Spec me a rice cooker

As a Chinese...I am not sure what the think from the past few posts lol

I use the same bowl I boil it in, and scrub between my palm and fingers a few times until the water is mostly clear. It will never get to bottled water clear. This is perhaps a habit as well as a tradition rather than really required with modern factory-packed rice but habit can't be broken and it doesn't make it worse so i keep at it. Used to use this step to check the grain for any bits of impurities like dirt or random things.

Then eyeball the water, some Chinese people will tell you to do it up to the first knuckle....I have never done that, we all have different size hands. I have done it enough that I know how much water to use, regardless the amount of rice, by eye ball. I know it doesn't help, but do it once, if it's too mushy then next time use less water, trial by error. Eventually, you will know.

The key really is to leave it at least 10 mins after the switch flicked at the end, even with the most expensive cooker.
 
Feek said:
1:1 here, never any problems, and I've used that same Tilda rice.


What's your definition of a wash? I generally run it under the cold tap, giving it a good old swoosh for a couple of minutes.
Click to expand...
Let water run into the bowl swirl it round for 10 seconds, repeat 3 times.
 
cup of rice in saucepan
pinch of salt
splash of rose water
2 cups of rice in saucepan
lid on
high heat until it boils
turn all the way down - simmer until almost all the water is gone
turn off
allow to steam for 15-20 mins
fluff

Perfect every time!

The key is decent rice, most of the supermarket own brand stuff is awful :(
 
Last edited:
Haggisman said:
cup of rice in saucepan
pinch of salt
splash of rose water
2 cups of rice in saucepan
lid on
high heat until it boils
turn all the way down - simmer until almost all the water is gone
turn off
allow to steam for 15-20 mins
fluff

Perfect every time!

The key is decent rice, most of the supermarket own brand stuff is awful :(
Click to expand...
I think your looking for the people asking about saucepans, this is the rice cooker thread.
 
the fluff with fork and recover for another 10 mins is the key to success imho. you gotta salt the rice before cooking too. My Ghanaian in laws approve of my rice so it must be good.
 
robj20 said:
I think your looking for the people asking about saucepans, this is the rice cooker thread.
Click to expand...
I cook my rice in a saucepan, ergo it's a rice cooker :p

Anything more complicated just seems to be solving a problem which doesn't exist IMO. I guess if you only cook rice occasionally and haven't mastered the technique then they could be useful, but we make rice 2-3x a week so it's easy enough just to stick it on the hob.
 
Last edited:
jpaul said:
which rice do you recommend - I'm still looking for an amazon subscribe&save brown/matta rice I can bulk buy for less than £2/kg.
Click to expand...

We usually go for either Laila Gold, Kohinoor Gold or Tilda, depending on what offer happens to be on for the 10kg bags
 
Last edited:
Haggisman said:
I cook my rice in a saucepan, ergo it's a rice cooker :p

Anything more complicated just seems to be solving a problem which doesn't exist IMO. I guess if you only cook rice occasionally and haven't mastered the technique then they could be useful, but we make rice 2-3x a week so it's easy enough just to stick it on the hob.
Click to expand...
Okay. It's the opposite i think the more rice you eat the more useful a dedicated rice cooker is, we have it every other day, preferring rice to pasta and potatoes. I can do it in a pan but it's definitely better in a rice cooker.
 
Last edited:
I've been using this cheap and cheerful one since about 2016, 3-4 times a week. Cost me like 16 quid back then and seemed a revelation transitioning from "boil in too much water and drain in colander" to properly cooking rice even if it's just a simple hot plate cooker. Probably one of the most value-for-money things I've ever bought, when it finally packs in I think it deserves to be buried in the garden alongside the pets :p

4226309_R_SET


I want one that will cook whole/brown rice, but 200 quid on a Zojirushi would be really hard to swing by the missus :D
 
Last edited:
Haggisman said:
I cook my rice in a saucepan, ergo it's a rice cooker :p

Anything more complicated just seems to be solving a problem which doesn't exist IMO. I guess if you only cook rice occasionally and haven't mastered the technique then they could be useful, but we make rice 2-3x a week so it's easy enough just to stick it on the hob.
Click to expand...

Rice cookers are very popular with people who eat the most rice. A department store in asian countries will have a significant section just for rice cookers.

As you described, one of the things you have to do with cooking rice in a pot is supervise it, that's not the case for a rice cooker, it'll cut off the heat when the rice is done according to its design and keep it warm. And, this is not at the cost of quality.

Burnt rice? Almost impossible and that is with less effort and less attention. Just ignore it and do other stuff til it clicks or dings or whatever and know that it'll still be fine for hours still with no attention.
 
If you tell someone in Hong Kong that you are cooking rice with a pot, 2 questions will spring to mind

1 - Are you making Claypot rice?
2 - Are you poor?

Option one is a choice, for a specific recipe. Option 2....you are just poor, so poor that you can't afford a £10 rice cooker or afford electricity.

It is basically like watching someone boiling water with a saucepan instead of an electric kettle. You can boil water in a sauce pan for sure, but you are doing that so you are adding other things to that water for a recipe.

p.s. Claypot rice is amazing. You get burnt bits at the bottom on purpose.
 
Last edited:
Haggisman said:
I might take a look then :)
Click to expand...
It's something I thought of like you do, don't need one I can make perfect rice in a pan.
Then I caved and got a half decent one and now I wouldn't be without it.
If I know we're having rice a couple of times in the same day you can just leave it to keep warm as well. I often make enough to then use for fried rice the next day. We go through a lot of rice.
 
Hotwired said:
As you described, one of the things you have to do with cooking rice in a pot is supervise it, that's not the case for a rice cooker, it'll cut off the heat when the rice is done according to its design and keep it warm. And, this is not at the cost of quality.
Click to expand...

This is what I get the most utility out of a rice cooker for me. I don't finish work until 17:30 so if I started cooking after I finished work then we wouldn't be eating until 18:15 and that's getting close to the kids clubs/scouts/cadets etc making things a rush.

With the rice cooker I can go into the kitchen at 17:00 and take a couple of minutes to pop the rice in. Then when I finish work I can cook the main (curry or whatever) and we're sat down eating for 17:45.
 
Last edited:
Induction Heating on the newer model top line cookers by Zojirushi/Yum Asia - a marked improvement and worth the cost, or "innovation" as a marketing gimmick people to replace their existing rice cooker?
 
Bluebozzy said:
Induction Heating on the newer model top line cookers by Zojirushi/Yum Asia - a marked improvement and worth the cost, or "innovation" as a marketing gimmick people to replace their existing rice cooker?
Click to expand...

Sounds like more energy efficient with better control of temperature?

The counter argument is there is no need for the finesse of temperature swing/sudden rise and fall that induction offers. Even on a gas’s cooker in a pot you are changing temperature gradually and there is a body of water inside the pit a stop to any sudden rise and fall that can “shock” the food, in this instance, the rice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom