Rice Cooker with recipes, zojirushi, microwave rice cooker

The rice cooker can be found in almost all chinese kitchens.

It is often made up of a cooking chamber with a heating element at the bottom. A removable metal bowl sits in the cooking chamber on top of the heating element. The rice is cooked inside this metal bowl.

Most rice cookers have cook and warm buttons. You can cook rice and congee in it. It can also be used as a steamer. I remember with much fondness my paternal grandmother steaming a bowl of egg custard or fresh fish in it...

...on top of the rice cooking inside.

This is how she did it. Rice takes about 20-30 minutes to cook while an egg custard or fish only needs 5-10 minutes. She would start cooking the rice first. When the rice is about done, she places the other dish on top of the rice.

Talk about saving energy (^_^).

Fuzzy Logic

As technology advances, so did this kitchen appliance.

The fuzzy logic rice cooker uses the microchip technology. It can cook a larger range of food. There are preset timing for different food including risotto and rice congee. There are also quick cook and slow cook functions.

I can cook rice in a simple cooker, but a fuzzy logic one is on my wishlist. I am dreaming of all the yummy stuff I can cook with it.

My top 3 brands would be Zojirushi, Panasonic and Sanyo respectively. Yes, all Japanese brands because they are simply better.

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Question: What do people use to cook rice before the electric rice cooker?

It seems unimaginable cooking rice without it.

A friend once proudly told me that she knows how to cook rice using a normal pot over the stove. It does seems like an achievement. I mean, there would not be any measuring marks on a normal pot to tell you how much water to use to cook fluffy rice. And there is the constant stirring and heat control.

I wouldn't cook rice with a steel pot, the rice at the bottom burns too easily. I would use the claypot. Claypot is good as it conducts heat evenly and rice does not burn as easily. Of course, it will take longer than the 20 minutes in an electric one.

Microwave rice cooker

Let's say you do not have an electric rice cooker and you do not fancy cooking and stirring rice over the stove top. Is there any other way you can cook rice?

Yes!

Photo source: cimorenegal at flickr

My first encounter with the microwave rice pot was when I was studying in Melbourne.

On a tight student budget, my room-mate and I just could not bring ourselves to buy an electric one. Since the microwave oven is a fixture in the apartment AND the microwave rice pot only a fraction of the cost, it is not a difficult decision to make to try to make rice in the microwave.

Instead of a cooker, I think it is more appropriate to call it a pot. It consists of a large plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid. That is it. It is not intended for large quantities.

Boil-over is quite commonplace and we find ourselves having to wipe the microwave oven after every rice cooking session. Finally, we decided to place a damp dish towel under the pot to soak up the boil over.

Regular microwave oven wiping aside, this microwave rice pot makes good rice.

Looking for one?

Try the Progressive microwaveable rice cooker sets. It is reasonably priced and looks quite nice. A basic set should come with a measuring cup and rice paddle.

Usage Tips

Avoid scratching the metal rice pot with metal spoons. Use plastic or wooden rice paddles.

I like washing the rice in the rice pot itself because I can measure the water needed directly in the sink over the tap. But this means wiping dry the underside of the pot before placing it in the cooking chamber.

After use, remove the bowl and wash in hot, soapy water, then rinse and dry completely. It is not necessary to wash the outer chamber unless you have a boil over.

If rice has stuck to the bottom of the bowl, fill it with warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. The water will cause the rice grains to puff up and separate themselves from the surface of the bowl. Trust me, it is much easier than trying to scrape dry sticky rice grains.

Some cookers have a detachable lid for easy cleaning. Others have a spoon holder and a condensation cup that is attached to the side of the cooker. Remove both attachments, empty any liquid from the cup, then wash and dry the them.