent rice but certainly not perfect as the grains were never separate, they clumped together.

Isn't that how they are supposed to be

[Big Nanas]

I have a Ninja multi cooker and have cooked rice using the pressure cooking method.
Three minutes under pressure, 'natural release' of pressure and it turns out pretty well. I usually add a stock cube and some veg and it makes a great salad rice for lunched etc.

[mikef]

The Gauge said:

I did have a Zojirushi rice cooker

You can also warm your Chadwicks black puddings from Bury Market in that

[The Gauge]

Cotty said:

Isn't that how they are supposed to be

Not how I like my rice, unless I'm wanting sticky rice. I like the grains to be separate and not stuck together, and I want it quicker than 45mins otherwise I have to set the rice cooking before I start making my meal. If you like sticky rice then the Zojirushi did that well. Sticky rice is great if using chopsticks, but I'm a Yorkshire lad so don't even know what chopsticks are

Edited by The Gauge on Wednesday 15th May 20:03

[dapprman]

Digby said:

Well, I read some reviews, decided how much I was willing to spend at this stage, got depressed at how much cheaper they are in the USA and ordered this one...

Yum Asia Kumo YumCarb. 80 to 90 quid seems to be the going rate.

Can't remember how much I paid but I got it in the Black Friday sale last November direct from Yum Asia, who were cheaper than Amazon. From their website I get the impression they are either the same company as Zojirushi or closely tied as they sell each other's rice cookers.

Works very well, and unlike my old and trusty microwave cooker it replaced, will do one cup as a minimum. Only things I don't like about it are you only get a count down timer when it decides there's 10 minutes left and you can not remove the lid for cleaning.

[FiF]

When people say rice to water ratio 1.4 to 1.7 is this by weight?

Dry rice weight? Surely after rinsing there is some water now included. Any allowance made for this?

Reason asking is we bought a Lakeland mini rice cooker and it's been quite disappointing.

Following the instructions to the letter really wasn't good. Have been gradually reducing amount of water and we're now reduced it by 30% and getting better but still not right. Leaving it to sit for a while at end of cooking maybe improves.

Yet can get better results with the same rice by just boiling in a pan of water. Even boil in the bag is better.

Next tactic to to try a better brand, bought some Tilda long grain Basmati, not tried yet.

Sympathise with the view earlier about starting the rice going before any other meal prep seems a faff, but also less to bother about while busy. But if the result isn't great.

[mikef]

FiF said:

Reason asking is we bought a Lakeland mini rice cooker and it's been quite disappointing

No sh!t . How many people in Windermere eat rice daily as opposed to say Korea or Japan? See earlier in thread for brands to consider

[wyson]

Big Nanas said:

I have a Ninja multi cooker and have cooked rice using the pressure cooking method.
Three minutes under pressure, 'natural release' of pressure and it turns out pretty well. I usually add a stock cube and some veg and it makes a great salad rice for lunched etc.

I use an instant pot. Rice cooks in 15mins. I don’t bother with natural release, although that does get better results. I found its super convenient to cook 1 pot meals really quickly, because it pressure cooks, meat and veggies will cook in that time as well.

You can go off and do something else, if you get distracted and can’t get back to the cooker, it switches itself off, you don’t have to worry about burning anything.

The Mrs likes to slow cook soups. Whack in the cooker in the morning, go to work, come back to piping hot soup.

Personally, I’d recommend a multi program cooker thingy like the Ninja Foodi or Instantpot over a dedicated rice cooker, unless you eat rice all the time. I think some of the multi program / function cookers will air fry as well. Will be a lot more versatile.

What about something like this:

https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/product/ninja-foodi-min...

Edited by wyson on Wednesday 15th May 21:40

[yellowbentines]

thebraketester said:

Well I guess my point was one doesnt need a rice cooker…. We’ve got one and I prefer to use the method above. Better results IMHO

Better results? Better than having your rice cooked?

I take the view that millions of Chinese people that eat rice every day can't be wrong.

Get a rice cooker - almost impossible to make bad rice in it, even if you get the ratios slightly wrong e.g. it goes up in 2 cup measurements and you cook 1/3/5 cups and have to guesstimate the water inbetween markings.

[thewallboy]

Millions may have a rice cooker, but billions don't. (I suspect, I dont have anything to back this up)

i use a pan and am very happy FYI.