Rice cooker (cake, crunchy, meal, crockpot)

[pitt_transplant]

I am not sure. I don't want it to be just another unused gadget. Or get one that will be a pain to clean. I have no idea exactly what I want. Any suggestions to go look at?

I have been eating a lot of wild rice and hate checking on it for an hour and always having the ring I have to scrub out. I just think a rice cooker will be cheaper and easier than buying a thick quality pot. Wrong? Right? I want to be able to throw other items in with the rice too.

[Dewdroplet76]

I think it depends. I'm half Japanese and I eat Japanese rice (short grain "sticky" rice) all the time - usually at least a couple times a week. I grew up with a rice cooker and honestly don't know how to make rice with out one (you have no idea how much my husband makes fun of me for this!!!). My rice cooker makes sticky rice amazingly well. I have also made brown rice in it - which also came out fine. I've never tried long grain rice or wild rice - so I can't give you any insight into that. I'm sure it would come out fine, too - you would probably just need to add more water. What I love about my rice coooker is that the rice at the bottom is just as edible as the rice at the top - not crunchy or burned. Also - I just add water, push down the button - then walk away! I don't have to worry about a thing!
So - to sum up - if you are going to be making rice a lot - I would say it is worth it. If it is just a phase that you are going through (I go through lots of food phases) it might become just another gadget that you don't use.

[maciesmom]

Love my rice cooker. We also eat more short grained than long grained rice....mine does get browned on the bottom. Not sure how to stop that from happening. I have a good brand of cooker too...

[DawnMTL]

We don't have a lot of kitchen gadgets -- I've been hemming and hawing about a crockpot for a couple of years, and STILL haven't gotten one (which I guess means that I don't need it) -- but we DO have a rice cooker.

I thought it was silly, but really it's not. We eat a lot of rice, and we also use it for oatmeal. The only problem, sometimes, is quantity -- if you make a lot, the steam that's released comes out the top vent as starch or whatever.

At first we had a Zojirushi rice cooker. They make VERY expensive ones, but ours wasn't that pricey. Still too pricey, though, because it broke (although after many years of usage). It was this one: Amazon.com: Zojirushi NS-PC10 Electric 5-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer: Home &…

Now we have a cheaper brand and it works beautifully. Amazon.com: Aroma ARC-838TC 8-Cup Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker and Food Steamer: Home & Garden

If you eat a lot of rice (like we do) and hate having to constantly check on it (like we do), then it's a great investment. And if you go for the Aroma brand like we've been using for over a year now, it's not even an expensive investment.

Think of all the things that you could be doing when you're not checking on the rice!

[Mar0]

I love my rice cooker. It is very easy to clean- just the pot and the ring thing on the lid that helps let the steam escape. I don't know if it is any easier to clean then a regular pot, but as far as a kitchen appliance is concerned, it is definitely a breeze.

It may take a few tries before you figure out how you like to prepare your rice using a rice cooker. We use the rice cooker every day (my boyfriend eats rice 2-3 times a day, its a cultural thing) and it is great to leave on and keep warm. My rice cooker came with a steamer rack, which I have used a few times (usually the rice cooker is used to cook rice and therefore we can't use it to steam!). I have read recipes that use the rice cooker similarly to a crock pot, so it can be versatile.

There are many cheap models on the market that work well, so hopefully you can find something that works for you!

[calisnuffy]

Originally Posted by pitt_transplant

I am not sure. I don't want it to be just another unused gadget. Or get one that will be a pain to clean. I have no idea exactly what I want. Any suggestions to go look at?

I have been eating a lot of wild rice and hate checking on it for an hour and always having the ring I have to scrub out. I just think a rice cooker will be cheaper and easier than buying a thick quality pot. Wrong? Right? I want to be able to throw other items in with the rice too.

You can get a fuzzy logic(computerized) or a regular rice cooker, both make equally good rice. we have owned a sanyo micom rice cooker(pretty good) and now own a panasonic micom(great!). Most cookers have timers, settings for many types of rice, soaking feature, slow cook , cake mode and more. Expect to pay from 20 to 100 for a non computer model and 65-500 for a computerized model. Good rice cooker brands are Sanyo,Zojirushi ,Panasonic,Tiger,Aroma

[DawnMTL]

Oh, I should add that we've made the following in our rice cooker:

- oatmeal
- white Jasmine rice
- brown Jasmine rice
- basmati rice
- sushi rice
- and this is the best part: I've even made risotto in the rice cooker and it was awesome!

[maciesmom]

Oooh! I'll have to try oatmeal in it. Never thought of that! Do you use rolled oats or steel cut? Does it work for both?

[rsxdrivr]

You can can get a decent rice cooker for under $30! I usually look on amazon bc most of their products are reviewed by other users. I think Aroma would be good for you.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

Oooh! I'll have to try oatmeal in it. Never thought of that! Do you use rolled oats or steel cut? Does it work for both?

I'm not sure about rolled oats, but it worked like a charm for steel cut.