Rice Cooker Questions

[Green Lady]

FYI - Today's Wall Street Journal has a page 1 story about a high tech rice cooker developed in Japan by Toshiba. It costs $830!!! Sounds like it turns out a great product, which it should considering the price. In fact, the article states that Japanese are willing to pay $1,000 for a good rice cooker. It would be interesting to compare the outcome of rice cooked in the Toshiba with that of the more popular, lower cost rice cookers. How big of a difference could it possibly be?

 

[Corey123]

Good!

It'll sit there, rot, mildew and go sour before I pay that amount of money for one!!!

 

[Katie H]

I've been searching my brain, and am hardpressed to come up with any single kitchen tool, save major appliances, that we've spent that much on. Whoa! That bad boy better wash itself, too.

 

[Caine]

Once you've paid for the rice cooker, you'll be out on the street with your begging bowl, hoping to score some rice to put in it.

 

[obiwan9962]

FYI - Today's Wall Street Journal has a page 1 story about a high tech rice cooker developed in Japan by Toshiba. It costs $830!!! Sounds like it turns out a great product, which it should considering the price. In fact, the article states that Japanese are willing to pay $1,000 for a good rice cooker. It would be interesting to compare the outcome of rice cooked in the Toshiba with that of the more popular, lower cost rice cookers. How big of a difference could it possibly be?

having used industrial rice cookers in a thai restauarant i know they can get up there in price but anything over 200$ i balk at

 

[mudbug]

FYI - Today's Wall Street Journal has a page 1 story about a high tech rice cooker developed in Japan by Toshiba. It costs $830!!! Sounds like it turns out a great product, which it should considering the price. In fact, the article states that Japanese are willing to pay $1,000 for a good rice cooker. It would be interesting to compare the outcome of rice cooked in the Toshiba with that of the more popular, lower cost rice cookers. How big of a difference could it possibly be?

For that price, it better do windows, clean bathrooms, and fold laundry as well!

I'll stick with my saucepan on the stove.

 

[obiwan9962]

jasmine rice is great in the microwave
i still do sushi rice on the stove and thai sticky rice in a bamboo steamer

 

[Caine]

And takes up more space on the counter that I don't have. I'll have a microwave no matter what, so for me, a rice cooker is an extra single-tasker, as Alton Brown would say.

A quality rice cooker is far from a single tasker, as Alton Brown would say. Mine not only cooks rice, but it will steam vegetables while it cooks rice, or it will steam TWO vegetables if it is not cooking rice, and it can also serve as a slow cooker, and once it is done cooking whatever you told it to cook, it will keep it at serving temperature indefinitely.

 

[Corey123]

Once you've paid for the rice cooker, you'll be out on the street with your begging bowl, hoping to score some rice to put in it.

Haha!!

The price of THAT cooker is more than what I pay for rent each month!!

I mean, I wanted one and got it, but I wasn't even about to pay THAT much for one!! The one I got was expensive enough!

 

[Treklady]

My girlfriend has a rice cooker that cost her about $200. I myself do not have that kind of money to throw into an appliance.

I have an older Hitachi style rice cooker, and has been a work horse for me. I make rice in it at least 3-4 times a week. It also steams and we do that at least once a week and I agree that it frees up a burner and all you do with the rice cooker is...set it and forget it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

I try to microwave as little of my food as possible. I just don't like the information that is coming in about what microwaves do to our food. That's not to say I don't use it, but I was with out a microwave a while back for at least 1 month, and truth be told, I did not miss it.

I love my rice cooker!

 

[GotGarlic]

FYI - Today's Wall Street Journal has a page 1 story about a high tech rice cooker developed in Japan by Toshiba. It costs $830!!! Sounds like it turns out a great product, which it should considering the price.

For that price, it should make sushi

 

[GotGarlic]

A quality rice cooker is far from a single tasker, as Alton Brown would say. Mine not only cooks rice, but it will steam vegetables while it cooks rice, or it will steam TWO vegetables if it is not cooking rice, and it can also serve as a slow cooker, and once it is done cooking whatever you told it to cook, it will keep it at serving temperature indefinitely.

Good to know, although I don't care for steamed veggies. Thanks.

 

[GotGarlic]

I try to microwave as little of my food as possible. I just don't like the information that is coming in about what microwaves do to our food. That's not to say I don't use it, but I was with out a microwave a while back for at least 1 month, and truth be told, I did not miss it.

Just curious - what information are you referring to here?

 

[LMJ]

Okay, I ADORE my Panasonic SR-SH15PS (discontinued, sadly), but it's not above making a bad batch.

And I've found it's always my fault.

If your rice cooker's anything like mine, it has a "sweet spot" in the amount of rice it's happy cooking. Capacity is rated at 8 cups, but if I tried that, I'd get a dry wasteland. At 2 cups, it's rice soup. But it will cooking 4 cups PERFECTLY. But NOT if I add the recommended water amount for 4 cups! No, I've got to add water for 7 cups to properly make 4 cups of rice.

It's a black art, but the reward of a perfectly soft, slightly sticky but not mushy pot of rice makes learning it's secrets well worth your time.

 

[Corey123]

Okay, I ADORE my Panasonic SR-SH15PS (discontinued, sadly), but it's not above making a bad batch.

And I've found it's always my fault.

If your rice cooker's anything like mine, it has a "sweet spot" in the amount of rice it's happy cooking. Capacity is rated at 8 cups, but if I tried that, I'd get a dry wasteland. At 2 cups, it's rice soup. But it will cooking 4 cups PERFECTLY. But NOT if I add the recommended water amount for 4 cups! No, I've got to add water for 7 cups to properly make 4 cups of rice.

It's a black art, but the reward of a perfectly soft, slightly sticky but not mushy pot of rice makes learning it's secrets well worth your time.

The usual measurements are one part rice with 2 parts water. You say that the capacity of your cooker is 8 cups, so you'll need 2 cups rice and 4 cups water. And if you're making half that amount, you'll need 1 cup rice and 2 cups water.

Most cookers' bowls have the markings on the inside on how much water to use for the amount that you are cooking.

 

[LMJ]

Most cookers' bowls have the markings on the inside on how much water to use for the amount that you are cooking.

Yes, and those markings can be very, very wrong.

Actually, 1:2 ratio does NOT work. The ratio decreases as the amount of rice increases.

1 cup of rice = 1.5 cups of water
2 cups of rice = 2.75 cups of water
3 cups of rice = 3.5 cups of water

... and soforth.

It's a wacky little grain.

 

[Corey123]

I've never done it that way.

Only for short or long grain rice, not parboiled.

 

[LMJ]

I've never done it that way.

Only for short or long grain rice, not parboiled.

Well, whatever works for you, go with it.

I'm going by Good Eats EA1A12, "Power to the Pilaf."
Power to the Pilaf

 

[Caine]

I still use the tried and true method of dumping half the amount of rice I want (1 part dry turns into two parts cooked) into the cooker, placing my spread fingers on the surface of the rice, then filling with water to my second knuckle. Works every time, without fail.