Best Rice Cooker

[waggy]

I like steamed rice, not boiled rice.

Thats why I use Rice cookers.


I suck at making Rice and I'm not afraid to admit it.

same. i love rice i eat it 2-3 times a week. I could never make it consistently good. i have asked a few times here about rice cookers and finally broke down and got the one i listed. I love it!

i start it and make the other part of the meal. i usually do 3-4 cups since i will use the leftovers.

I just need to find a good rice and a way to store it. i hate buying small bags

 

[mvbighead]

Inconsistent results? I've been cooking rice for 25 years, it's not hard at all. Heat, rice, water, fat, salt. That's it. Simple.

The method you quoted is not for cooking sticky rice. My first post was sticky rice, see that.

Ah, that was the "good method" I was going to try.

At any rate, I've made several batches over the past couple months with this Costco organic brown rice. I always end up with too much water, or too little water using the rice in the water method. A time or two I've hit it right, but most of the time it is just mushy rice with very little texture.

For me, the non-steaming method simply requires too much precision on the amount of water. Too much = mushy, too little = crunchy/chewy(not cooked), and just right = harder than hell to hit.

 

[mvbighead]

I just need to find a good rice and a way to store it. i hate buying small bags

I've yet to consistently cook it well, but Costco has a 10lb bag that should be much easier to store than the much larger bags.

Also, which rice cooker are you referring to?

 

[Imported]

I had a Zojirushi fuzzy logic one.. Think it was around $150 at 99 Ranch. I don't eat rice anymore so I gave it to my mom.

 

[waggy]

I've yet to consistently cook it well, but Costco has a 10lb bag that should be much easier to store than the much larger bags.

Also, which rice cooker are you referring to?

what do you store it in? 10lbs is a decent amount. also how long would it last?


this cooker it does everything i need. the steaming portion is great for veggies. i hate boiled veggies but love steamed.

for rice i have been buying http://www.amazon.com/Dynasty-Rice-Jasmine-2-pounds-Pack/dp/B004729FQ2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1359562517&sr=8-5&keywords=dynasty+jasmine+rice this at the store. 2 lb bags.

 

[Vic Vega]

White rice stored in a low/no moisture and air tight environment will keep for years and years.

Brown rice will keep less than a year, probably around eight months,

 

[polarmystery]

Kudos to all the rice lovers providing feedback. That ~$150 Zojirushi looked promising.

 

[lxskllr]

White rice stored in a low/no moisture and air tight environment will keep for years and years.

Brown rice will keep less than a year, probably around eight months,

Bugs are an issue. It's no fun pulling pantry moth larvae out of your rice. They look exactly like rice grains; just a bit longer. If I were to buy a large quantity, I'd keep it in the freezer.

 

[Kelvrick]

A lot of asian homes have a zojirushi. I got some cheap $15 one when I moved to college and used that until I got this one a year and a half ago for $100. Still working great. I convinced myself of all its additional features, but I have only used it to make rice. Probably use it 3-4 times a week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ms_ohs_product

 

[AstroManLuca]

That method is going to give you spotty results, especially when you vary your rice types.

I have made quite a bit of rice over the last couple years, and I never get restaurant quality sticky rice, especially not with the 2:1 ratio. I'm to the point now that I am ready to try some method of steaming, whether an "actual" rice cooker or just some concoction to make it happen on the stove.

But boiling water and putting rice directly in the water does not give consistent, quality, restaurant style rice. For what it is worth, last night I cooked some Costco Organic Brown Rice, 2 cups rice, 4 cups water (per their instructions, they suggested 5 cups of water). A pinch of salt, and tsp of butter. I had about 1/2" of water in the bottom of the pan after 40 minutes, and I popped the lid off a couple times to let the steam out so it would be less watery. It was just clumpy, nasty looking rice. It tasted pretty blah as well. Not at all what I would consider good.

I am willing to bet that some method of steaming is going to produce far more consistent results as the water isn't soaking the rice.

I used to always have huge problems cooking rice using the traditional method with ratios and all that. With a 2:1 ratio the rice was too watery, but if I reduced the ratio it would clump up, stick to the sides and bottom of the pan, and some of it would burn.

HOWEVER! I discovered the best method of cooking rice. Totally idiot proof. And I learned it from Martha Stewart.

Step 0 (optional): Rinse rice thoroughly (until the water running through it is mostly clear and not milky white) using a strainer like this:

It's also useful to have one of these strainers on hand to drain the rice after.
Step 1: Boil a big pot of water as you would for pasta
Step 2: Throw desired amount of rice in the pot of water and boil for about 12 minutes
Step 3: Drain rice with the strainer. A good technique is to place the strainer above the pot you used so it can drain for a while.

It's so wonderful. Seriously. Easiest technique ever, much easier, quicker, and cleaner than using a rice cooker. My rice cooker makes clumpy rice that sticks to the edges as well and takes half an hour or more. Using this technique I've never made bad rice. And you don't have to measure anything as long as you have enough water. You just pour however much rice you think you'll use into a pot. As long as the pot is full enough you're good.

 

[mvbighead]

what do you store it in? 10lbs is a decent amount. also how long would it last?


this cooker it does everything i need. the steaming portion is great for veggies. i hate boiled veggies but love steamed.

for rice i have been buying http://www.amazon.com/Dynasty-Rice-Jasmine-2-pounds-Pack/dp/B004729FQ2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1359562517&sr=8-5&keywords=dynasty+jasmine+rice this at the store. 2 lb bags.

Well, the plastic bag is resealable, so we use that for the bulk of it, and then refill a large plastic screw on lid container that we use for our meals. That holds about 10 cups or better. Keeps us from reopening the bag over and over again.

Granted, part of my problem may just be brown rice, but I have yet to have a consistently good batch. When I think I have enough water, it isn't. The next time, I add more, and it's too much. And by more, it's about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.

I may break down and go the rice cooker route. But I am fairly sure we have a strainer somewhere so I am going to try that first. I may also try steaming the veggies in one of our steam pots (too big of holes for rice though), as the frozen veggies tend to retain a lot of water as well.

Apparently for me, this conversation is timely as I just had some stir fry last night, and was pretty disappointed with a lot of it.

 

[Vic Vega]

Bugs are an issue. It's no fun pulling pantry moth larvae out of your rice. They look exactly like rice grains; just a bit longer. If I were to buy a large quantity, I'd keep it in the freezer.

Bugs are an issue, no doubt.

I keep my rice in these:

 

[mshan]

My mom said here friends told her Cuckoo is best brand rice cooker: http://kimchius.com/cuckoo-rice-cookers.html

 

[AstroManLuca]

Oh and every time I've tried to make brown rice in a rice cooker, it's taken over an hour to finish. Using the method I described above, it should only need to boil for about 35 minutes, though I'm not sure (I'd have to ask my wife). You can just test it out as it's cooking.

 

[LagunaX]

Knock yourself out...
http://www.newegg.com/Rice-Cookers/SubCategory/ID-669?Tpk=rice%20cooker

 

[Vic Vega]

mvbighead if you really want perfect sticky rice give the pan/strainer-splatter-guard/bowl method a try, it works great.

 

[waggy]

Bugs are an issue, no doubt.

I keep my rice in these:

that's what i use now. a 2lb bag will fill it up 3/4th the way.

guess i will just keep doing that. i don't want bugs and don't have a air tight canister that will hold 10lbs heh

 

[HomerJS]

Not derailing but I had some of best tasting brown rice in a few years. Nutty overtones.

 

[lxskllr]

that's what i use now. a 2lb bag will fill it up 3/4th the way.

guess i will just keep doing that. i don't want bugs and don't have a air tight canister that will hold 10lbs heh

Sometimes the bugs come with the rice. That's usually the method of spreading. They hatch, then get in everything. A sealed jar will keep them from spreading, but they'll still dick up the rice(or any other grain). It isn't so much an issue if you're only buying a couple pounds at a time, but if you get one of those cool looking, ginormous burlap bags, you could lose a lot of rice due to critters.

 

[mvbighead]

mvbighead if you really want perfect sticky rice give the pan/strainer-splatter-guard/bowl method a try, it works great.

I think I am going to go that route. I really appreciate the tip. I'd been thinking about steaming it for some time, but I never committed to finding a way to do it.

I was just considering the use of something like a cheese cloth inside of my steaming pots. We have these:

and due to the large holes, I had considered lining the basket with a cheese cloth to keep the rice from falling through.

Trying to figure out if we have a strainer, as I may look into that method instead. If not, I'll go grab one an give it a try.

Only problem I have is a rice cooker is yet another device that I don't have room for in the kitchen. Pots and pans are fine, but each added device needs a home. Adding a splatter guard would be easy, but I am fairly sure we have one (just don't use it much).

Oh, one last question, how long do you usually steam it? Normal 30-40 minute cook time?

 

[lxskllr]

and due to the large holes, I had considered lining the basket with a cheese cloth to keep the rice from falling through.

You could probably cut the screen out of the splatter guard to use in the steamer. You may even luck into one that's exactly the right diameter, and you just have to remove the handle.

 

[D1gger]

that's what i use now. a 2lb bag will fill it up 3/4th the way.

guess i will just keep doing that. i don't want bugs and don't have a air tight canister that will hold 10lbs heh

We buy 40lb bags and store in food grade 5 gallon buckets with lid.

Yes, we eat a lot of rice.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Must... resist... urge...

 

[busydude]

I've been eating rice all my life and I've never spent more than $30 on equipment.

You guys are way too spoiled.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

We have a cuckoo rice cooker that was gifted to us. That thing talks in korean lol. That thing supposedly has a bunch of extra functions for it but we only use it to make rice or quinoa. I think you can do an express option, which makes it a little faster than our cheap $30 rice cooker and the rice comes out a little better if you use too much/too little rice but I don't really think it's worth the price unless you're eating a ton of rice or making congee or other random stuff.