My new rice cooker

If you eat it daily, Cant you see the benefit of putting it into a device that cooks it without watching it, and keeps it perfect for a while after its cooked?

Not if it takes 40 minutes. I must say if I knew what time I would be home each day I'd consider one for the timer, but I don't, so not a lot of point.
 
I think you have to adapt your cooking to suit these appliances.
Normally you cook rice then eat it straight away, these keep the rice perfect for hours after they have finished cooking.
Stick it on in the afternoon (use the timer if your out), cook your meal as normal but just forget about the rice. When your ready to dish up the rice will be ready when you are.
Like I said in my op though, I bought it for the taste rather than the convenience.

It's just worked out really well for tonight's tea, I'd done a chille and it was ready for when the missus came home at 5, however she decided to go straight back out for a run. No problem the rice will still be fine when she gets back, the chille can stay on the hob or simply be heated up a bit, if I'd have done rice in a pan it would have been gash.
 
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I've never seen much point to them, either. I suppose it's fun for a gimmick, but rice dishes (curry, chilli & hawaiian meatballs with roast vegetables) were the first dishes I elarned how to cook and rice is a regular staple in my diet. It's rare that I don't have rice with something at least twice a week, and whether I use the cooking time to prepare the rest of the meal, watch TV or kick the crap out of a boss that's been getting on my short & curlies for a while, I always know when to check on it to get it right. I can't remember the last time I cooked rice that wasn't perfect - must be over 10 years now.
 
Quite a bit of controversy over a rice cooker:).

I'm not saying its wrong not to use a rice cooker, nor that its right to use it.

I'm pretty sure near enough 100% of chinese families/people who cook rice, cook it with a rice cooker. I bet anyone will be hard pushed to find any Chinese person who doesn't cook rice in a rice cooker.

Every restaurant/take away will cook rice in a rice cooker.

Those who can cook rice in a pan. I've never tried it myself, so I dont know how hard/easy it is. But a rice cooker is pretty much idiot proof in terms of getting it right everytime.
 
If you eat it daily, Cant you see the benefit of putting it into a device that cooks it without watching it, and keeps it perfect for a while after its cooked?

I also eat rice often, And this device seems fantastic to me. I eat pasta often too. So a device that cooks them and allows me to go about doing other things instead of keeping a close eye to me is a great addition to the kitchen.

Not really because it costs money to buy (not saying that it's expensive but money is money), and i only need to keep an eye on it for an extra 5-10 minutes more than a rice cooker. The rest of the time is just waiting for it to get to boiling and after when you just let it simmer off any excess water.
And you could use that time to prep anything else.
It's no hassle for me, which seems to be a main reason for people buying rice cookers?

I'm pretty sure near enough 100% of chinese families/people who cook rice, cook it with a rice cooker. I bet anyone will be hard pushed to find any Chinese person who doesn't cook rice in a rice cooker.

You've found one right here :p
 
Not if it takes 40 minutes. I must say if I knew what time I would be home each day I'd consider one for the timer, but I don't, so not a lot of point.

I'm not sure where this 40 minutes has come from, that's excessive to me.

My rice cooker takes 15-20 minutes to do rice.
 
Yup got a rice cooker also, bought it on Hong Kong a few years ago. I'm sure it cost about £100 then but does very good rice. But then I have rice almost every day.

Also does good porridge ( Congee ) and is able to steam other foods. Guess it just depends on how much people use it. When my friends come over they always ask what it is.

Got this one :

http://www.panasonic.hk/ha/english/feature_160.aspx
 
Rice cookers are the best for rice, very convenient and always comes out perfect.

My parents bought our rice cooker in the late 1970s and it still works perfectly to this day - I use it most days :)
 
Quite a bit of controversy over a rice cooker:).

I'm not saying its wrong not to use a rice cooker, nor that its right to use it.

I'm pretty sure near enough 100% of chinese families/people who cook rice, cook it with a rice cooker. I bet anyone will be hard pushed to find any Chinese person who doesn't cook rice in a rice cooker.

Every restaurant/take away will cook rice in a rice cooker.

Those who can cook rice in a pan. I've never tried it myself, so I dont know how hard/easy it is. But a rice cooker is pretty much idiot proof in terms of getting it right everytime.

Pretty much, if its pointless then they wouldn't sell. Especially to a rice eating nation. It cooks rice to the way how it has been cooked for thousands of years. The western way of boil it in lots of water and then sieve is not wrong as such, but you don't get the same result, i.e. sticky that you can pick a portion up with chopsticks.

If you want your rice to be loose, then do it in a pan with lots of water. If you want it sticky and fluffy, then do it in a rice cooker.
 
Well,if any of you rice lovers need some info,i happen to work for one of the largest rice millers/packers in the uk......i deal with the damm stuff 12 hours a day so fire away your rice based questions. :D
 
Well,if any of you rice lovers need some info,i happen to work for one of the largest rice millers/packers in the uk......i deal with the damm stuff 12 hours a day so fire away your rice based questions. :D

What you do to it to make UK rice taste so poor?
 
Everywhere I was in China used rice cookers. My girlfriend's family are from southeast Asia, they always use rice cookers. They must be doing something right, cooking it in a pan with water doesn't make you cool :p Time tends to depend on the sort of rice you're doing - I think the only occasion we don't use the rice cooker is for making sticky rice. Like, pull off balls of it with your hand style sticky, rather than the nice easy to use with chopsticks sticky from a rice cooker.

Also, you can make popcorn in them really easily. Nom.
 
My mum has wanted one of these for a while, so what's a good one to get other than the one in the OP? That Panasonic one doesn't seem to exist in UK :(
 
I make my rice the way it's done in Eastern Europe. Was living with a Polish family for a semester and got taught to cook properly.

They fry the rice in a frying pan for roughly 5 minutes, constantly stirring. Add boiling water and close the pot with a pressure cooker, never needing to stir after that, never needing to think about it again for 20 minutes. After 20 min, rinse again with boiling water and serve.

I'm not liking the UK rices anyway and tend to buy mine from a Polish shop.
 
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