Rice cooker questions

The bowl of my faithful 16 year old Panasonic rice cooker has sprung a pinhole leak. Looking around I've read that Zojirushi and Tiger are the superior brands and that the new (IH) induction heating ones are fantastic.

To anyone who has one of the new IH ricecookers I'd like to ask what's the difference in terms of the cooked rice. What's the texture of the rice like? How are the IH ones better?

And does it take much longer to cook compared to the old generation rice cookers?

Thanks.

Buffalo

It's cook pot is stainless. Takes about 45min to one hour to cook, due to warming the rice, I think. Taste better compare to inexpensive rice cooker. Now they having $50 off with free cookbook and cleaver. If you buy this, remember to add a stainless steam rack.

We finally had to retire our old rice cooker too. Went for the Tiger JKP-H. If anything, it's faster than the old one & way more versatile. And it does cook rice better.

Zojirushi models consistently rated best, but if you want a far less expensive one without all the bells and whistles, Aroma is evidently worth considering:
http://www.consumersearch.com/rice-cookers/aroma-20-cup-digital-cool-touch-rice-cooker-arc-150sb

It's gotta be a Zo. The higher end ones come in at two price points, the fuzzy logic at under 200 and the induction in the (list price) 400 range.

I have this fuzzy logic model: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A7NN4I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 and have been trying to wear it out for four years. I like.


I also have occasion to use the 10 cup induction model a few times each month, usually making 3 full pots back to back. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MAIW1C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 Like it a lot too.

Of the two I don't see a discernible difference in process or results. My experience is limited to rice, white, sushi, brown/red/black and mixed. Both machines have other capabilities, oatmeal, grits, risotto(???) but I've not been there. I would keep the 100+ bucks difference in my pocket an go with the fuzzy logic.

No experience with Tiger.

i think mine is a panasonic. i use it every darn day. i'll be honest, i've used pretty much all of them. zoj, tiger..all of them.

they are now just loaded with buttons. brown rice, porridge,...and seriously..*** is fuzzy logic? my routine. wash rice, fill with water to my first knuckle, put into cooker, hit MENU..choose, QUICK COOK..hit ON. 25 minutes later..done.

i do the regular method sometimes when i know all my other cooking is gonna take prep time. it does that warming thing, and take more than an hour. honestly, it all taste pretty much the same.

as a bonifide chinese person, grown up eating rice, and will die eating rice..i wouldnt spend mega money on a rice cooker. keep it under $100. they get you with the non-replaceable cooking bowls anyways.

Not to stir it up, but why a rice cooker? I do it in a pot nearly every day. If you need it to be foolproof you can put it in the oven.
What makes me question is every Asian cook I've worked with has one at home, but none of the Cajuns do. Is it just a cultural thing based on something like the number of burners on an average home stove, or does it really make that much better rice?

+1 on the Zo.

Dardeau said:

Not to stir it up, but why a rice cooker? I do it in a pot nearly every day. If you need it to be foolproof you can put it in the oven.
What makes me question is every Asian cook I've worked with has one at home, but none of the Cajuns do. Is it just a cultural thing based on something like the number of burners on an average home stove, or does it really make that much better rice?

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Im my opinion, it is better. I've been using one for the last year, and I really think that it really makes a difference.

From what I've expeerienced, it comes down to logistics.Japanese kitchens are small; cooktops are small. A rice cooker saves burner space. And you can program it in the morning and have the rice done when you get home.

Dardeau said:

Not to stir it up, but why a rice cooker? I do it in a pot nearly every day. If you need it to be foolproof you can put it in the oven.
What makes me question is every Asian cook I've worked with has one at home, but none of the Cajuns do. Is it just a cultural thing based on something like the number of burners on an average home stove, or does it really make that much better rice?

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the typically family eats it everyday. every single day. i think it is a convenience thing. honestly, i remember my mom cooking rice in a pot on the stove top all my young life. she got a rice cooker and never looked back. you NEVER over boil the rice. but you also dont get that "Fan nong"..which is the crispy sheet of burned rice along the bottom.

it cleans up easy, doenst take up a stove spot..it can keep rice warm all day.


you can say the same thing about the plug in counter top hot water heater. i dont have one of those..hahaah..but all the families do. they do tea like water.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Seems like the Zojirushi are the most highly touted rice cookers and Tiger is the Avis. And after comparing the plethora of models from the two brands (no thanks to the despicable obfuscating marketing strategies of contemporary brands no doubt), there are the IH technology ones and the simpler old bottom plate heating ones. And within the two kinds there seem to be two quality levels in the models. A lot of the difference seems to be in the quality of the bowls.

I thought I might go for the IH ones but only if it gave noticeably better cooked rice. The proof being in the (rice) pudding! Dave, you seem to be the only one who has tried both and you say that there doesn't seem to be any difference. So I'll go with your advice. Thanks!

Why a rice cooker? Dardeau, perhaps the difference between Asian and Cajun cuisines? With most Asians I know, rice is the staple, it has to have that consistent and dependable quality time after time. Some families like the texture softer, some harder, some just like it like Goldilocks. Speaking personally, I like to be able to measure the rice, quick wash and rinse, bit of water to the measured mark, pop the button and voila, perfect rice without fail or fuss. And those darn things last forever just about. The electrics on my 16 year old el cheapo Panasonic one is still going, pity about the pinhole on the bowl.

That said, best rice I've ever had was cooked in a simple pot on a charcoal stove. The charcoal gives it that slight smokey fragrance and as boomcha has mentioned the slightly charred bottom layer is just fantastic. This must be the Asian version of soccarat.

That's about what I figured, most pictures of Asian home kitchens that I have seen have one or two burners.

I mentioned the Cajuns because rice is also a daily staple in that culture, at least outside the cities where the fast food isn't as prevalent, and for similar reasons. The food you see at restaurants (including some rather good ones) bears little resemblance to actual Cajun food; which my SO describes fondly as "stuff and rice".

I can see the advantages to having it on a timer as well.

And the burned layer is the best! This is actually interestingly timed as we had two solid rice dishes on the menu today: bruleed rice pudding and "red rice", pilaf with puréed tomatoes in place of water. The kitchen and dish staff divvied up the burned layer of red rice for lunch.

To me there is no 'one size fits all' solution because the expectation of what rice should be varies so much. Sometimes I use a Zo cooker, sometimes a heavy bottom pan on the stove. My family loves rice on the stove because everyone fights over what they call the crust, IE the socarrat. We make savory versions, with stock, tomatoes etc.

On the other hand, I can't imagine making sushi rice without a cooker. Mine doesn't have the high end fuzzy logic, but it does cook rice perfectly, without the fond etc. I've not used the timer feature...I'm curious what the effect is of soaking all day in water before cooking.

Namaxy said:

To me there is no 'one size fits all' solution because the expectation of what rice should be varies so much.

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Very true. The fact that rice features in so many different cultures and cuisines is wonderful. And, so many different kinds of rice as well of course.

When I was travelling down the Mekong River in Lao a couple of years ago I liked how the locals in the small villages I stopped in cooked their glutinous rice by placing it in a woven bamboo(?) basket and steaming it in a pot. Not the usual way of cooking rice with water. The sort of loosely woven basket allowed steam to come in and cook the rice perfectly every time - impossible to get it too soggy or too dry. The basket with the steamed cooked rice would then be served on the table with each grain succulent, sticky and "creamy". Nice and elegant way of serving rice.

I've also seen Indians from South India cook rice by first boiling it in copious amounts of water, then draining it halfway through and finish cooking it till done on low heat. I can't say I enjoyed the rice cooked this way.

Malays in Malaysia sometimes cook rice in lengths of large bamboo. The bamboo, cut with the node on the bottom and lined with banana leaves, is the "pot" and rows of these would be placed upright leaning into a wood fire. They also have rice cooked in parcel/packets made from woven coconut leaves that's sometimes served with satay. Both are great.

Sambal said:

When I was travelling down the Mekong River in Lao a couple of years ago I liked how the locals in the small villages I stopped in cooked their glutinous rice by placing it in a woven bamboo(?) basket and steaming it in a pot. Not the usual way of cooking rice with water. The sort of loosely woven basket allowed steam to come in and cook the rice perfectly every time - impossible to get it too soggy or too dry. The basket with the steamed cooked rice would then be served on the table with each grain succulent, sticky and "creamy". Nice and elegant way of serving rice.

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I tried that in pressure cooker. Elevated container inside the pressurized chamber. Turned out way better than my non-existent skill will suggest.

Sambal - are you buying your Zojirushi online or in a bricks and mortar store? I ask because I'm in Melbourne too, and am thinking about purchasing one as well.

Dusty,

Zojirushi isn't available in Oz.

For Tiger, they're available at Suzaran in Camberwell and a lot cheaper at Success Hardware and Kitchenware in Springvale, but the IH models aren't sold here at all.

Zojirushi is available from Momorice in Singapore but the shipping cost for 5+ kg is a killer to the deal.

Based on the advice here I'll probably go for the non-IH model and it'll have to be Tiger because I can just drive and pick it up rather than pay the exorbitant shipping from Singapore. Anecdotally the Tiger ones are said to be as good as the Zojirushis . . . but who knows. Comparing the bowls some of the Tiger ones do seem to have better bowls. One of the Zojirushi models have a bowl that's not flat bottomed. It has a raised circular ridge which I'm certain I'd find to be a pain to use.

PM me and let me know what you're getting.

Cheers!

The free boiling then steaming method sounds like it would make very nice whole grain rice.

How uniformly do the cookers work, every grain is cooked evenly or will there be a patch of popped grains and a patch or grains that are raw in the middle?

Dardeau said:

The free boiling then steaming method sounds like it would make very nice whole grain rice.

How uniformly do the cookers work, every grain is cooked evenly or will there be a patch of popped grains and a patch or grains that are raw in the middle?

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Even with my old rice cooker, and it probably cost an outrageous $40-50 when new, the rice cooked evenly all the way through. All that's required is to measure the rice and get the water to the appropriate level. I also slightly adjust the amount of water from experience after a couple of times, to the different kinds of rice, sushi, basmati, jasmine, etc. Seriously, it's a no brainer.

There are many silly Japanese inventions - the rice cooker makes up for them all!