Rice cooker, is it worth it?

[lxskllr]

i'm having a hard time believing that something in a sealed container that has been heated to boiling temperature for half an hour can contain ANYTHING living.

and, after doing a bit of reading, the bacillus does not exist *within* the rice, but rather can contaminate foods left exposed to open air. it is liked to fried rice because it is likely to thrive in a food preparation business, the same way that you are more likely to find MRSA in an hospital and not in my house.


you better get rid of all them whisky bottles you have lying around.

the rice cooker lid seals hermetically. if you open it, add vinegar, then close it, and your food gets infected with bacteria, you need to clean your kitchen.


obviously, your mileage may vary. it depends on where you live, what your average daytime temperature is, and .. how clean is your kitchen. i just speak from experience, i have never refrigerated pickles, mustard, bread, eggs, ketchup, heck, i knew a guy who didn't refrigerate his mayonnaise. my parents didn't refrigerate these, the people i know in my country don't refrigerate these, and we never get sick.

i mean, don't get me wrong, you *can* get sick from old food. but 2% of reported cases are due to this, and my guess is that the majority of these come from a dirty chinese shop where they are infested with bugs .. which i would know something about, having worked in the catering business.

I just posted that cause I thought it was interesting. I don't have a strong opinion one way or the the other. I looked up rice cause... well... I've never really looked it up before. I don't eat it often, but I go through kicks where I make it frequently.

 

[mindless1]

Meh, I cook 4 meals worth of brown rice at a time in a stove pot. It comes out exactly the same every time. 1/2 to 3/4ths of it gets frozen and later thaws/heats wonderfully in a covered bowl in the microwave at partial power, splitting the block of rice apart partway through once it's thawed enough to do so. The texture of frozen/thawed brown is ever so slightly softer, maybe 10% of the way towards the texture of white rice. I do have a rice cooker... that I never use. #firstworldproblems

 

[Red Squirrel]

I assume anti-rice cooker folk also make ice using manual ice trays because they believe in artisan hand crafted ice cubes.

They probably use a freezer with a belt driven compressor and drive it manually with a turn handle.

 

[Kaido]

You know you can cook pasta noodle in a pot and then cold shock rinse it. And then individually plastic wrap portion sizes you want and keep it in the fridge. It will keep for about a week. Whenever you want pasta, unwrap the plastic and simply dip the noodle in hot water for about 10 seconds and you have your noodle.

So just wrap it in like Saran wrap? And run it under cold water in a strainer for the cold shock? How hot of water do you use - like tap-hot or kettle-hot? I've been doing various mini-meals with noodles as quick snacks lately, this sounds like something I need to try out!

 

[Crono]

So just wrap it in like Saran wrap? And run it under cold water in a strainer for the cold shock? How hot of water do you use - like tap-hot or kettle-hot? I've been doing various mini-meals with noodles as quick snacks lately, this sounds like something I need to try out!

Ziploc is easier

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/make-ahead-pasta

 

[Kaido]

Ziploc is easier

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/make-ahead-pasta

Ahh nice!

Coating your noodles in olive oil is the key to this entire process. Not only does the oil give them a subtle flavor, it also helps to control moisture in the bag. Dry noodles are bad for business. When the moisture leaves the pasta, the noodles get sticky and clumpy. A coating of olive oil provides a barrier, keeping the moisture in, the air out, and your pasta fresh and separated.

 

[Kaido]

Ziploc is easier

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/make-ahead-pasta

On a tangent link from that article, what the what?!

http://www.myrecipes.com/extracrisp...-your-brain-into-thinking-youre-eating-cheese

 

[Davidgeok]

I lived on stove-top rice for years. It wasn't bad, but I never thought it was as good as the first batch with my rice cooker. I get very consistent results and it's a complete no-brainer.
Personally I own one of the fancier Zojirushi rice makers and it's been fabulous. Very easy to clean and well made. When you do get one, look to see if it's made in Japan. I've heard of people having trouble with some of the electronics from the Chinese versions.

 

[Iron Woode]

I make jasmine rice in my Instant Pot. It makes perfect rice every time.

 

[Kaido]

I make jasmine rice in my Instant Pot. It makes perfect rice every time.

I'm still trying to justify buying a pressurized induction Cuckoo rice cooker (super-premium for the American market!), but I don't graze-eat anymore like I did in the past, I meal-prep now, and the IP cooks all of the different kinds of rice perfectly every time for my batch-cooking needs, so...yeah.

 

[eng2d2]

Went to help my niece move out of dorm and roommate left a personal rice cooker and it has bad review on Amazon. I took it and cook with it yesterday. Not bad.

 

[Captante]

Went to help my niece move out of dorm and roommate left a personal rice cooker and it has bad review on Amazon. I took it and cook with it yesterday. Not bad.

Despite what many say here rice-cookers are great and make better rice then cooking in a pot on the stove, especially if you want to keep it ready to serve for awhile. (provided you RTFM)

Having said that, I somehow managed to survive for the majority of my life without one and they are certainly not required to have rice.

 

[eng2d2]

Despite what many say here rice-cookers are great and make better rice then cooking in a pot on the stove, especially if you want to keep it ready to serve for awhile. (provided you RTFM)

Having said that, I somehow managed to survive for the majority of my life without one and they are certainly not required to have rice.

not sure if there was any difference between stove and rice cooker. Just using it because it was free. Convenience? Sort of because it frees up my pan and don’t have to turn heat down when it is boiling. The rice taste the same.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I find rice cooker is easier, just measure how the instructions say, push a button and wait. Don't have to think about it.

 

[Muse]

I have limited space in my kitchen, as does everyone. I make rice or quinoa at least once a week. Just use a medium sauce pan, a 2 quart Revereware pan. Yeah, I have to remember to turn it off. I set a digital timer.

 

[georgekli]

Its worth it even if you only cook rice in it or you can buy an instantpot, It can be used as a rice cooker but also a ton of other stuff

 

[Fritzo]

How restaurants cook rice and the reasoning behind it:

Type of rice water ratios:
long grain white: 1 cup rice, 2 cup water
Brown and short grain rice: 1 cup rice, 1.5 cup water

Rinse the rice in a strainer before cooking to get rid of any starch stuck to the grains.

Add rice and cold water to a pot (an a bit of salt), stir a bit, then bring to a boil. COVER TIGHTLY AND DON'T TOUCH IT AGAIN. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it sit.

Long grain rice takes about 16-18 minutes.
Shortgrain takes about 15 minutes.
Brown rice takes a while- 40 minutes or so.

The second you stir rice after it starts to good, you release starch, and starch turns into glue in the water. This is why you get sticky rice (this is the principle behind risotto BTW). You want to keep it covered and slowly force the heat inside the grains. This is the principle rice cookers use, but a simple pot with a lid does exactly the same thing.

I generally don't cook short grain rice like this- I use it for fried rice since it cooks quickly.

You kids 'n yer gadgets to do stuff

 

[Kaido]

It is worth it even if you only cook rice in it or you can buy an instantpot. It can be used as a rice cooker but also a ton of other stuff

It depends on how you use it.

I had a Japanese fuzzy-logic rice cooker from Tiger for a long time. It was nice because it not only cooked all types of rice perfectly, but also held it all day long, which made it ideal for grazing. The Instant Pot does not hold rice all day very well at all. But, it does perfectly-cook the rice, once you get the procedure down for each type of rice you want to eat & how you prefer it to be cooked (rice to water ratio, cook time, NPR vs. QPR, etc.). I only really eat 3 types of rice (Jasmine, Basmati, and Sushi) & have procedures for all of them. My family used to graze all day, so it was really convenience to grab a scoop or two of rice & throw some leftovers on it, or throw it in with lunch to go, and so on, but we switched to meal-prepping & bought a giant deep-freezer, so I got rid of my rice cooker & switched solely to an Instant Pot for both meals & meal-prepping.

 

[Kaido]

How restaurants cook rice and the reasoning behind it:

Type of rice water ratios:
long grain white: 1 cup rice, 2 cup water
Brown and short grain rice: 1 cup rice, 1.5 cup water

Rinse the rice in a strainer before cooking to get rid of any starch stuck to the grains.

Add rice and cold water to a pot (an a bit of salt), stir a bit, then bring to a boil. COVER TIGHTLY AND DON'T TOUCH IT AGAIN. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it sit.

Long grain rice takes about 16-18 minutes.
Shortgrain takes about 15 minutes.
Brown rice takes a while- 40 minutes or so.

The second you stir rice after it starts to good, you release starch, and starch turns into glue in the water. This is why you get sticky rice (this is the principle behind risotto BTW). You want to keep it covered and slowly force the heat inside the grains. This is the principle rice cookers use, but a simple pot with a lid does exactly the same thing.

I generally don't cook short grain rice like this- I use it for fried rice since it cooks quickly.

You kids 'n yer gadgets to do stuff

I have this rice rinser:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QZAAS2

My current system is as follows:

1. I buy the rice in bulk from Asian stores for cheap (and better-quality!)
2. I store them in 5-gallon food-grade buckets with gamma-seal lids (no tools required, screws on by hand!)
3. I store rice in the kitchen in 4-quart OXO Pop containers
4. When I'm ready to cook the rice, I rinse it using the rice rinsing bowl linked above
5. Then I cook it according to my recipe in the Instant Pot (Jasmine, basmati, sushi, brown rice, etc.)

I really like hands-off cooking (Instant Pot, sous-vide, etc.) because then when I'm in the mood to cook, I'm free to, but when I'm busy & just need to make a meal or do meal-prep (which is most of the time), it's super easy & brainless. For me, a big part of it is the math:

1. I do 7 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner - plus morning snack, brunch snack, afternoon snack, and dessert)
2. That's 49 meals I have to prep a week
3. That's 2,555 meals I have to prep every year

I have limited free time during the week & also get sick of eating the same stuff every day, so the more I can add variety & automation to the process to help me get through the chore of cooking every day, the better!

 

[ch33zw1z]

Kinda on topic. Recently bought an insta pot. I basically use it for basmati brown rice and black beans. I'm still working the water / times out, but so far I like it. The rice comes out ok, I think I need to buy a rice strainer to rinse it before cooking

 

[slayer202]

@Kaido thanks for the rice rinser link, just ordered one

I bought the smallest (3 cup) zojirushi micom cooker sometime last year and love it

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a Tiger one too, works great!

I find the type of rice really matters though, the last batch I bought was store brand and it's not that great. It's ok fresh, but frozen it's not. I don't remember what other rice I bought before but it was fine even after it was frozen. I tend to cook a large batch than freeze it either on it's own or with vegetables or other stuff. Sometimes I'll do a stir fry then add rice to it to add more bulk to it so I can make more meals out of it.

 

[TXHokie]

My Zojirushi 10-cup induction heating rice cooker I bought from Amazon for $230 is going to be 14 yrs old and is still rocking.

 

[Fritzo]

I have this rice rinser:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QZAAS2

My current system is as follows:

1. I buy the rice in bulk from Asian stores for cheap (and better-quality!)
2. I store them in 5-gallon food-grade buckets with gamma-seal lids (no tools required, screws on by hand!)
3. I store rice in the kitchen in 4-quart OXO Pop containers
4. When I'm ready to cook the rice, I rinse it using the rice rinsing bowl linked above
5. Then I cook it according to my recipe in the Instant Pot (Jasmine, basmati, sushi, brown rice, etc.)

I really like hands-off cooking (Instant Pot, sous-vide, etc.) because then when I'm in the mood to cook, I'm free to, but when I'm busy & just need to make a meal or do meal-prep (which is most of the time), it's super easy & brainless. For me, a big part of it is the math:

1. I do 7 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner - plus morning snack, brunch snack, afternoon snack, and dessert)
2. That's 49 meals I have to prep a week
3. That's 2,555 meals I have to prep every year

I have limited free time during the week & also get sick of eating the same stuff every day, so the more I can add variety & automation to the process to help me get through the chore of cooking every day, the better!

Keep on cooking man! It’s becoming a lost art. 😕

 

[Kaido]

I have a Tiger one too, works great!

I find the type of rice really matters though, the last batch I bought was store brand and it's not that great. It's ok fresh, but frozen it's not. I don't remember what other rice I bought before but it was fine even after it was frozen. I tend to cook a large batch than freeze it either on it's own or with vegetables or other stuff. Sometimes I'll do a stir fry then add rice to it to add more bulk to it so I can make more meals out of it.

Yeah I try to always get it from a local Asian store. Our local Indian store has amazing basmati. I've been working on incorporating more Indian dishes into my meal-prep routine & basmati is always at the heart of it. Almost got no-knead naan down! Been trying to get a really solid version on my baking steel figured out this year.