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[Cato]

Can't you just cook rice on anything? Does the rice cooker make it better tasting or is this just a convenience thing?

The consistency and the outcome is very consistent with a rice cooker. As long as you put the right ratios in, 1 unit rice + 1.5 unit water for basmati or long grain, or 1 unit rice + 2 unit water for round corn/sushi rise
it will always cook to a pretty perfect state every time.

The taste is the same when the rice is cooked well, but with a pot on the stovetop it is quite hard to cook it the right time, you either overcook or undercook unless you are very experienced, so due to due to that I would say the taste is much better. (Not due to the rice cooker itself but due to using a pot and stovetop you WILL either over or undercook the rice.)

It is also very convenient. So win-win situation. Rice cookers are dirt cheap, even in europe and the us. You should get one and try it out.
You can even cook simple meals like kind-of-jambalaya in them.

 

[lil puff]

You can even cook simple meals like kind-of-jambalaya in them.

Well that definitely makes it more worthwhile. Sort of like Crock Pot meals. I wouldn't mind one for stewing meats.

 

[Cato]

Well that definitely makes it more worthwhile. Sort of like Crock Pot meals. I wouldn't mind one for stewing meats.

You can do almost all of the stuff you can do in a Croc Pot, except for the pressure cooking.

When I was a student I often did : mixing rice, water, a diced tomato, a cup of frozen corn/peas/capsicum and some chopped sausages. Then just cook it together.
<5 minutes work and it tastes pretty good and is healthy.

They often also come with some tray where you can steam veggies at the same time you cook the rice. Broccoli, Capsicum etc. that allows you to make a little more elaborate dishes.
Get one, they are dirt cheap and well worth the money.
(If you get the ratios right you can even cook pasta + water in them !!!)

 

[lil puff]

You can do almost all of the stuff you can do in a Croc Pot, except for the pressure cooking.

When I was a student I often did : mixing rice, water, a diced tomato, a cup of frozen corn/peas/capsicum and some chopped sausages. Then just cook it together.
<5 minutes work and it tastes pretty good and is healthy.

They often also come with some tray where you can steam veggies at the same time you cook the rice. Broccoli, Capsicum etc. that allows you to make a little more elaborate dishes.
Get one, they are dirt cheap and well worth the money.
(If you get the ratios right you can even cook pasta + water in them !!!)

How well is it for reheating?

Like if you were to fill one up on the weekend, and reheat for 2-3 days?

 

[NyogoZ]

I learned from the best, my mom. She was raised in Chile and knows the best way to cook rice. Do not boil water first like everyone says! What you do is, put a little bit of oil in a pot. Put the heat on low. For one person or two, pour in a cup of rice (I think Mahatma or Jasmine is great). Mix it up. Then add like a cup and a half of water. Don't forget some salt. Now, put the lid on top and set the heat to medium and wait a few minutes until you don't see the water anymore. Once that happens, put the heat level on low for a few minutes, because otherwise, if you ate it right away, it would be too watery, so waiting a little bit makes it a bit more dry. That's the gist of it, but still trying to perfect it. I'm curious about the rice cooker though. I'm wondering if it would be as good or better. I'm just used to the classic way of cooking rice.

 

[Cato]

How well is it for reheating?

Like if you were to fill one up on the weekend, and reheat for 2-3 days?

No, you can't re-heat rice in them.

The rice cooker is basically a device that boils/steams all the water and then shuts off when the water is all gone.
To re-heat rice you would have to put already boiled rice in it and add additional water so that the rice cooker would have something to work with.
The result is overcooked rice which tastes really watery and bad :-(


But there is no need in cooking for the whole weekend in one go.
You can cook as little as you want at a time. If you only want to cook a single serving for one person you can do that. Just add 1/4 cup of rice and one and a half as much of water, close the lid and click the button.

Fresh cooked rice every time.

 

[Cato]

I learned from the best, my mom. She was raised in Chile and knows the best way to cook rice. Do not boil water first like everyone says! What you do is, put a little bit of oil in a pot. Put the heat on low. For one person or two, pour in a cup of rice (I think Mahatma or Jasmine is great). Mix it up. Then add like a cup and a half of water. Don't forget some salt. Now, put the lid on top and set the heat to medium and wait a few minutes until you don't see the water anymore. Once that happens, put the heat level on low for a few minutes, because otherwise, if you ate it right away, it would be too watery, so waiting a little bit makes it a bit more dry. That's the gist of it, but still trying to perfect it. I'm curious about the rice cooker though. I'm wondering if it would be as good or better. I'm just used to the classic way of cooking rice.

Rice cooker is pretty much exactly the same as far as the cooking process goes. It will boil the water and then it detects when all the water is gone at which point it will switch over to just "keep warm" instead of "boil". A few minutes later it will beep and tell you the rice is ready to eat.
The only difference is that the rice cooker is automatic. You don't have to watch the pot to turn off the heat when the water is gone. It happens automatically.

 

[lil puff]

No, you can't re-heat rice in them.

The rice cooker is basically a device that boils/steams all the water and then shuts off when the water is all gone.
To re-heat rice you would have to put already boiled rice in it and add additional water so that the rice cooker would have something to work with.
The result is overcooked rice which tastes really watery and bad :-(


But there is no need in cooking for the whole weekend in one go.
You can cook as little as you want at a time. If you only want to cook a single serving for one person you can do that. Just add 1/4 cup of rice and one and a half as much of water, close the lid and click the button.

Fresh cooked rice every time.

OK, that makes sense for rice.
What if I had like root veggies or kale, meat and maybe potatoes?
Maybe that's repurposing it too much?

 

[Cato]

Rice cooker is pretty much exactly the same as far as the cooking process goes. It will boil the water and then it detects when all the water is gone at which point it will switch over to just "keep warm" instead of "boil". A few minutes later it will beep and tell you the rice is ready to eat.
The only difference is that the rice cooker is automatic. You don't have to watch the pot to turn off the heat when the water is gone. It happens automatically.

Just buy one and try it. I bet they are 12$ or so at walmart. And worth every cent.

OK, that makes sense for rice.
What if I had like root veggies or kale, meat and maybe potatoes?
Maybe that's repurposing it too much?

Root veggies and Potatoes should work fine.
The way I would do it would be to just steam them.
I.e. a cup of water, no rice, in the pot.
Then slice the veggies and potatoes in half inch slices and put them in the steamer tray/basket and then juts close the lid and click the button.

You would have to experiment a little though. The amount of water you put in determines for how long the veggies/spuds will be steamed. I am not sure how much water you would need for half inch slices of potatoe.
Try with 1 cup first. If it is too much, try less water next time or vice versa.


Just get one and experiment. They are like 12$ or so at walmart. Well worth every cent.

 

[lil puff]

Just buy one and try it. I bet they are 12$ or so at walmart. And worth every cent.

Root veggies and Potatoes should work fine.
The way I would do it would be to just steam them.
I.e. a cup of water, no rice, in the pot.
Then slice the veggies and potatoes in half inch slices and put them in the steamer tray/basket and then juts close the lid and click the button.

You would have to experiment a little though. The amount of water you put in determines for how long the veggies/spuds will be steamed. I am not sure how much water you would need for half inch slices of potatoe.
Try with 1 cup first. If it is too much, try less water next time or vice versa.


Just get one and experiment. They are like 12$ or so at walmart. Well worth every cent.

I may go to Walmart this weekend

Thanks for the info!

 

[Cato]

OK, that makes sense for rice.
What if I had like root veggies or kale, meat and maybe potatoes?
Maybe that's repurposing it too much?

Meat is harder. I have done stew in mine but there is more work.

Steamed meat is disgusting so don't try that.
You can boil meat quite well though and make casseroles. It is a bit more work since I have found you have to continously add water as it is boiled off.
Also it takes longer than with a normal pot since a rice cooker is not that powerful and designed to boil a large amount of water at a time.
I bet a Croc Pot is better for casseroles.
But, I can confirm you CAN do it just takes a longer time.

 

[NyogoZ]

Just buy one and try it. I bet they are 12$ or so at walmart. And worth every cent.

Yeah, I think I'll try one. I'm a huge fan of fried rice in general, especially coconut curry.

 

[lil puff]

I'd probably sear off the meat before putting it in, but I see what you mean about steamed meat.

I don't mind how long it takes, I like the idea of set it and forget it on weekends. As long as I don't forget to keep an eye on the water.

 

[Cato]

I may go to Walmart this weekend

Thanks for the info!

Do it. I am certain you wont regret it. Make sure you get one with a steamer.
Here is one https://www.walmart.com/ip/BLACK-DECKER-6-Cup-Rice-Cooker-with-Steaming-Basket-White-RC506/52595771
15$ though, you guys must have had some inflation since i lived in the us

 

[lil puff]

I don't mind spending around $40 for a good one.

However I can see myself going to buy one and leaving with a Crock Pot.
Whichever one fits, I don't have a ton of counter space.

 

[Catphish]

If you guys dig the Cajun rice from Popeye's, I stumbled upon a very close replica of it... Brown some ground beef, drain the grease, throw it in the rice cooker with 1.5 cups of rice per 1/2lb of meat, throw in whatever else you like (I like broccoli, carrots, and onions), mix it with some beef bullion, cayenne pepper, little bit of garlic powder, the proper water measurement for your rice type (plus a little extra if you throw other stuff in), altogether in the rice cooker, and turn it loose. It's my new favorite.

 

[lil puff]

If you guys dig the Cajun rice from Popeye's, I stumbled upon a very close replica of it... Brown some ground beef, drain the grease, throw it in the rice cooker with 1.5 cups of rice per 1/2lb of meat, throw in whatever else you like (I like broccoli, carrots, and onions), mix it with some beef bullion, cayenne pepper, little bit of garlic powder, the proper water measurement for your rice type (plus a little extra if you throw other stuff in), altogether in the rice cooker, and turn it loose. It's my new favorite.

I love that Popeyes rice!

I thought it had beans in it. Whatever it is, that gravy has this smoky quality to it too, you could try a few drops of liquid smoke to recreate that.

Nice idea though!

 

[Catphish]

I've never had beans in it. But if that's your bag, throw it in!

 

[mykle]

+1000 on Zojirushi, its easily my favorite kitchen gear. perfect rices everytime

 

[lil puff]

I've never had beans in it. But if that's your bag, throw it in!

I might be confusing Red beans and rice with Cajun rice.

Now I am getting hungry!

 

[Catphish]

I might be confusing Red beans and rice with Cajun rice.

Now I am getting hungry!

yeh, me too. Lucky for me I have some leftovers of this very rice in the fridge.

 

[Liberty4all]

We make perfect rice in a regular pot on the stove top. Takes about 20 min and tastes better than my old rice cooker.

 

[lachesis]

I have a dedicated Cuckoo rice cooker. It's like 15 yr old, so it's getting old and I could use the ring replacement - but so far it's holding up well.
I'm an asian, so properly cooked rice is an essential in our food. If the cooker goes bad - I would probably buy another dedicated rice cooker, even though I just purchased that $60 instant pot.

 

[Krappadizzle]

My wife bought some Korean one, Cuckoo Cooker(or something like that) for like $100. Cooks perfect rice. Love having it, even if it was a bit pricey.

 

[lil puff]

yeh, me too. Lucky for me I have some leftovers of this very rice in the fridge.

This kinda gets to the crux of the issues I have. Leftovers. I am trying to find a way to consolidate slow cooking some good ingredients into one place. But be able to reheat them again. And again. And making some good rice would be a plus. And for it to be convenient.

I suppose I could learn how to boil rice, but the idea of stews is now more fascinating

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Sorry for the bump, but I too got a Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker from Zojirushi. Absolute game changer for me. It's so easy and the rice turns out perfect every single time. Worth every penny.

 

[Artoris]

Mine is 20 years old and it still works

 

[SpiceRacz]

If you're going to get a rice cooker, spend the extra money on a quality one. The cheaper ones tend make rice mushy and it just doesn't come out well.

 

[Sosokrates]

No, I save money and use this (which I already owned)

 

[nush]

Sorry for the bump, but I too got a Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker from Zojirushi. Absolute game changer for me. It's so easy and the rice turns out perfect every single time. Worth every penny.

Now add some veggies and chopped sausage during the cook and you have an instant meal.

 

[Artoris]

Now add some veggies and chopped sausage during the cook and you have an instant meal.

What type of sausage and do you think a pork chop would work

 

[Artoris]

No, I save money and use this (which I already owned)

Much to learn you have

 

[nush]

What type of sausage and do you think a pork chop would work

I use dried sasagues, Chritzo, Taiwan and sichuan ones. I've used hot dog sausages before as well. You'd have to cube the pork chop before putting it in the pot though.

 

[Sosokrates]

Much to learn you have

Explain.

 

[ConkerTheSquirrel.]

Growing up in an Asian household, a meal doesn't feel complete without rice, so I put that shit on anything if I can.

Edit: But yes, I do own a rice cooker, which goes without saying.

 

[Artoris]

Explain.

Boiling rice in a pot is far inferior to a rice cooker in quality

 

[ConkerTheSquirrel.]

 

[Sosokrates]

Boiling rice in a pot is far inferior to a rice cooker in quality

There two methods which work well in a pot.

Method 1
1. Rinse rice under cold tap thoroughly. Put a glug of your choice of oil in pot, add rice and fry it a bit(you can add flavouring s at this stage eg add cinnamon stick and star anise if doing Indian food), about one minute or so, add 1.5x the weight of the rice in water, put lid on and cook for 10mins on medium heat. After 10mins is up take the pot of the heat leave the lid on and leave it for like 5mins.


Method 2
Rinse rice thoroughly under tap, add rice to pot of boiling water, cook until the rice is still a bit hard in the middle, then drain add rice back into pot and let stand for 5mins with no lid.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I cook my rice in the microwave. Sorry, 2018 GAF people. The future fails upwards.

 

[Nikana]

You aren't really eating rice unless it's made in a high quality rice cooker.

 

[Jsisto]

Got a Zojirushi induction heating 3cup rice cooker last year. Life changing.

 

[Tschumi]

I picked up a Zojirushi 'Fuzzy Logic' rice cooker a couple of months ago, largely because of this whole Japanese kick I've been on lately, and holy fking sht is this thing awesome.

Plain rice, rice with chicken and vegetables, rice with browned ground beef and vegetables,.. pretty much rice with anything else I want to mix with it, just throw it in there, mix it up, push the button, come back when it beeps, and Bam! Complete meal, ready to eat.

People laughed at me when I said I bought a $150 rice cooker. Tell you what, since I bought it, it's paid for itself with all the use I've gotten out of it, and it's by far the most used appliance in my kitchen. Plus, I'm eating a shit ton more veggies between this and my newfound addiction to stir fry.

Love this thing. Anyone else have one?

I live in Japan and have a zojirushi cooker and NOW i have reason to use it.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I have an extremely cheap one, no idea where I even got it from

It does the trick so haven’t found the need to replace it

 

[BadBurger]

I've had the same cheap-ass rice maker I bought from Target when I moved out from parents' place when I was 18. I don't even know the brand. Still making banging rice all these years later.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I've had the same cheap-ass rice maker I bought from Target when I moved out from parents' place when I was 18. I don't even know the brand. Still making banging rice all these years later.

Yeah I’ve found zero incentive to buy a more pricy one. The cheap ass one I have makes great rice.

The process of making rice is incredibly simple. You really don’t need anything fancy.

 

[Tams]

Much to learn you have

Eh, if you're a semi decent cook you don't need one.

They are a great if you're not a good cook or want convenience, but if you like cooking then you'll be cooking something else at the same the rice is boiling so you won't be wasting time.

Rice cookers take longer, which if you do cook most/all the food together can become a hindrance (yes, I know they keep the rice warm - you still have to set them up beforehand).

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Yeah I’ve found zero incentive to buy a more pricy one.

Mine sings to me.

 

[HoodWinked]

Saw this video couple weeks ago pretty much encapsulates this thread. Expensive vs the cheapo cooker vs on the stove.

 

[gimmmick]

I’m half Filipino so owning a rice cooker is basically a must in your kitchen lol.

My parents gave me a zojirushi ns-myc18 for Christmas about 10 years ago (I think 2012?). It’s gotten it’s fair share of work in the last decade. Still runs like a champ. Cooks perfect rice all the time.

 

[DKehoe]

I got one about a year ago and it's great. I can set it to go and then just focus on the main part of the dish. Then once I'm done the rice is sitting there ready whenever I need it.