Recommend me a rice cooker

[Mobile Chicane]

Hi all,

I'm after a small(ish) rice cooker. Does anyone have one they use regularly and would recommend?

Ideally I'd like one which could do sushi/jasmine rice and brown/wild rice as well.

Budget = £150 tops.

Thanks very much in advance.

[Cotty]

Whats the one Smack took to Wales, that looks like it could do everything?

[Matt..]

I can't claim to be an expert in these matters, but how about a Zojirushi of some sort?

[calibrax]

Zojirushi are supposed to be good... http://www.yumasia.co.uk/laq05.html

Expensive though, compared to most. That one is one of their cheaper models! So you might be better going for a good brand name... Panasonic have a good reputation, and my Vietnamese colleague swears by a Sharp model.

[Mobile Chicane]

Cotty said:

Whats the one Smack took to Wales, that looks like it could do everything?

That was a Zoji-whatsit - but at over £300 - too dear.

[FLGirl]

This is what I have and it gets very regular use and has been faultless. £12.50 from Argos, all those rices get cooked. Can do a quite small portion of rice, and fairly easy to clean with a good soaking.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9...

[smack]

Mobile Chicane said:

Cotty said:

Whats the one Smack took to Wales, that looks like it could do everything?

That was a Zoji-whatsit - but at over £300 - too dear.

Yes, that is the brand I have. I have used basic ones for years (I remember mum bringing one back from SE Asia on holiday in the 80's when they didn't exist in the west), and using them since. I did my research before I bought, and that was the one brand that (SE) Asians rated the best, using them every day for decades.
I ended up getting the dogs nads model from Japan, as I thought sod it, and the Pound was at a high against the Yen. It is their Induction version, which controls the temperature better apparently, but the Micom verson that heats from the base (like most of the cookers out there) was linked will do a fine job. As long as you get the rice/water ratio right, which is dead simple, it will cook the rice spot on - I use the same ratio for basmati, jasmin and sushi rice. Wild rice might need a bit of trial and error, but let us know how you get on.

[arfur daley]

[BorkFactor]

If you want to go budget, get one of the plastic ones that you put in the microwave. We bought one a few months ago and it is brilliant

[SpeedMattersNot]

Am I the only one who rinses the rice, then puts it in a bowl, adds water a microwaves it?

[Mobile Chicane]

BorkFactor said:

If you want to go budget, get one of the plastic ones that you put in the microwave. We bought one a few months ago and it is brilliant

No microwave

I don't have the counter space for one.

All in, I've decided to splurge on the 5 1/2 cup Zoji-whatsit. It's the most basic model which plays a tune when the rice is done.

I like that

Thanks to calibrax for the link.

[Kneetrembler]

I have a Lakeland Rice Cooker for the Microwave, have had it for years, cheap to buy and works perfectly every time.

I also have an electric one, but it stays in the cupboard and can't remember the last time that I used it as the Lakeland one is so simple to use, and perfect rice every time.

[Cotty]

"Takes between 40-55 minutes to cook perfect white rice"

[smack]

Cotty said:

"Takes between 40-55 minutes to cook perfect white rice"

Nah, mine takes around 20 minutes. I know in a saucepan you can do it in 10, but with a cooker it is set and forget.

[Mobile Chicane]

Cotty said:

"Takes between 40-55 minutes to cook perfect white rice"

I had noticed that.

However it probably takes me that long to do it on the hob anyway - 20 minutes low simmer, then 20 minutes 'rest'.

However for the money, the rice had better be perfect

[Kneetrembler]

Lakeland Microwave dish 11 secs and it's perfect

[Mobile Chicane]

Just wanted to say... What an awesome piece of kit! I opted for this one:




£164 seems like a shagging lot of money to pay for a rice cooker, but I've used it every day since it arrived. Wild rice, brown rice, sushi rice, basmati rice, pilau and quinoa have all been perfect.

The 'quick cooking' setting (which will do any kind of rice except brown/wild rice) takes 20 minutes.

My kitchen is quite small, therefore any 'gadget' needs to punch well above its weight to justify counter space. So far, this has.

[pointedstarman]

Ditch the rice cooker - use Delia's recipe; 100% success rate to date using a saucepan. Takes about 12 - 15mins.

[evilmunkey]

saw a rice cooker in the chinese supermarket vicar lane leeds yesterday when i was buying ste i didnt even know existed or what its birth origin was ... also had a centre bbq unit... looked bloody good for 50 squids . that said couldnt say what it was called... was all heiroglyphics.... left with a load of wonton wrappers, ribs, noodles, soy sauce chilli oil and some strange meat that may or may not of barked at one time looked good though the chikens feet looked bloody rank though !!

[12TS]

Mobile Chicane said:

Just wanted to say... What an awesome piece of kit! I opted for this one:




£164 seems like a shagging lot of money to pay for a rice cooker, but I've used it every day since it arrived. Wild rice, brown rice, sushi rice, basmati rice, pilau and quinoa have all been perfect.

The 'quick cooking' setting (which will do any kind of rice except brown/wild rice) takes 20 minutes.

My kitchen is quite small, therefore any 'gadget' needs to punch well above its weight to justify counter space. So far, this has.

So 2 years on do you still think it's a good piece of kit? I'm contemplating one and I can't see the £20 jobbies from Argos coping with Sushi rice.