Do you like rice?

Ok this might seem like a very odd question on a forum mainly dedicated to an obscure operating system from the UK and if it wasn’t for !Manga I wouldn’t have asked. I’m seriously considering buying a rice cooker. Now I had a few cheap ones in the past but they didn’t really seem to offer much of an advantage over just using a pot. Well, you didn’t have to watch the pot but the rice was always a bit meh.
Of course it doesn’t help that I prefer Japanese rice over the more typical Thai rice which seems to be what most people use their rice cooker for. As always Japanese rice cookers are very much in a league of their own, buttons everywhere and more functions than a Casio watch, oh they also play a song when they’re done. So that’s cute.
Unfortunately they’re also ludicrously expensive. You can easily spend several hundred on a Zojirushi or Tiger brand cooker. Any suggestions?

Yea, they are pricey.

This is nice a cheap, for a rice cooker. https://www.yumasia.co.uk/rice-cookers/sakura-multifunction-rice-cooker-with-ceramic-bowl

We’re rice-staple in this house – my wife being from east-central India. We cheerfully use a cheap (~£20) rice cooker – with basmati rice. Works well for her style of rice, seem to last about four to five years on average, cooking rice about ten times a week. Thorough washing of the rice first, and getting the right amount of water for the quantity of rice, is key.

Cheers James, that does seem like an attractive option. Missed the Sakura when checking out their website before, well I assumed the large capacity ones would be even more expensive! I do however like the ceramic coated „Ninja“ bowl: not super keen on teflon coated aluminium.

There’s a possibly helpful review and buying guide page here

I use a slightly older (9 in 1) version of this: https://www.moulinex.fr/Cuisson/Cookeo-%26-Multicuiseurs/Multicuiseurs-Traditionnels/Multicuiseur-traditionnel-12-en-1/p/7211002181
But we have the 12 in 1 as well, just never used it. You can often get good deals from supermarkets if you look around. My rice maker is smaller, but it’s perfect for single person rice (mom is not big on rice).

Why the simple “heated bowl” is bad for making Japanese rice is explained here: https://www.heyrick.co.uk/blog/index.php?diary=20180124

However, as also explained, is that the cup measures are bogus. Japanese rice, basmati, uncle Ben’s, they’re all different. I have found, for koshihikari imported from Japan (so grown “wet” in a paddy, not “dry” like Italian/Californian types) it works nicely with one cup of rice to about 1 3/4 cups water.
Rice like this: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B077PXXD4C/
Or this: https://www.satsuki.fr/japanese-rice-shinmei-akfuji-akita-komachi-2kg.htm
Rice from Akita is just really really nice (with Niigata a close runner up).

A proper Japanese model is cute, plays music, and such. But it’s like their toilets – seriously over-engineered. The important thing with a rice maker is not to apply heat, but too know when to stop applying heat. That’s what the likes of mine do, there’s a sensor in the lid to knock back the heat when the rice is boiling. It’s a lot more finesse than the “heated bowl”. All in all, better cooking without a scorched patch at the bottom.

Actually, you know what? I think I’ll fire up my rice maker right now. That’ll be nice for lunch – koshihikari with just a dash of yakitori sauce on it (the rice itself has an amazing taste, why lose it by covering it in a heavy sauce?).

the cup measures are bogus

This, very much so. Experiment with your particular preferred rice.

The important thing with a rice maker is not to apply heat, but too know when to stop applying heat. That’s what the likes of mine do, there’s a sensor in the lid to knock back the heat when the rice is boiling.

The cheap ones don’t have a temperature sensor in the lid, but they do knock back the heat based on the temperature of the base of the bowl and time. We don’t get scorched patches unless we’ve put too little water for the quantity/type of rice.

We have rice almost every night, unless we’re doing noodles or more rarely pasta. Its odd because growing up we always had potatoes and rarely anything else but have basically replaced potatoes with rice as our staple to the point that our eldest child doesn’t even like potatoes! (she can’t stand chips and its always a real bug-bear when we go out that the children’s menu is crap+chips…often we’ll order a chilli for her which always seems to surprise the staff).

Anyway all that aside, I’ve never really considered getting a “rice cooker” to the point where I didn’t conciously know they existed till I read this thread! Always done it on a pan and sometimes in the microwave before it blew up and was never replaced. Maybe its just the style of rice I do? We use a lot of tumeric in our rice too…

Grace’s father was a subsistence farmer (growing rice mostly) in east-central India. This was the kitchen she learned to cook in: http://clive.semmens.org.uk/Photos/India/KitchenA.html (that’s actually my sister-in-law cooking in the picture).

She was 28 when we arrived in England, and learned to cook rice in a pan on an electric cooker, which she did for many years – until a friend was given a super duper rice cooker (like the ones mentioned upthread) and passed her old cheapo one onto Grace. We’re on our third cheapo one now.

My mother usually uses her Vorwerk Thermomix to make rice (“Parboiled-veredelter Langkorn-Reis”, no idea how that is exactly translated into English!). Needless to say that I love everything my mother cooks (and bakes!), which includes her rice.

The Vorwerk Thermomix is an extremely expensive, but also very robust and versatile kitchen machine. You get what you pay for. It is completely nerd compatible because it supports a WLAN-connected recipe chip :-)

Well, my (not so small) “cherry blossom” should arrive in the next couple of days and I’m pretty excited. Many thanks for all your invaluable input! I do understand a dedicated rice cooker isn’t for everyone, which of course has to do with both the type of rice you prefer and general eating habits.

Basmati, jasmine or western rice are a lot easier to do well than Japanese rice which really needs equal heat distribution (and not taking off the lid!). You can do it on a stove but mine always turned out less than satisfactory, at times even considerably worse. A simple pan just doesn’t cut it. We only use stainless kitchenware, which doesn’t exactly help either. Even our dish washer tends to struggle afterwards ;-)

I suppose I could use a traditional Donabe but this brings us directly to the other issue: I usually go to the kitchen when I’m hungry. Nothing too strange about that. I don’t however feel like washing & rinsing the rice (5 min) carefully cooking it (20 min) and letting it rest (20 min) when I ‘m hungry, which more often than not means I end up eating something else instead. There’s also the problem concerning leftovers: we don’t own a microwave and re-heating rice in a (stainless) pan doesn’t work all that well. Ok I could do fried rice or congee.
Having a device that adresses at least some of these problems would be rather welcome!

Oh and I actually love congee (rice porridge) but this takes even longer to cook (more like 90 min) which makes it unsuitable for breakfast.

Rick pointed out why the more budget oriented rice cookers aren’t ideal when it comes to preparing Japanese rice and from my own experience I have to agree with him. On top of that mine have also been quite a nightmare to clean. They usually lack a delayed start option too.

Interestingly I always assumed Thermomix to be some sort of American lifestyle product like SMEG (which is actually Italian and has nothing to do with Red Dwarf either). I only heard of Vorwerk vacuum cleaners, obviously I’m not a “foodie”. They retail at almost a thousand Euros, wow! Since I’m not interested in whatever else it does (a lot apparently) it does make my Sakura look like the bargain of the century.

Special and completely unrelated thanks to Clive btw. It’s difficult not to feel depressed (in the colloquial sense) with all that’s been going on around us for the last two or three years. The internet in particular has been a big dissapointment for me (you know: spreading lies, hate and meanness instead of information and “enlightenment”). So thanks for being a person who still cares for fellow human beings (and creating a website for others to see).

Err, sorry for all this rambling!

should arrive in the next couple of days and I’m pretty excited

Cool! Although now you’ve got us all interested we naturally expect a full report!

and re-heating rice in a (stainless) pan doesn’t work all that well

I usually chuck out left-over rice because I’m scared of getting poisoned. Sometimes have it if its mixed with a chilli or curry though…but worry about it every time…

Oh and I actually love congee (rice porridge)

I have never cooked it because I never seem to have the time, but definitely want to try it one day! Maybe this weekend…

Special and completely unrelated thanks to Clive btw

Seconded! I yearn for more of The Internet to be like that.

Err, sorry for all this rambling!

Its alright – we love a good ramble here!

The internet in particular has been a big dissapointment…

Patric, please, don’t take this as criticism. Apparently you’re pretty demanding concerning food. That’s about consuming (through the mouth) and you’re right: the whole world can eat junk food, you want good quality.

Internet (and tv) is consuming through the eyes. Don’t let in uglyness, hate, thoughts of poor quality, rubbish or whatever shitty mess.

Hygiene is not only a matter of the body, it’s a matter of mind as well.

Thanks, guys – comments like that make it all feel worthwhile! 8~)

Hygiene is not only a matter of the body, it’s a matter of mind as well.

This, so very much this.

Or, as I refer it it, a well honed bull**** filter.
A necessity these days.

I don’t however feel like washing & rinsing the rice (5 min) carefully cooking it (20 min) and letting it rest (20 min) when I ‘m hungry,

Then you need to plan ahead. If you’re out for a short while, the better rice makers have a timer so you can set it to be ready for when you come back. I’m not sure I’d trust leaving rice soaking at ambient for the 8-9 hours of a work day though.

For me, there’s a bunch of stuff I do when I get home, so I first set up the rice maker, wash the rice, then let it get on with what it’s doing while I’m occupied with other tasks. Feeding cat, watering garden, etc etc.
When the chores are done (and it’s important to get to the chores right away if you have a mentality like mine – why do today what can be done tomorrow – because tomorrow never comes), the rice will be ready. Then everything done, I can take time to enjoy my rice, watch TV, stare at code, read this forum, etc. Pleasure things.

I only cook as much rice as I need, I don’t trust leaving it for any length of time, and it’s also useful to wash the bowl and condensation filter as soon as possible (that done is done).

with all that’s been going on around us for the last two or three years.

Imagine being an expat and knowing that your “government” actually hates you, and a number of people seem to think “out of the country? it’s none of your business”. All this time, there’s still no clarity regarding rights to live and work (not much helped by the prefecture of Rennes being notorious for making up rules as it’s going and never ever in the favour of an expat). It’s a surprise really that the lot of us haven’t gone stark raving mad…

Rick warned

It’s a surprise really that the lot of us haven’t gone stark raving mad…

having already assured us

you need to plan ahead

That explains a lot. ;-)