Any Suggestions For a Rice Cooker?

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,677
8,255
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
My neighbour brought around some rice he'd cooked in a self contained rice cooker after my grocery delivery forgot the rice but sent the curry.

It was really good so I'm considering buying one myself. He (the neighbour) said his was a cheapo one from Asda but I've read many negative reviews (with pictures) that showed a load of mess due to the steam not venting properly on the lower end models.

I looked at this one but it looks hellish complicated for a rice cooker.....plus it's a whacking £100 :oops:


So can someone tell me what I should be looking for? Ease of use & cleaning would be a must.

Jay.
 
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Sigmund

Lifer
Sep 17, 2023
2,972
28,400
France
A pot with a lid on the stove. Rice is easy once you figure out the ratio and technique. Rule number one. Never stir rice when cooking it. Never.
 
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Dave760

Can't Leave
Jul 13, 2023
498
5,333
Pittsburgh, PA
If you want a rice cooker, my advice is to go cheap. In the US we can get a brand called Aroma. I eat a lot of rice but since I'm on my own a 3 cup (uncooked) cooker is all that I need and I've been using the same one for years. It's US$20 on Amazon.

(All that a rice cooker has to do to cook rice is heat the contents until the water is boiling, then keep the heat on until the temperature goes above 100°C. That happens when the water's all been absorbed, so the cooker then reduces the heat to keep the rice warm until served. It's an absurdly simple device.)
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,231
12,549
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
I took a look at what's available on Amazon UK and found that the brands of rice cookers there are different from the ones on the US site or very expensive in the UK. This is the model I'd recommend it (mine has lasted me over 20 years), but it's £207 in the UK (compared to its current Christmas sale price of $50 here in the US!). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zojirushi-...kitchen&sprefix=rice+cook,aps,239&sr=1-1&th=1
 
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Dave760

Can't Leave
Jul 13, 2023
498
5,333
Pittsburgh, PA
I took a look at what's available on Amazon UK and found that the brands of rice cookers there are different from the ones on the US site or very expensive in the UK.
The rice cookers branded Quest on Amazon UK look like the Aroma-branded rice cookers sold on Amazon US.
 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,207
11,800
Southwest Louisiana
Cajuns wash their rice 3 times, then cover the rice with a knuckle and a half of water, on high till it’s almost boiled out, true Cajuns have an abostoes ring over burner on low heat for remainder of cook. Short grain rice is the choice of Cajuns, goes better with gravy. Like another man said any 20$ cooker will do, wife uses Black and Decker, doesn’t go the old route anymore.
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,188
41,411
RTP, NC. USA
Cooking rice on a stove top isn't hard. But, most Asian households have moved onto pressure cookers. Japanese elephant brand is rather reliable. But expensive, and their pressure and induction cookers are out of reach for someone who just wants a bowl of rice. Korean brand called Cuckoo is what I have been using for last 20+ years. Not exactly cheap, but their pressure cooker makes great rice. If you are looking for few cups of rice, and have patience to keep an eye on, I'll go with a pot and the stove top.
 

Kobold

Lifer
Feb 2, 2022
1,420
4,956
Maryland
We used to have a rice cooker but it crapped out years ago so we bought an instant pot and that’s been working great. Pretty versatile so we cook all kinds of things in it. I made a pot roast in it and it came out amazing. Even made some yogurt in it.
 
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HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,815
42,065
Iowa
This appears to be the current version of what we have, but ours had no steaming basket so can't comment on that.

 

canucklehead

Lifer
Aug 1, 2018
2,862
15,355
Alberta
For large quantities I use my instant pot, for smaller amounts I use the $11 grocery store cheapo ones. If you fill them too full they can make a bit of a mess out of the steam hole, as you mentioned, but that is easily remedied by setting a small upside down cup or large spoon over the hole. It contains the splatter but allows steam to vent.
 
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renfield

Lifer
Oct 16, 2011
5,119
41,571
Kansas
Another vote for Zojirushi, especially the made in Japan models with “fuzzy logic” cooking algorithms. Easy to use, always do a great job. They will do all kinds of rice as well as steel cut oats. (I have a NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy.)

You wouldn’t think there would be a big difference between cookers but several friends bought Zojirushis after seeing how well they cook.

They’re not cheap but they’re well built and perform extremely well. Whether the difference is worth it to you is the question. There are certainly adequate cookers for less.
 
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