Rice cooker suggestions?

[sherifffruitfly]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a rice cooker, and have no idea what I'm looking for. I'd like to get it on Amazon, so if anyone has examples of good ones there, I'd be much appreciative!

But even just tips on what-to-look-for would be great too!


Thanks!

cdj

 

[MostlyWater]

How many people are you? I started off with a 3 cup but quickly graduated to the next size up. How many bells and whistles do you need; do you want to make porridge in there or steam veggies too ?

 

[sherifffruitfly]

How many people are you? I started off with a 3 cup but quickly graduated to the next size up. How many bells and whistles do you need; do you want to make porridge in there or steam veggies too ?

1 person: 60% of the time
2 people: 30% of the time
3+ poeple: 10% of the time

I imagined that the rice cooker would be for cooking rice. It never occurred to me that one could do other things with it.

I don't know what bells and whistles rice cookers have. In my ignorant mind, I just sort of imagined it being like a coffee maker: add rice on one side, water on the other, turn on, come back in a bit, and voila! There's your rice!

 

[roadfix]

We have a Tiger (Japanese brand) rice cooker. It only does one thing....cook rice. Simple electronics, just like brewing coffee.
We use our rice cooker almost daily.

 

[sherifffruitfly]

We have a Tiger (Japanese brand) rice cooker. It only does one thing....cook rice. Simple electronics, just like brewing coffee.
We use our rice cooker almost daily.

Holy canolies those are spendy! lol! Is it one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for kinda things? Or did I just have inappropriate preconceptions about how much a rice cooker should cost?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=tiger+rice+cooker&x=0&y=0

 

[roadfix]

Holy canolies those are spendy! lol! Is it one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for kinda things? Or did I just have inappropriate preconceptions about how much a rice cooker should cost?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=tiger+rice+cooker&x=0&y=0

We have the 10 cup model. We bought it at a local Asian market a couple of years ago but don't really remember spending that much for it. They're well made and worth it if you're planning on cooking rice often.

 

[MostlyWater]

i use ours with a crock pot bag and there's virtually no cleanup !

it's a 5 cup Panasonic which must have been around $12 several years ago. you don't want to to go too small b/c if you overfill, you'll have a mess, but you can always make less rice.

if you insist on going small, you will have to make larger amounts in the microwave or on the stove or in the oven.

 

[GB]

I have a Zojirushi rice cooker and I love it. That brand is expensive, but worth it (imo) if you cook a lot of rice. One feature I love is that you can set it up before you go to work and tell it that you want the rice to be ready at 6:20pm when you get home. At 6:20 on the dot the beeper will beep because your rice (or whatever grain you choose) will be done perfectly. This cooker is amazingly consistent. Every batch comes out exactly like the last.

There are less expensive brands. You can get a rice cooker for $10. They are either in the $10 range or the $100 range. The less expensive ones have no features. You put in the rice and water and turn it on. It turns off when done. That is it. If that is all you need or want then those type work great and you can save some $$$.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Like GB said - the more features the more you wil have to spend ... but since my main interest was just to be able to cook rice without having to keep an eye on the pot on the stove (and I didn't have a lot of money to spend on one) ... I opted for something much cheaper ($30) and haven't been dissapointed.

Aroma 8-Cup Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer - from WalMart (Aroma model ARC-978 - the model number is found on the top right-hand corner of the top of the box). Also - the box will not say it is an 8-cup rice cooker (thast is the amount of raw rice) ... the box shows it is 4-16 cups (the cooked volume) rice cooker and food steamer. IMHO - this is as good if not better than the one being sold on Amazon since the one on Amazon doesn't mention it having a steamer tray - but it does mention that it has the delayed time start feature.

A couple of things I learned when I was exploring the world of rice cookers:

1) The "X-Cups" advertised is usually the raw rice amount - double that for the cooked capacity. But, it doesn't hurt to open the box and read the instruction manual just to make sure.

2) The standard rice machine measuring cup is only 3/4 of a standard measuring cup. So, the above mentioned Aroma rice cooker that has a capacity of 4-16 cups (cooked rice) ... is only 3-12 standard measuring cups - before you fluff it up.

Hope this helps you some ...

 

[MostlyWater]

i can put my inexpensive one on a plug-in timer.

 

[GB]

That tells it what time to start, not what time to be finished.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Time to be finished - cooking time = start time

I don't see the problem ...

My cooker doesn't come on when plugged in - you have to push a button ... but if someone had a cheap one that comes on when plugged in ... I don't see why using a timer wouldn't work.

 

[NAchef]

I guess you can spend the time looking for a gadget to turn your rice cooker on or you can spend a little extra and have it built in.


The more expensive units will generally give you a better, more even result. (Generally)

There are many dishes you can make with a rice cooker. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook/dp/1558322027

I am planning on buying this unit. Still doing a little research but I will probably end up with it.

Good luck, let us know what you get.

 

[sherifffruitfly]

I guess you can spend the time looking for a gadget to turn your rice cooker on or you can spend a little extra and have it built in.


The more expensive units will generally give you a better, more even result. (Generally)

There are many dishes you can make with a rice cooker. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook/dp/1558322027

I am planning on buying

this unit. Still doing a little research but I will probably end up with it.

Good luck, let us know what you get.

It just seems like $220 is a lot to pay for something I currently do for free - ya know? I mean I'm sure the cooker can do it better than I currently do it, but can it really cook my rice $220 better? (shrug) Maybe I just need a little bit of time to get used to that kinda sticker.

 

[GB]

Time to be finished - cooking time = start time

I don't see the problem ...

My cooker doesn't come on when plugged in - you have to push a button ... but if someone had a cheap one that comes on when plugged in ... I don't see why using a timer wouldn't work.

I do not know the exact amount of time it takes to cook so I would not know the amount of time to set it for. The expensive ones have all sorts of things built into the time such as a soak period which gets you better tasting rice. I have no idea how long the soak period is or how long it takes to cook 4 cups or brown rice vs 2 cups of white vs 6 cups of arborio vs 1 cup of porridge vs...well you get the idea. All of these variables change the amount of time it cooks for in order to get it perfect.

I am not saying that the timer method will not work. You get probably get it close to where you want after experimenting a bit. With my unit though, it will be done the minute I tell it to be done. Is that worth the extra hundred dollars? Probably not, but that feature combined with all the other features plus the fact that mine makes the best tasting rice by far that I have ever made and does it consistently every time no matter what makes it worth it for me. I got mine through my credit card reward points so I did not actually shell out the $ and would not have, but now that I have it I do think that for me it is worth it and when the time comes for a new one I will not hesitate to spend a small fortune to get one like the one I have now.

 

[GB]

but can it really cook my rice $220 better?

IMO it really depends on how often you cook rice. If you make rice once a month then it probably is not worth it. If you make rice 3 times a week then maybe it is.

 

[NAchef]

It just seems like $220 is a lot to pay for something I currently do for free - ya know? I mean I'm sure the cooker can do it better than I currently do it, but can it really cook my rice $220 better? (shrug) Maybe I just need a little bit of time to get used to that kinda sticker.

It may be, but I seemed to be having too many pots on the stove at one time. This way I have one less thing to worry about.

Its like saying "Hey, I can cook just fine with a $5 pan" or "I can cut a carrot with a $2 knife" Yes you can but sometimes you want to spoil yourself and get something nice.

It is not for everyone.

 

[MostlyWater]

i used to really like the rice from the mcirowave! i like the oven, too !

 

[roadfix]

The bottom line is, like with any tool or gadget, if you like quality items, desire them, can afford them, and makes you happy, then spend the extra bucks.

 

[CookwareFreak]

I have a Zojirushi rice cooker. It is one of the best kitchen appliances that I own. I've had it for a couple years and I use it all the time. Every single time it cooks perfect rice. It is about $170...and worth every penny.