Ahh! I've burnt my pan...help!

[Regina]

Something like that. Thanks for giving me the word for it.

[Regina]

Ar there some appliances you don't use or could live with out? If so get rid of them and you'll have the perfect reason to go out and buy a rice cooker.

[kitchenelf]

Well, I really hardly ever use the deep fryer - and when I do deep fry I prefer to do it on the cooktop anyway! The pasta maker could go and possibly the clay cooker but I do like it. All the others I use quite freqently. BUT, that rice cooker sure could fit where the deep fryer is!

Hmmmmm........ it might just work! :D

[kris]

Kitchenelf,
As far as what kind of rice cooker to get, I'm no expert. When I was looking, I found there were two different kinds; One looks like a slow cooker with an aluminum or nonstick coated pot insert and a glass lid. The other kind has a "hatch" at the top similar to a deep fryer. The "hatch" kind are apparently the better ones as they can keep the rice hot much longer (12 hours, I think). They also tend to have more advanced features like the timer and cost much more than the basic ones.

The one I have is a 8 cup model made by aroma. It has a glass lid and a keep warm feature and came with a steaming attachment. It'll keep the rice warm for arond 3 hours before it starts drying it out from the heat. I assume the other ones keep the moisture in much better. I didn't find it a big deal to rehydrate slightly dry rice. I just add a little more water and put it back on cook for a bit. It has some kind of sensor to tell it when to stop. Mine cost around $75 Canadian. You can get basic 5 cup ones for around $30. Just make sure it has the keep warm feature as some of the simple ones don't. I don't find much of a problem cleaning stuck on rice from the bottom, but if you want a nonstick one, be prepared to spend around $100 Canadian.

[kitchenelf]

Thanks for the info kris. This will at least get me looking for the right features. I'll probably go for one with the latch lid.

Thanks again!!

[oldcoot]

O.K. - I gotta ask: Why would anyone want to keep rice (or anything else) warm for up to 12 hours? Yuck! At any temperature much above room temperature, "cooking" continues. So rice kept warm for an excessive amount of time is going to degrade in both flavor and textue - and quite possibly in nutritional value, too, as nutrientrs may continue to change due to accellerated chemical reactions.

When a simple saucepan with a lid and a cheap timer will invairiably give excellent results, I still don't see the point of a rice cooker!

[kris]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one! As far as the 12 hours goes; If you eat rice 3 meals a day, it probably comes in handy. For my purposes, the cheaper rice cooker works just fine as I will only keep it hot for an hour or so.

[kitchenelf]

I don't have a problem cooking rice - it comes out perfect every time. But a rice cooker will keep it perfectly warm and perfectly cooked (without continuing the cooking process) for a long time. And my son would eat fried rice 3 meals a day sometimes. It would come in handy to make rice ahead of time so as not to have to mess with it while trying to cook other things too. A lot of restaurants use one even for their basic recipe for fried rice, before all the goodies are added to it. That's what I can't wait to use it for!!! 8)

[Regina]

Well. in that case have fun with your rice cooker when you get it. What keeps your son happy keeps you happy. Right? 8)