Rice cookers?

B

bobbler

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
OK this time rice cookers.

Anyone got any thoughts about whether these are good investments and would actually save me energy (and standing/waiting around and all those other fun ME things we are all bartering with re: meals) ...

and whether there are recommendations on the type (as answering that question might have a lot of 'ifs')

I thought of a microwave one, but often I'm microwaving something alongside it - so you get to the point where you think having 2 microwaves might be the solution to the waiting around issue (!)

I don't want anything that is going to involve me having to wipe a machine (one reason the air fryer puts me off, and deffo with rice I know that's bad news)

would ideally like to be able to just bung things in dishwasher after. However, if there are other huge upsides (I didn't realise until researching that the thing with good rice cookers is that you cook the rice well-ahead as they have the keep-warm function) maybe rinsing a pot in the sink, as long as it really is so non-stick it is just that I could do.

Any details people have much-welcome such as just how far ahead you can actually bung the rice on in some of these machines, and if the bowl makes the 'rinsing before' less/more of a faff than the rinsing after - it all adds up!
 
This one seems to be talked about in a few articles (and has different versions varying by size etc): Yum Asia Panda Mini Rice Cooker With Ninja Ceramic Bowl and Advanced Fuzzy Logic (3.5 cup, 0.63 litre) 4 Rice Cooking Functions, 4 Multicooker functions, LED display, 220-240V (Cobalt Grey) : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

I haven't found one that claims it can go in the dishwasher yet, and a lot of the ones that aren't really quite expensive seem to sound like more hassle than they are worth if the rice sticks.

If I did invest I'd be hoping something would last a while and I guess I do/would have rice a lot as I like it so...
 
I briefly had a yum Asia panda.

It couldn't cook rice so it went back.

To be more precise it cooked incredibly firm rice no matter how much water was added (produced very firm sticky rice), how many times the rice was washed, or how long it was soaked for prior to cooking.

I've now had, and still use most weeks, 2 other yum Asia rice cookers and not had excessively firm rice with them.

Conclusion....the panda is as good at cooking rice as an actual panda.

I use, for most rice, a yum Asia bamboo rice cooker, makes good gaba rice from standard brown rice, and it also makes yumami rice, which I like. The bamboo is uses to cook most of the rice I cook.

I also have a yum Asia yum carb rice cooker. This, in yumcarb mode, produces rice which pairs best with chilli, which is practically al it gets used for. In normal rice cooker mode it's hopeless, unless preparing rice which is spiced and fried before cooking - the light frying seals the rice and then it can cook it properly, but just plain rice, of any type, washed or not, its hopeless. Yumcarb mode works because the rice is suspended in liquid above the bowl so isn't in contact with it.

But, for simplicity and options I wouldn't really suggest a rice cooker at all. A 3 litre instant pot can make pretty acceptable rice with less mess and cleanup than my rice cookers. Granted it cannot do things like gaba rice, but set against that is its capability to cook many other things as well.

All still need cleaning, at least the main pot, after each use, no way round that with anything that cooks rice.

3l instant pot, around £70, can do rices, bulk cook boiled eggs, stews, small soup, etc. For use as a rice cooker I do not recommend a larger instant pot unless you need to cook it for several people at once.

Yum Asia yum carb rice cooker, about £90 I think, but can be a PITA to clean up.

Yum Asia bamboo rice cooker, around £200 unless like me you get lucky and find one for £50. Pretty easy to clean as long as it's not allowed to get grotty. Big though, and min amount of rice that can be cooked is 2 cups, close to 300g dry rice, which is a lot for one person. Even if the unused rice is fridges and stir fried the next day(s).

I do not recommend cheap uncontrolled rice cookers. Ive had 2 or 3 over the years and they all got abandoned and shoved in a cupboard after a couple of attempts. They get messy fast, make workspaces messy etc, and tbh imo produce not great rice, often with the bottom layer burnt.

ETA one of the reasons the small instant pot wins, for me, is its got a stainless steel bowl. For rice as long as it's cleaned immediately its easy, even for brown rice. The yumcarb, and most rice cookers, uses a type if non stick, that cannot be scrubbed if needed, and does eventually wear. The bamboo uses a ceramic coated bowl, with handles, that only needs a wipe and dry once emptied.

I have had other, even more expensive/capable rice cookers, with fully ceramic bowls, but they went back as fully ceramic bowls are heavy, fragile, cannot be soaked and tend to be expensive and time consuming to get replaced.
 
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I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I just use microwave rice that requires no preparation or washing up, other than the plate it is eaten off.

I have not tried serving it to anyone else, but I find the brand I get (Tilda) surprisingly palatable.
 
I use the Lakeland mini. It cooks perfect rice for 1-2 people. I dump it in and it beeps when it’s ready, keeping it warm for hours. I leave the lid off and use it for porridge or soup warming. Non stick inner pot is simple to clean.
 
I've used microwave rice in the past, fir many years. When I wasn't up to pan cooking.

Quality was I found very variable, even between 2 packets of the same rice purchased at the same time from the same place.

But yes, I used it in exactly the same situation, when in PEM and unable to handle standing or handling a hot pan.

The rice cookers were an attempt at a solution.

It wasn't until I got the yum Asia bamboo that I found something that cooked better rice than I could in a pan but without all the standing up, just set it up, tell it what to do, and eventually, beeps to announce it's cooked.

But, £200 is a hell of a lot of money for something that basically only cooks rice. I wouldn't have paid that for it, at least not cold. Now I've used one for a couple of years if it died I would probably, now, pay that, but then, no.
 
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I have a Yum Asia rice cooker. My son who now lives in Japan left it here so it was not by choice. I really like it. Easy to cook rice. Rinse rice, add water to level, select rice type, press start: 40mins later done. I cook bulk and freeze a few portions. Very quiet machine. Easy to clean with a quick rinse and yes the bowl is dishwasher proof. Smaller and better than my slow cooker. I have made stew and curry in it. I even can bake gluten free bread in it very easily! Steamer rack on top of rice can steam vegetables at the same time. Only downside is that you need to wipe inside the lid and ensure that it is fully dry by leaving it open overnight.
 
Rice sticking in a bowl or device is easy if you can fill it with water. Rice sticks due to starch. Water will loosen it. I only do sink washing but everything gets soaked for a while, and I do not stand around. Indeed by doing this I can wash things much faster when I get around to it. Its the getting around to it that is my main problem.

PS I did not recommend rinsing the rice before cooking to get rid of some starch because its a lot of work for me. However you might like to try soaking the rice first, then drain that liquid and use the rice for cooking as normal. Not sure what this does to timing in rice cookers.
 
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I have been steaming rice manually since I was a kid. Now a master at doing it in the microwave.

I don't find rice cookers have much advantage for personal use. Probably of value for large families or restaurants. To me it is just another thing to buy and store.

Cleaning the pot is dead easy. As @alex3619 said, just fill it up with water and let it soak for a couple of hours. Less if you use hot water. Then it just easily wipes off.

I rinse white rice, but not brown. Only use aged Basmati rice these days. Lovely taste.
 
Nothing to add about rice, but I do have a cleaning tip for yucky pans and bowls.

I discovered it when I was 17 and too disorganised to put washing up liquid on my shopping list. I'd baked a cheese dish in the oven for some friends, it had burned a bit at the edges, and I was left with a five-litre ceramic pot with cheese sauce welded to the sides. I ladled in hot water and laundry detergent (it was either that or shampoo!), left it on the draining board, and went to bed.

Emptied it the next morning, and the dish looked as if the elves had been at it—no burned-on sauce left at all. I've used bio laundry detergent ever since to soak overheated food off pots and pans.
 
NelliePledge said:
What sort of bowl do you use @Sean
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Main ones are a 1 litre Pyrex jug with a plate on it, or a ceramic pot with a lid. The key to steaming rice is in the details. The water rice ratio, the type of rice, how tight fitting the lid is, the heat source. Basically just fine tuning your particular set up.
Kitty said:
I ladled in hot water and laundry detergent (it was either that or shampoo!), left it on the draining board, and went to bed.

Emptied it the next morning, and the dish looked as if the elves had been at it—no burned-on sauce left at all. I've used bio laundry detergent ever since to soak overheated food off pots and pans.
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+1

Laundry detergent is stronger than dish washing detergent. There is actually some truth to the marketing claims about using different detergents for different jobs. They are designed to deal with different levels and types of dirt and fats.

Heat and soaking are also very effective.
 
Kitty said:
Nothing to add about rice, but I do have a cleaning tip for yucky pans and bowls.

I discovered it when I was 17 and too disorganised to put washing up liquid on my shopping list. I'd baked a cheese dish in the oven for some friends, it had burned a bit at the edges, and I was left with a five-litre ceramic pot with cheese sauce welded to the sides. I ladled in hot water and laundry detergent (it was either that or shampoo!), left it on the draining board, and went to bed.

Emptied it the next morning, and the dish looked as if the elves had been at it—no burned-on sauce left at all. I've used bio laundry detergent ever since to soak overheated food off pots and pans.
Click to expand...

ha! I can recommend laundry detergent (ie the gel I use for washing) for cleaning kitchen sink of tea stains etc gets it back to gleaming new. Discovered when hand washing items I had to soak in said sink!
 
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