ISO Rice Cooker

[caseydog]

I know this is cheating, but I have to admit that the Minute Rice brand of microwavable rice in the little plastic cups is actually pretty good, and good for small meals. Living alone, cooking even the smallest amount of rice from scratch is more than I need.

No, it is not real cooking, but on the other hand, it is rice. If you use a rice cooker, it is rice and water. Not a big difference.

CD

 

[Chef Munky]

For making rice for an army of rice lovers a couple of times a week that is a good choice.

If you are rice rinsers, which is recommended for brown rice, consider picking up one of these. The drain holes are sized so that the rice grains don't stick in them, like they do in my fine colander. It's a little thing, but it should make life easier for one handed operation.

https://www.amazon.com/Inomata-Japanese-Washing-Bottom-Drainers/dp/B004QZAAS2/

Guess what I forgot to buy? See what happens when I get distracted.
SIL called me while I was shopping on Amazon.She distracted me by knitting talk.I'm having a problem with a sweater pattern.It's all her fault!

Later on, because I used Mr.Munky's account he found out what I bought. His eyes bugged He was actually pleased that I bought the best of the best. The more he read and saw the shock of the price wore off quickly.
I told him that I had forgotten to buy that rinser.He bought it for me.

It all worked out.

Munky.

 

[Chef Munky]

I know this is cheating, but I have to admit that the Minute Rice brand of microwavable rice in the little plastic cups is actually pretty good, and good for small meals. Living alone, cooking even the smallest amount of rice from scratch is more than I need.

No, it is not real cooking, but on the other hand, it is rice. If you use a rice cooker, it is rice and water. Not a big difference.

CD

Using Minute Rice isn't cheating.
I grew up eating it. My mom didn't like to cook. She was one busy lady.
Like you she had work, then came home to a lot of kids. Minute rice in my own opinion was and still is a smart economical way to go for a lot of people.

Munky.

 

[Kayelle]

I'm curious to hear how much and often most people here cook rice?

Even in my carb loving days, I cooked it maybe twice a month for my family of four, and then only if we were having something Asian. I know that many Asian folks eat rice three times a day, but most others do not. I personally wouldn't give a rice cooker house space for that reason. Different strokes as they say.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

K, our household is not Asian (I'm Hawaiian-Portuguese-Swedish-Danish), but having grown up in Hawaii it's ingrained in us wink:, HA! get it )
DH is from the Philadelphia area (100% Italian) and never ate Rice prior to meeting me.

When we were still living in Hawaii, we ate steamed white rice 1-3 times a day, mind you, in different ways, not just as a plain side dish, ie Spam Musubi, Poke Bowls, etc.
Now that we live on the "mainland" we have rice in some way 2-3 times a week; I'm not sure really why come to think of it. It could be that we have also cut back on our carb-consumption as well.

*A trick I learned long ago in Hawaii, were any extra rice you may have, left out on the counter, would go bad overnight, is to place your leftover rice in freezer zip-top bags, squeeze any air out and freeze it. To reheat a serving of rice anytime, simply vent the bag top 1 inch and microwave for a coupla minutes. It's just like freshly cooked rice, no fuss-no mess, done.

The other thing that I do when I cook white rice (we don't care for brown rice) in the automatic rice cooker is, I don't measure anything. I pour in some uncooked rice, rinse it well, drain off the water, shake the pot to "level out" the grains, place my forefinger just on top of the grains and add enough water to come up to my first joint.
The Mt. Fuji method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVd3FsR8wHE

Funny, growing up, as kids if someone said something "stupid" to you, we would respond with, "Ah go home cook rice!" Basically, BEAT IT!

 

[GotGarlic]

We have rice once or twice a week. It's not just for Asian food here. Rice is a major crop in the South, so it's traditional with chicken and other dishes. My mom grew up just outside of Richmond, Virginia. She always served fried chicken with rice and gravy made from the drippings.

 

[Just Cooking]

Rice is a mainstay for us... As others have said, not only for Asian dishes..

My son-in-law is Japanese... He and my daughter buy rice in 25lb bags..
They bought 50lb bags until they moved to Missouri..They have a dedicated rice dispensing container.. Talk about being serious...

GG...Yes @ rice and a good gravy..

K-girl.. All you posted happens here too...

Ross

 

[GotGarlic]

Just thought of a couple other ways I fix rice - Mexican rice for South of the Border dishes and rice pilaf flavored in many ways.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yes I do have the space.
This is the one I've picked out. For my army of men it should be perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS...=1494179684&sr=1-12&keywords=rice+cooker&th=1

Thank you

Munky.

Great choice! You will love the Zo. You'll be looking around for other things to cook in it. (small amount of split pea soup) Anything that needs hydration.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

We have rice 3-4 times a week. I make enough for the week and a batch of steel cut oats for my breakfast for a week. Takes me about two hours on the weekend, with packaging time in there. Packaging takes me longer than cooking time. While cooking I can do other things, like play outside in the mud, run into town...

 

[Just Cooking]

Just thought of a couple other ways I fix rice - Mexican rice for South of the Border dishes and rice pilaf flavored in many ways.

Exactly...

Ross

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Rice is a mainstay for us... As others have said, not only for Asian dishes..

My son-in-law is Japanese... He and my daughter buy rice in 25lb bags..
They bought 50lb bags until they moved to Missouri..They have a dedicated rice dispensing container.. Talk about being serious...

GG...Yes @ rice and a good gravy..

K-girl.. All you posted happens here too...

Ross

Ross, this is the supermarket that I shopped at often in Kaneohe Hawaii:
Weekly Ad | Foodland

I hope you can see the ad for this week? 20lb bag of the favored brand of rice for $9.99, not a bad price.
And everyone in Hawaii has their rice container, me, I had a cheapo plastic covered bucket, like Home Depot's Homer Bucket

 

[Just Cooking]

Ross, this is the supermarket that I shopped at often in Kaneohe Hawaii:
Weekly Ad | Foodland

I hope you can see the ad for this week? 20lb bag of the favored brand of rice for $9.99, not a bad price.
And everyone in Hawaii has their rice container, me, I had a cheapo plastic covered bucket, like Home Depot's Homer Bucket
View attachment 26837

The entire ad is interesting, price wise... I'd been told that food was expensive there.. Less so than here..

Love your rice container... I'll show that to my daughter...

Ross

 

[Kayelle]

Just thought of a couple other ways I fix rice - Mexican rice for South of the Border dishes and rice pilaf flavored in many ways.

I make rice dishes like that also GG, but always in a skillet with sauteed veggies and spices in the liquid. For those rice dishes I like to also cook the raw rice in oil to get some color.
I was under the impression that a rice cooker was for only for cooking plain rice with liquid. No??

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

K, I never thought to add flavorings to the automatic Rice Cooker before,
I'm thinkin' that might work.
I bought one of those boxed Wild Rice Medley thingies,
but DH was not impressed.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Ooh, I was just thinking about this dish the other night!
My Mother would take Jimmy Dean (it had to be Jimmy Dean) Bulk Pork Sausage, Rice and Cream of something Soup and make this casserole dish.
Cheap & Friendly, feeds a bunch of folks.
MAN!
I'm salivating just remembering this.
I'm pretty sure that DH would not care for this though... maybe it could be another "let's share with the neighbors" sort of dish

 

[caseydog]

I'm curious to hear how much and often most people here cook rice?

Even in my carb loving days, I cooked it maybe twice a month for my family of four, and then only if we were having something Asian. I know that many Asian folks eat rice three times a day, but most others do not. I personally wouldn't give a rice cooker house space for that reason. Different strokes as they say.

When I moved to Port Arthur in my teens, my rice intake went up exponentially. Cajuns eat a lot of rice -- and it grew down there, too.

I still eat a lot of rice. Rice and beans, mostly. I also find rice to be a great meal when I'm not feeling well. I cook some up with ground beef, and I can eat it without upsetting my stomach.

I can take leftover braising liquid, and pour it over rice and be a happy eater.

Rice is a lot like pasta -- you can do hundreds of things with it.

CD

 

[caseydog]

BTW, I'm doing a couple of rotisserie chickens for Mothers Day, and I'm thinking about doing some Jamaican rice and peas (beans, actually) for a side dish. I love them, but I'm not sure about the rest of the family.

CD

 

[ricelover]

I'm curious to hear how much and often most people here cook rice?

I cook rice perhaps 4 days a week, and eat rice about 6 days a week. On the days I don't eat any rice, perhaps because it is a pasta dish, it just somehow doesn't feel right.

And my preferred method of rice cooking is a Zojirushi.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Not only can you make all your usual rice recipes in a rice cooker, I make both my Mexican rice and Mexican yellow rice (not to be confused with Canadian yellow snow) you can make packaged rice products, like Zatarain's red beans and rice and all the Near East rices and blends, in your rice cooker. Just add all the ingredients listed in the instructions and then set it and forget it.