Saucepan ftw

Thought I'd start it off.

Well worth spending money on if you eat rice frequently :smiley:

I can get up at 5am and walk 15 miles to work.

What? I just lick mine.

You can wash your rice before cooking at the same time then :smiley:

Cooking rice is soooo easy. Two measures of water to one measure of rice, cover and allow to simmer until the water is just gone.....perfect (you don't even have to stir it)

I've never understood why every household doesn't have one. Rice cookers are brilliant! For a tenner you can't go wrong....Ikea used to do one at a similar price.

Mine has a 'keep warm' function that means I can start cooking and not worry that the rice isn't cooked/is overcooked. Also means an extra space on the hob if you're cooking lots of other things! :smiley:

Invaluable bit of kit! We eat rice at least twice a week and these are a lifesaver, as never ever got it right before.

"Just right" every time and you don't have to keep an eye on it (it stays warm) though I wouldn't recommend leaving it for too long. We eat rice almost daily here though so it's a no-brainer for us. Some of them even come with steam baskets. I've made congee in mine as well which is nice and easy :smiley:

Yes, the advantage is perfect rice every time - and you don't have to watch it. Just fire it up, and go do something else - come back and you have nice rice waiting for you. My recipe for long-grain easy-cook rice is 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water. I add a bit of olive oil and/or butter and a dash of salt too.

Does this work out cheaper in terms of 'energy' than:
A) Boiling the kettle, then putting the hob on to boil the rice.
B) Boil the water in the hob, then put the rice?

Is this better than my HD Radeon 6870?

I just bought one. Good reviews, £12.95 delivered and 350 to 400w (less than my present method of microwave steamer @ 700w for 9 mins) Thx SKNIGHT :smiley:

This is easier than boiling in a saucepan..not having to watch, nothing to drain , put it on with a timer to come home to freshly made rice... but a few points to note:

1. The asda one is not well made. I had to return 3 in the space of a couple of months as they just stopped powering up. I thought my power socket was the issue causing some sort of surge or short circuit but then i got a philips one which has been going just fine.

2. Its hard to find an alternative one that is this small. I found one at john lewis but it was £30 i think.

3. You cant get rid of the starch if you use a rice cooker. Boiling in a pan and draining out the excess water is probably healthier for you.

4. Avoid the keep warm function as it will often cause your rice to stick to the bottom. Even if it will be removable easily, the rice will take the shape of the container and will not all be the soft fluffy kind you hoped for.

5. Feel free to add other items to the rice before cooking. Eg curry leaves, cloves, cardamom, fried onions, peas, roasted cumin seeds. Your whole house will smell of awesomely fragrant rice.

Each type of rice is a bit different from the other. You will find that not all rice is cooked in electric rice cookers. For eg: the Kerala "Motta chawal" fat rice is a par boiled variety where the decanting of water after cooking is seen to be the best modus operandi. Moreover, the water itself is tasty with a pinch of salt and wards off hunger ! I use rice cookers for Basmati, and other thin white aromatic varieties like the Thai Jasmine Fragrant rice. Read the label and or packing, most mention the alternate types of cooking possible.