Rice Steamer/Cooker recommendations...

[UnderOpenSky]

What book is it? I'd like to increase my range of Chinese cooking.

This one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/International-Cuisine-China-Christine-Yau/dp/0340811188

But I did a thread here.

Recommend me some Cookbooks for Chinese food?

 

[campanula]

I got a £5 one off Gumtree. The technology is really very basic (but genius) so I doubt it is worth getting too vexed if you can't stretch to a fancy brand. Cooked on the gas, it was always very chancy and I had to hover anxiously over the pan...but it is all much more reliable and relaxed with a rice-cooker.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

After scoffing a little bit for years I'm actually quite tempted. I can cook fairly good white Basmati and Jasmine rice and just start it when preparing food and let it sit for a while.

However I'm at home more in the day and fancy eating some brown rice and other grains like Quinoa and Barley for lunch. These have longer cook times and I can't be arsed to hover around the kitchen. Does anyone do stuff like this in a cheap one?

 

[Saul Goodman]

1. Put rice and water in a bowl.
2. Put cling film over bowl and pierce a small hole in cling film.
3. Put bowl in microwave, set timer for 20 minutes and hit go.
4. Eat rice.

I can't think of an easier method.

 

[Chz]

I can't think of an easier method.

Put (x) cups of rice in bowl.
Fill to (x) cups level with water.
Press the "Cook" button.
Eat rice.
Added bonus that it works for sushi rice, brown rice, pudding rice, etc.
Would use a fuckton less 'leccy than a microwave for 20 minutes, as well.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I found a little Klarstein Osaka job for almost half price. I resisted what I normally do which is buy the next size up, just in case as apparently bigger ones aren't great at small portions. Looking forward to it arriving for lunch times. I'm thinking brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat so far. Sort of the Yin to the Yan of my deep fat fryer.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Put (x) cups of rice in bowl.
Fill to (x) cups level with water.
Press the "Cook" button.
Eat rice.
Added bonus that it works for sushi rice, brown rice, pudding rice, etc.
Would use a fuckton less 'leccy than a microwave for 20 minutes, as well.

Does it take 20 mins? Every one I've tried takes longer.

 

[Bwark]

I have a rice cooker, wouldn't be without it, my only gripe about your post is that brown rice which is my usual rice doesn't cook quite so well in a standard rice cooker. It takes longer so you have to leave it on the warm setting for at least 15 minutes after it's cooked unless of course you have a rice cooker that had different settings than the standard 25 quid one you can buy anywhere.

Put (x) cups of rice in bowl.
Fill to (x) cups level with water.
Press the "Cook" button.
Eat rice.
Added bonus that it works for sushi rice, brown rice, pudding rice, etc.
Would use a fuckton less 'leccy than a microwave for 20 minutes, as well.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Does it take 20 mins? Every one I've tried takes longer.

Hob does it in 12 if your in a hurry.

 

[Chz]

Does it take 20 mins? Every one I've tried takes longer.

It has a "Fast" cycle which is ~20 mins, or the standard cycle which is more like 40. I'll be honest, the 40 minute one is only very slightly nicer, but if you have the time then why not? And an hour and a half for brown rice. Bwark it's one of those fancy "fuzzy logic" ones, and they're absolutely perfect at doing brown rice. Takes an age, though. Ran me nearly £100 at the time, but we've had it over 10 years and eat rice at least once or twice a week, so I reckon the cost of it comes in at ~10p per 3 cup bowl and I expect it to keep working for years to come. The name brand ones are tanks, and should last at least a decade.

 

[Bwark]

It has a "Fast" cycle which is ~20 mins, or the standard cycle which is more like 40. I'll be honest, the 40 minute one is only very slightly nicer, but if you have the time then why not? And an hour and a half for brown rice. Bwark it's one of those fancy "fuzzy logic" ones, and they're absolutely perfect at doing brown rice. Takes an age, though. Ran me nearly £100 at the time, but we've had it over 10 years and eat rice at least once or twice a week, so I reckon the cost of it comes in at ~10p per 3 cup bowl and I expect it to keep working for years to come. The name brand ones are tanks, and should last at least a decade.

It's a really posh one then, I haven't seen them before.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Robert Dyas has rice and slow cookers for cheap this year for those interested. We do ok with rice at the moment but I'd like a decent Asian one when there's actually room to keep one. Smoll kitchen is already full.

 

[Aladdin]

Rice in a pot takes 20 to 25...on a gas hob.
Cover rice with enough water to reach your first knuckle.
Bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to barely on.
Leave to cook for 15 mins.
Switch off heat.
Cover the pot.
Leave for 10 mins.
The rice then steams itself.
Done.
I don't think I would ever bother with a rice cooker ... its too easy to cook rice in a pot.

 

[Chz]

If all you're making is rice, then sure. I do find it troublesome when trying to wrangle a half-dozen other things in the kitchen though. It's nice to have one element of your meal that's just push a button and wait 'til it's done. Particularly when one thing cookers excel at is keeping the rice warm until you need it, so there's no need to even try and time it.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

If all you're making is rice, then sure. I do find it troublesome when trying to wrangle a half-dozen other things in the kitchen though. It's nice to have one element of your meal that's just push a button and wait 'til it's done. Particularly when one thing cookers excel at is keeping the rice warm until you need it, so there's no need to even try and time it.

Tbf on a hob if you cook the rice plenty before using absorbtion, then stick it at the back it actually gets better.

I'm mildly frustrated I'm still waiting for mine. I'm so used to using Amazon that when things take more then a few days to arrive its like stepping back in time.

 

[Aladdin]

Tbf on a hob if you cook the rice plenty before using absorbtion then stick it at the back it actually gets better

This is absolutely true

 

[Bwark]

Before I got my automatic rice steamer I was a complete aficionado of the absorption method on the hob. Works for white rice not so brown, my favourite, but..
Put rice in pan, add cold water to the point where the rice touches your thumb point (not including nail) and the water touches your thumb knuckle. Bring to a roiling boil then immediately take off the heat and slap an airtight lid on the pan and remove from the heat. Wait 20 minutes...done...
Works every time but for white rice only. If you want basmati do it early, while you finish your curry, pop in an ovenproof dish at lowest setting covered in foil till you need it. Perfect fluffy white rice. I'm a curry aficionado and Pat Chapman really is knowledgeable. Try it. It works. I use my rice cooker for brown and let it rest, but for general white the above works no matter the size of dish or thumb. Works for microwave on full power with the thumb knuckle and a cover of film too. No extra cooking, bring to boil, 20 mins, done. To reiterate white rice only. Brown takes longer and suggest 3 mins at roiling boil before air tight lid. Look it up Pat Chapman rice. Swore by it but only eat brown these days..didn't know swanky ones exist! Might have to invest

 

[Roadkill]

I have a rice cooker, wouldn't be without it, my only gripe about your post is that brown rice which is my usual rice doesn't cook quite so well in a standard rice cooker. It takes longer so you have to leave it on the warm setting for at least 15 minutes after it's cooked unless of course you have a rice cooker that had different settings than the standard 25 quid one you can buy anywhere.

Hmm. Mine's the other way around, in that it does brown rice better than white, at least in single portions. But then, mine's a very old family-sized one and the non-stick pot isn't all that non-stick any more, which probably accounts for it. Either way, a rice cooker is one thing I wouldn't want to be without: it's just so convenient.

 

[platinumsage]

It is recommended to boil rice in a large volume of water for a few minutes, and then drain and replace with an appropriate volume of fresh water for using the absorption method. This removes most of the arsenic and is obviously easier done in a pan than a rice cooker.

Scientists Find New Way of Cooking Rice That Removes Arsenic and Retains Nutrients

A study from the Institute for Sustainable Food has found a new cooking method, the 'parboiling with absorption method' (PBA), that can reduce arsenic levels in rice by over 50% in brown rice and 74% in white rice without losing micronutrients. University of Sheffield study shows cooking rice i

scitechdaily.com

 

[chilango]

We've got one of these. I think we got it free when we bought a new microwave. Was skeptical at first but so long as you follow the weighing and measuring instructions it's dead easy. Bung your rice and water in it. Pop it in the microwave for 12 minutes. And that's it.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

It is recommended to boil rice in a large volume of water for a few minutes, and then drain and replace with an appropriate volume of fresh water for using the absorption method. This removes most of the arsenic and is obviously easier done in a pan than a rice cooker.

Scientists Find New Way of Cooking Rice That Removes Arsenic and Retains Nutrients

A study from the Institute for Sustainable Food has found a new cooking method, the 'parboiling with absorption method' (PBA), that can reduce arsenic levels in rice by over 50% in brown rice and 74% in white rice without losing micronutrients. University of Sheffield study shows cooking rice i

scitechdaily.com

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That seems way to much water if your boiling it first as it absorbs water then, but tbf I don't measure for the absorbtion thing, just eyeball how much the water is above the rice.

 

[platinumsage]

That seems way to much water if your boiling it first as it absorbs water then, but tbf I don't measure for the absorbtion thing, just eyeball how much the water is above the rice.

The principle is that you boil it in a large volume of water first which you then discard and add fresh water. The quantity of fresh water needed for the second cooking will depend on your rice. I eyeball when doing it this way and have found with my particular rice it needs just enough to cover the rice. It's quite forgiving really and pretty hard to mess up.

 

[seeformiles]

I’d quite like one but, as our kitchen is tiny, there’s no room to store it. I’ve always improvised with a pan of hot water, a colander and a saucepan lid that seems to do a good job with rice, dim sum, Bao buns, veg, etc.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'm quite chuffed with how dinky the one I got is. Really glad I didn't get a bigger one. There is no need. Did a pretty good batch of white rice with it, but I can cook that easily. Just trying to figure out the best ratios for brown and other grains. Much prefer to do things on weight, yet when you google it's always in cups.

 

[dessiato]

I'm quite chuffed with how dinky the one I got is. Really glad I didn't get a bigger one. There is no need. Did a pretty good batch of white rice with it, but I can cook that easily. Just trying to figure out the best ratios for brown and other grains. Much prefer to do things on weight, yet when you google it's always in cups.

I hate recipes in cups. If your flour is compacted it will weigh more per volume than some which is well aerated. Why on earth can't Americans, and it is usually Americans, use proper weights and volumes like the rest of the world?

 

[Chz]

Rice cups are generally special rice cooker cups, and nothing to do with the American volume measurement. It's so they can have lines on the bowl to fill to for 1, 2, 3 cups of rice - provided you use the cup they give you.

 

[Artaxerxes]

One thing I would very much suggest you all get regardless of rice cooker or hob is a rice spoon/paddle.


Its so much easier to serve and wash the rice with it.

 

[Cid]

I just got myself one of these...

Bonsai bento cooker from Yum asia (they've been importing some interesting rice cookers for a while). I'd been thinking about a small rice cooker (i.e one person, one meal) for a while... this one is really small - maximum of about 160g of rice (well you could probably stick some in the top tray). But obviously it also has the rather neat aspect of the steaming tray. £40, not too bad... It is a one-touch style thing though, yet to see how it handles long grain rice.

Cooked myself some Chinese rice, salmon, egg and mixed veg today. Veg a little overcooked, which I expected - need to work out if it's viable to pop things in during cooking. Rice seemed fine. Egg was... about right for a hard boiled egg (actually reasonably soft centre), but again need to work out if late addition is possible. The salmon was just low grade frozen stuff already defrosted in the microwave, so can't really comment on that. Cooked in about 15 minutes I think.

It does release steam and cooking smells, so not really appropriate for desk use - not an issue for me. It's not excessive, but probably needs a kitchen with an extract of some kind. I'd certainly choose to cook my normal way (which is excessive and wok-based), but it is really convenient and absolutely will come in handy for days when I just can't be arsed. Or haven't prepared something to take to work. I shall report back on other aspects at a later date.

And it's just quite cute.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I just got myself one of these...

Bonsai bento cooker from Yum asia (they've been importing some interesting rice cookers for a while). I'd been thinking about a small rice cooker (i.e one person, one meal) for a while... this one is really small - maximum of about 160g of rice (well you could probably stick some in the top tray). But obviously it also has the rather neat aspect of the steaming tray. £40, not too bad... It is a one-touch style thing though, yet to see how it handles long grain rice.

Cooked myself some Chinese rice, salmon, egg and mixed veg today. Veg a little overcooked, which I expected - need to work out if it's viable to pop things in during cooking. Rice seemed fine. Egg was... about right for a hard boiled egg (actually reasonably soft centre), but again need to work out if late addition is possible. The salmon was just low grade frozen stuff already defrosted in the microwave, so can't really comment on that. Cooked in about 15 minutes I think.

It does release steam and cooking smells, so not really appropriate for desk use - not an issue for me. It's not excessive, but probably needs a kitchen with an extract of some kind. I'd certainly choose to cook my normal way (which is excessive and wok-based), but it is really convenient and absolutely will come in handy for days when I just can't be arsed. Or haven't prepared something to take to work. I shall report back on other aspects at a later date.

And it's just quite cute.

That sounds intrigueing. Thread needs pictures (of the food).

 

[Cid]

That sounds intrigueing. Thread needs pictures (of the food).

Yeah, like I say I'm still working things out... Will post updates as I do. Also want to run some rice only tests with different rices.