Advice on rice cookers

orangenet

orangenet

Cathlete
I really like brown rice but am terrible at cooking it so I was thinking of buying a rice cooker. I think there was a recent discussion but could not find it. So if any one has suggestions on which rice cookers are the best I would appreciate any information. I know some of them get pretty pricey but I would like to stay under $80.

Thanks in advance.

orangenet
aka Annette
 
I had to purchase another one a few years back and I don't remember what the price was, but I found that the ones coated with teflon are awesome....the rice totally does not stick to the inside and they clean up super easy!
 
Amy,
What brand did you buy? Would you recommend the one that you own? And here is another question- can you leave the rice cooker unattended and know that it will shut off or go to a warmer setting?

orangenet
 
I've always wanted a Zojirushi but those are well over $80. But still, they have consistently high ratings and reviews, and if you make a lot of rice it might be worth the investment.
 
This costs less than $80.00.

BROWN RICE

1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups water
You get 3 cups of rice

2 cups rice
5 cups water
You get 6 cups of rice

Use 2 or 4 quart saucepan.

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Stir in rice
3. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

LOL}(

Janie

4760884_bodyshot_175x233.gif
[/url]

The idea is to die young as late as possible.}(
 
We have a zojirushi that cost us $170 in 2002 and it still works great. I think they still sell the same one at Amazon for $199. It is terrific...it supposedly has "fuzzy logic" that allows it to figure out how to perfectly cook whatever is in it, and it always does. (Which is good, because I sure don't know what I'm doing, LOL!) It will also cook pilafs and other rice dishes like jambalaya. It automatically switches to the warmer setting when it's done, and will keep things warm for several hours. And it is teflon coated and cleans up easily. Although it was expensive, it was totally worth it: it's never made a bad batch of rice, we've had it for years and it still works great, and it's super convenient.

Sorry, I don't know if that helps too much since it's a pricey one, but it has really been worth the money considering how many years we've had it. (And DH was psyched that it is the same one they used on the Japanese Iron Chef!)
 
An alternative to try that I discovered when someone posted it in OD a while ago: 2 cups water with 1 1/2 cups rice in a casserole dish, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Turns out fine every time. (It's faster if the water is hot to start out with).
 
A Zojirushi is deffinitely what you want if you want the Mercedes Benz of rice cookers. I'm Asain and man, everyone in my family owns one, it's like a rite of passage or something. Heck, I suck at cooking rice on a stove top so I couldn't live without one, but you know I've seen at my local Railey's and Trader Joes that they have the brown rice that you can nuke in a micorwave in a bag. I don't know if it kills any nutritional value but it is convienent. Another option, hit your local Asian grocery store, or China Town, they are usually cheaper there. Target has some too. They don't sell Zojirushi but I'm sure they work fine.
 
We got a National (Panasonic) rice cooker with the fuzzy logic technology 7+ years ago. totally worth buying. Never makes a bad batch of rice. Idiot-proof. You can load and preset it in the morning and come home at dinner to cooked rice.

I have also heard good things about the Zojirushi.
 
I prefer to use a stainless steel pressure cooker. It cooks brown rice in 15 minutes at high pressure and after letting it sit for 10 minutes it's ready to eat!

Fay
 
Mine is a Pampered Chef one and I think it cost around $30. It is a microwave one, and I absolutely love it. After you use it, you just pop it in your dishwasher and that's that. Very low maintenance and not big and bulky.
 
Thanks everyone for the information. I remember reading in the forums about cooking rice in the oven but with summer coming up I do not like to use the oven as much in the hotter months. I was thinking of a rice cooker because I am not good at cooking on the stove.

The zojirushi sounds like the way to go but it is a bit pricey. I would need to eat a lot of rice to justify that amount.

I really like the idea of the pressure cooker and never even considered that. I have wanted to buy a pressure cooker and they are reasonably priced. It sounds like a fast and fool-proof way to make brown rice.

Now I have a lot to think about. I know it seems like such a ridiculus thing but it takes me forever to make a decision like this. I do not want to waste my money and what if something better comes out on the market next month. LOL As a kid my piggy bank was always full because I could never make up my mind which toy I wanted. Some things never change. Just call me money penny.

Thanks everyone and keep the suggestions coming.

orangenet
aka Annette
 
Annette, the Zojirushi I believe can be used for things like oatmeal and other grains, too.

I always cook rice on the stove top -- I usually make a pilaf and I toast the rice in EVOO with garlic and/or shallots for about 5 minutes before adding liquid, and it always turns out great. I use a skillet rather than a saucepan, too, so the liquid evaporates faster and comes out less mushy, if that makes sense.
 
I just purchased a rice steamer/cooker in target for $15 bucks work great just put the rice (brown) in with recommended water cover and push cook button and presto 45 minutes later you have yummy brown rice It's real simple.
 
Black & Decker Rice Cooker- Dirt cheap, about $20. Works perfectly. Throw in rice and water, push a button, and it will automatically stop cooking when the rice is done. After that it will keep it warm until you turn it off. The inside is designed like a crockpot, so you can just remove the inside part with the lid and pop it in the fridge. Plus the inside has markings for the water so you don't even have to measure it. If you put in 3 cups of rice for example, you fill it with water to the marking that says "3 cups". I can't imagine a more expensive one could do anything better.
 
I also had a 2 quart size plastic microwave cooker. It's really just a bowl and a lid, but it too works perfectly. Since it's plastic, you can use no oil and still get absolutely no sticking- you practically just rinse it to clean it. Plus, just throw the leftovers in the fridge right in the same bowl. It wasn't more than about $5 or so. I lost it in a move somewhere :-(

The only downside is that you don't get the same wonderful aroma through the house like you do with a rice cooker sitting on the counter. Yum...
 
I also had a 2 quart size plastic microwave cooker. It's really just a bowl and a lid, but it too works perfectly. Since it's plastic, you can use no oil and still get absolutely no sticking- you practically just rinse it to clean it. Plus, just throw the leftovers in the fridge right in the same bowl. It wasn't more than about $5 or so. I lost it in a move somewhere :-(

The only downside is that you don't get the same wonderful aroma through the house like you do with a rice cooker sitting on the counter. Yum...
 
I have a zojirushi that I use for both rice and oatmeal and everything turns out great, clean-up is a breeze, but someone pointed out to me that it's not very environmentally friendly because of all of the electricity it uses. To make more efficient use of it, and ease my guilt a bit, I make up really big batches of either rice or oatmeal and re-heat leftovers (or, shockingly, as someone posted on one of the threads, I have tried my oatmeal cold with frozen fruit and as strange as it sounds, it's really not bad!). Just a tip.....

-Beth
 
I have a zojirushi that I use for both rice and oatmeal and everything turns out great, clean-up is a breeze, but someone pointed out to me that it's not very environmentally friendly because of all of the electricity it uses. To make more efficient use of it, and ease my guilt a bit, I make up really big batches of either rice or oatmeal and re-heat leftovers (or, shockingly, as someone posted on one of the threads, I have tried my oatmeal cold with frozen fruit and as strange as it sounds, it's really not bad!). Just a tip.....

-Beth
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top