What is so great about a rice cooker

[jtvang125]

Back in the days my parents would steam their rice. Very tedious and time consuming but man those were some of the best and fluffiest rice ever. They always prefer to steam it but after my mom started working no one really had the time to cook it that way so they're rice cooker converts now.

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: konakona

I have a fancy expensive one I got as a gift. It is a marvelous device apart from the annoying "rice is done" tune and dit was free!

yes, the beep is rather embarrassing, and I wish there is a way to turn it off or at least change it to something more "acceptable"

After all, why spend $5 on a pot with a lid when it basically does the exact same thing as a clay pot that you've made? Or how about an empty milk jug you found in the garbage with a lid - cook the rice in that and cut it open to serve.

best response as of yet, gotta love the logic

This thread awfully reminds me of the "why you need <inferior and obsolete> tools like chopstics", filled with unwillingness to accept diversity and cultural superiority complex..

I can and do use chopsticks.

I'm curious, how did your ancestors cook rice without these gadgets? I guess their rice just sucked. :laugh:

Oh, and before anyone else implies that I'm a racist, I'm also against bread makers. I bake my own bread because making it is part of the joy.

No one said rice cooked on the stove sucks, it is about keeping your rice warm and with added convinience to boot. That point was has been brought up enough in this thread so I hope you finally get the message.

I didn't imply that you were a racist; maybe there is a correlation between cultural superiority complex and racism, but they are not exactly the same. I think it is quite natural to see a possible link between the former and rice cooker ownership, as rice cookers are generally considered a popular commodity predominantly among a certain population as pointed out somewhere above.

In case you weren't posting that to trivialize the practice of rice cooking which is an integral part of asian kitchen, or deliniating rice cookers as a strange "asian thing" then thanks for clarifying that. Last but not least, I am sure you would have your arguments if someone challenges your purchase of expensive bikes. Don't they do "the same thing"? I never knew riding bikes was a rocket science either :laugh:

oh yeah, for your record, I do have a $15 bike I bought from a local FS/FT messageboard. this thing was a total bargain and it serves the purpose very well. Why spend more money? transportaion tools are there to move you from place A to B.. works for me.

 

[The J]

Man, reading this thread gave me quite the craving for some rice.

Anywho, I have never used a rice cooker only because I don't cook rice often enough. That, and because I just buy the el cheapo Meijer brand bags of white rice. I could see getting one, though, if I started eating rice more often, but I would want to learn to cook rice properly in a pot first just to expand my (limited) culinary skills.

 

[LtPage1]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
JulesMaximus in 3...2...1...

Oh wait, I'm me.

Why spend a couple hundred dollars on a device that basically does the exact same thing as a $5 pot with a lid on the stovetop?

Because they cost less than $20 and don't require stirring, or paying any attention whatsoever. And it frees up a burner on the stove.

 

[umbrella39]

I don't know what's so great about rice cookers either. I never really did like Toyotas tbh.

 

[imported_Lothar]

I agree with JulesMaximus in this thread.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Howard
I don't know if it's just me, but it sure sounds like a rice cooker fell off a shelf and cracked JM's dad's head open or something.

no, when he was a kid he was molested by one that was owned by a priest.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Lothar
I agree with JulesMaximus in this thread.

:beer:

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: RossMAN
WTF is fuzzy logic?

It figures out how to cook your rice perfectly for you. I have a rice cooker with fuzzy logic in it. Worth every penny!

Zojirushi? I dumped $140 on a Zojirushi. It's the best thing ever. I've used a $60 zojirushi with my old roommate and I had like a $20 cooker before. There's a difference. Trust me. This was one purchase where my parents totally approved and actually asked me why I didn't get the $200 one.... They reasoned that we had almost the same one at home (maybe just an older rev, but it looked exactly the same). But hey, I want perfect rice.

Maybe a lot of you cook freaking rice-a-roni or whatever westernized rice, but for those of us that eat Jasmine rice that comes from Asia or other brands of rice like Nishiki or Kohuko Rose like the true Asians do, yes we want our rice cookers.

Please tell me why people spend $50+ on toasters. I see $5 toasters that do the exact same thing. Hell I've even seen $200 KitchenAid toasters. Please explain. If you value your toast that much, then you can see why we Asians value rice so much.

And yeah, I love the convenience of my rice cooker. I pop in my rice and I push 1 button and I come back and it's done. I can eat a bunch at dinner, and then come back for a 2am snack while I study. If I accidentally leave it on I can wake up and have more rice for breakfast that's warm and ready to go. Hah. Try leaving your stove on for 18 hours.

Nah 5.5 cup Tiger. It's basically the same as a Zojirushi, same design and everything:

http://www.beachaudio.com/Tige.../Jagb10u-p-93123.html#

Features I like:

1. Perfect rice, every time (as long as you get the water level right)
2. Unattended rice cooking
3. 5.5-cup capacity (which translates to like 10 cups cooked)
4. Removable inner bowl (perfect for the dinner table)
5. Easy to store and take places (retractable cord + handle)
6. 12-hour warming function
7. Really easy to clean
8. Built-in measuring marks
9. Cooks oatmeal

I got a bunch of plastic cereal containers from Walwart and we store all kinds of rice in them (white, brown, jasmine, sushi, basmati). Making rice is as easy as grabbing one of those containers and dumping some in the bowl along with some water (measurement markings inside the bowl!), then hitting the "Start" button. Like you said, mostly it's about convenience. Perfect rice with the touch of a button. If you eat rice a lot, then it's a worthwhile investment imo. We use ours about 4 times a week.

 

[Taejin]

I'd have to say a rice cooker is better than a pot. My family is Korean, and all we do is eat rice.. we know it if rice tastes 'better' or 'worse'. Since we have rice every day, and we like to have rice hot when we eat, we use a rice cooker that keeps it hot. Rice in a pot on the stove will get cold, since you can't leave the flame on to keep the rice warm (it burns or gets really dry eventually) and we use our slow cooker to make soup base for traditional korean soups. So rice cooker is the way to go.

 

[MrToilet]

I like my $25 rice cooker from Target - I went to Costco and bought a 20 lb. bag of bismati rice, and bam, enough rice to feed me until 2010. It's definitely nice to have it cook separately.... I mean really, it's just like any other kitchen appliance. If you use it, great. I mean, our house has a Foreman grill, blender, rice cooker, 4-slot toaster, and god knows what else. But we use all the appliances regularly...

There are some sweet recipes you can make using just a rice cooker too, I'm going to try out a jambalaya recipe tomorrow...

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Injury
Reasons why I want a rice cooker:

- Even if you stir it constantly, rice always scorches to the inside of a pot on the stove.

- If I'm cooking a decent sized meal, I don't have the free hands or attention span to constantly keep the rice moving and prevent it from scorching to the pan.

- Constantly stirring rice in a pan seems to destroy it and turn it to mush.

- I can never make restaurant-like rice in a saucepan. It's not sticky enough or not quite firm enough.

- Foods taste better when you cook them for a longer time over lower heat. This makes rice take a ridiculously long time to cook. I'd love to be able to just leave it to cook itself.


I have never used a rice cooker and I'm certainly not a rice pro, but I think even getting a semi-decent one for about $40-50 would be grand. I love rice but it always seems like a big pain in the ass.

You shouldn't be stirring it at all. If it is burning to the bottom of the pan you are cooking it on too high a heat. You want it on the smallest burner at the lowest heat setting. Cover and forget about it for 20 minutes.

That's a lot of rules when even a $20 rice cooker is put rice in, put water, and press button. Why go through the trouble when a rice cooker does it for you? It's just a convenience item, like a dishwasher is to some, etc.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: sniperruff
you need something at least like this if you cook rice every day:

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirush.../ref=pd_sbs_k_title_24

BS-I cook rice 2-3 times a week and all I use is a covered sauce pan.

Why do people buy expensive mixers when a bowl and wooden spoon works just as well?
What about automatic can openers, fancy wine bottle openers, crock pots, microwaves and any number of cooking devices?

Why bother having anything more than a spartan kitchen with all manual tools?
Because it's easier, takes less work and is commonly affordable. Of course a $200 rice cooker is rather silly for most people, but most rice cookers I see are less than $50.

My argument is that it takes almost the same amount of effort to cook rice on a stove top. Put rice in a pot, put water in, turn burner to low and set a timer for 20 minutes (this obviously varies a bit depending on the rice used).

A mixer replaces mixing by hand which is very labor intensive. That's a really poor comparison. A rice cooker doesn't make rice making that much easier, you are essentially doing the same thing as when you cook it on the stove with a covered saucepan.

But hey, if you want to spend $300 for a rice cooker be my guest.

again, you are just not reading ANYTHING anyone else is posting, as you've already made up your mind. btw, you are flat out wrong. cooking short grain rice is very different from cooking long grain rice.

cooking short grain rice, you put the water and rice into the pot, set the temp on high, as soon as the water starts to boil, you have to turn the heat all the way down, to it's lowest setting. then you wait. if you let it boil too long you will burn it.

yup, rice remains warm in the warm setting on a nice insulated rice cooker. those ones clad in plastic and such. i'm sure they actually use less power than cooking over a stove. enclosed element cooking pots are very efficient. heat goes where it should.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: MrToilet
I like my $25 rice cooker from Target - I went to Costco and bought a 20 lb. bag of bismati rice, and bam, enough rice to feed me until 2010. It's definitely nice to have it cook separately.... I mean really, it's just like any other kitchen appliance. If you use it, great. I mean, our house has a Foreman grill, blender, rice cooker, 4-slot toaster, and god knows what else. But we use all the appliances regularly...

There are some sweet recipes you can make using just a rice cooker too, I'm going to try out a jambalaya recipe tomorrow...

I'd have to say that I cook rice on the stove way more often than I use my BBQ grill (just throwing out another expensive appliance). I'm still not buying a rice cooker. I made 2 cups of Calrose rice tonight and half of it is sitting in a bowl on my kitchen counter right now. It is nice and sticky, perfectly cooked...in a sauce pan...on my stove top. YMMV.

I'd never give up my BBQ grill though. It is way more versatile than my stove top or oven...and I cook with it quite often during the warmer months. In fact, I bet I could make decent rice on the side burner of my BBQ if needed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Injury
Reasons why I want a rice cooker:

- Even if you stir it constantly, rice always scorches to the inside of a pot on the stove.

- If I'm cooking a decent sized meal, I don't have the free hands or attention span to constantly keep the rice moving and prevent it from scorching to the pan.

- Constantly stirring rice in a pan seems to destroy it and turn it to mush.

- I can never make restaurant-like rice in a saucepan. It's not sticky enough or not quite firm enough.

- Foods taste better when you cook them for a longer time over lower heat. This makes rice take a ridiculously long time to cook. I'd love to be able to just leave it to cook itself.


I have never used a rice cooker and I'm certainly not a rice pro, but I think even getting a semi-decent one for about $40-50 would be grand. I love rice but it always seems like a big pain in the ass.

You shouldn't be stirring it at all. If it is burning to the bottom of the pan you are cooking it on too high a heat. You want it on the smallest burner at the lowest heat setting. Cover and forget about it for 20 minutes.

That's a lot of rules when even a $20 rice cooker is put rice in, put water, and press button. Why go through the trouble when a rice cooker does it for you? It's just a convenience item, like a dishwasher is to some, etc.

No it's not. You put it in a covered pot on low and leave it. You don't stir it...you don't uncover it, you just let it simmer. It's really that simple.

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Injury
Reasons why I want a rice cooker:

- Even if you stir it constantly, rice always scorches to the inside of a pot on the stove.

- If I'm cooking a decent sized meal, I don't have the free hands or attention span to constantly keep the rice moving and prevent it from scorching to the pan.

- Constantly stirring rice in a pan seems to destroy it and turn it to mush.

- I can never make restaurant-like rice in a saucepan. It's not sticky enough or not quite firm enough.

- Foods taste better when you cook them for a longer time over lower heat. This makes rice take a ridiculously long time to cook. I'd love to be able to just leave it to cook itself.


I have never used a rice cooker and I'm certainly not a rice pro, but I think even getting a semi-decent one for about $40-50 would be grand. I love rice but it always seems like a big pain in the ass.

You shouldn't be stirring it at all. If it is burning to the bottom of the pan you are cooking it on too high a heat. You want it on the smallest burner at the lowest heat setting. Cover and forget about it for 20 minutes.

That's a lot of rules when even a $20 rice cooker is put rice in, put water, and press button. Why go through the trouble when a rice cooker does it for you? It's just a convenience item, like a dishwasher is to some, etc.

What the hell is so hard about putting rice in a pot of water and coming back to check it in ~25 minutes?
Anyone who stands in front of a stove while cooking rice in a pot, will most likely be doing the same thing with a rice cooker.

 

[sonambulo]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
No it's not. You put it in a covered pot on low and leave it. You don't stir it...you don't uncover it, you just let it simmer. It's really that simple.

The general consensus in the thread is that rice cookers are great tools of convenience for people who eat a lot of rice and that if one has money to blow, he or she may as well buy a nice model.

Have you ever eaten rice cooked by a top end model and compared it to rice cooked in a lower end model or a saucepan? It tastes different and I do prefer it as do some others. If we want to buy a nice rice cooker to enjoy the rice it cooks why are you so opposed to it?

You see fit to criticize everyone who has or defends a rice cooker. Why? In fact, it only took four posts for you to enter into the thread and set up straw men and change the thread's tone to argumentative. You started the argument in the thread unprovoked. This is typical trolling behavior.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Injury
Reasons why I want a rice cooker:

- Even if you stir it constantly, rice always scorches to the inside of a pot on the stove.

- If I'm cooking a decent sized meal, I don't have the free hands or attention span to constantly keep the rice moving and prevent it from scorching to the pan.

- Constantly stirring rice in a pan seems to destroy it and turn it to mush.

- I can never make restaurant-like rice in a saucepan. It's not sticky enough or not quite firm enough.

- Foods taste better when you cook them for a longer time over lower heat. This makes rice take a ridiculously long time to cook. I'd love to be able to just leave it to cook itself.


I have never used a rice cooker and I'm certainly not a rice pro, but I think even getting a semi-decent one for about $40-50 would be grand. I love rice but it always seems like a big pain in the ass.

You shouldn't be stirring it at all. If it is burning to the bottom of the pan you are cooking it on too high a heat. You want it on the smallest burner at the lowest heat setting. Cover and forget about it for 20 minutes.

That's a lot of rules when even a $20 rice cooker is put rice in, put water, and press button. Why go through the trouble when a rice cooker does it for you? It's just a convenience item, like a dishwasher is to some, etc.

No it's not. You put it in a covered pot on low and leave it. You don't stir it...you don't uncover it, you just let it simmer. It's really that simple.

Get over it ok? Just like Asian people won't find a desperate need to go and buy a BBQ grill, white people won't go out and buy Zojirushi rice cookers. Our priorities are different, and you will never see me insulting a BBQ grill.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: Lothar

What the hell is so hard about putting rice in a pot of water and coming back to check it in ~25 minutes?
Anyone who stands in front of a stove while cooking rice in a pot, will most likely be doing the same thing with a rice cooker.

This is the proper step to cooking short grain rice in a pot. Little more involved than just forgetting about it for 25 minutes. copy and paste.

1. Boil the rice for 5-10 minutes on high heat (The water gets absorbed into the rice and the rice expands).
2. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer it for 7-8 minutes (During this time we are accelerating the gelitinization process - making each rice grain sticky and resilient).
3. As the water gets absorbed into the rice or evaporates, reduce the heat to low gradually. Do not open the lid at this point. When the water has nearly disappeared, turn the heat off.
4. Let the rice sit (thoroughly steam) for 10-15 minutes with the lid on.
5. Then stir the rice around (top to bottom, side to side) lightly with the rice scoop (It is to evaporate extra moisture, even out the rice taste, and keep the good shape).

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: sonambulo

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
No it's not. You put it in a covered pot on low and leave it. You don't stir it...you don't uncover it, you just let it simmer. It's really that simple.

The general consensus in the thread is that rice cookers are great tools of convenience for people who eat a lot of rice and that if one has money to blow, he or she may as well buy a nice model.

Have you ever eaten rice cooked by a top end model and compared it to rice cooked in a lower end model or a saucepan? It tastes different and I do prefer it as do some others. If we want to buy a nice rice cooker to enjoy the rice it cooks why are you so opposed to it?

You see fit to criticize everyone who has or defends a rice cooker. Why? In fact, it only took four posts for you to enter into the thread and set up straw men and change the thread's tone to argumentative. You started the argument in the thread unprovoked. This is typical trolling behavior.

Wow, you're really upset about this aren't you? :laugh:

I'm a troll because I believe you can prepare decent rice on a stove top with a covered sauce pan? Whatever dude.

I'll leave this thread to those of you who obviously have some sort of allegiance to this simple appliance. I said it in my original post that there would be people defending $200 rice cookers and it turns out we have people defending $300 rice cookers. I guess I was wrong after all. :beer:

 

[sonambulo]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Wow, you're really upset about this aren't you? :laugh:

I'm a troll because I believe you can prepare decent rice on a stove top with a covered sauce pan? Whatever dude.

I'll leave this thread to those of you who obviously have some sort of allegiance to this simple appliance. I said it in my original post that there would be people defending $200 rice cookers and it turns out we have people defending $300 rice cookers. I guess I was wrong after all. :beer:

See ya

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Wow, you're really upset about this aren't you? :laugh:

I'm a troll because I believe you can prepare decent rice on a stove top with a covered sauce pan? Whatever dude.

I'll leave this thread to those of you who obviously have some sort of allegiance to this simple appliance. I said it in my original post that there would be people defending $200 rice cookers and it turns out we have people defending $300 rice cookers. I guess I was wrong after all. :beer:

To us asians, rice is SERIOUS BUSINESS :|

 

[Billb2]

Rice steamer = cooking nOOb
So I don't need a rice steamer to "keep it warm". I know how to get everything for a meal done at the same time..

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Billb2
Rice steamer = cooking nOOb
So I don't need a rice steamer to "keep it warm". I know how to get everything for a meal done at the same time..

Obviously, you don't know anything about convenience and just trolling.

 

[Chryso]

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: Billb2
Rice steamer = cooking nOOb

I don't know about that...most of the asian families I know have one...but I guess they're all noobs at rice...right?

I think it's more a matter of convenience than anything else...

Bingo.

Every Asian family I've ever known had one, and they had hot rice 24/7. It a conveniemce thing, that is all. If you don't need or want hot rice all the time, as JM said, it cooks just as well in a saucepan.

Ok, seriously, who needs hot rice 24/7?