Rice Cookers

[rykomatsu]

I was surprised to find that I can cook small amounts of rice more easily than I used to be able to in my big rice cooker.

Microwave rice cookers - I have a dinky plastic one which I use occasionally to make a single bento serving when I've got oatmeal (on the timer) in the rice cooker. It is fast...about 10 mins plus 10 mins sitting time...but for good results, you really need to soak the rice thoroughly in advance. So it has no advantages over a pot for the person who rushes in the door and suddenly thinks they want to be eating rice in 20 minutes' time. That's for Japanese rice, cooked as Japanese like to eat it, with no hardness in the center etc.

There are expensive ceramic microwave rice cookers around at present, but they are very bulky and I have to wonder whether they are really worth it.

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If you don't mind me inquiring, what do you mean by the ease of cooking smaller batches of rice? (did you just go from a 10cup to 5.5 cup cooker or it's easier to get quality small batches of rice out of it?) Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of okayu...I prefer zosui so I don't think the okayu function will be used much by me

As for the microwave cookers, I didn't have much luck with a plastic one and it cools down rather quickly. I have a ceramic one that I had in storage which I pulled out. While the quality of rice isn't superb, I do have to admit that it holds heat much better. Sometimes I'll just be moseying along with dinner while reading a book or newspaper or what not and 30min will pass by with me still on my first bowl. It's nice to still have very warm rice. Admittedly, though, the quality isn't that great and the consistency isn't even throughout. It's passable, though

[prasantrin]

If you don't mind me inquiring, what do you mean by the ease of cooking smaller batches of rice? (did you just go from a 10cup to 5.5 cup cooker or it's easier to get quality small batches of rice out of it?) 

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I'm not helenjp, but I find that in most rice cookers, if you just cook a smaller batch of rice, the rice isn't as good as if you cook a larger batch. I sometimes just want to make a 1/2 cup (of raw rice), and in my old rice cooker, it would cook up harder, even if I used the same proportion of water:rice as with larger batches.

[rykomatsu]

I'm not helenjp, but I find that in most rice cookers, if you just cook a smaller batch of rice, the rice isn't as good as if you cook a larger batch.  I sometimes just want to make a 1/2 cup (of raw rice), and in my old rice cooker, it would cook up harder, even if I used the same proportion of water:rice as with larger batches.

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aaaah...IC. That's not a huge concern then to be honest. I don't cook less than 3 cups at a time

[helenjp]

What Rona says! Some of the larger old-style cookers tended to produce overcooked and dried-out rice if you tried to cook much under 2.5 cups, but my new cooker, while the same size, cooks a small batch of 1.5 cups quite well.

[schaefsn]

After reading all of these posts I still cannot decide: is the induction heating model worth it? I am considering buying the new Zojirushi Induction Heating model. Is it worth the extra money? Does the induction heating method work just as well with other grains such as steel cut oats, quinoa and couscous? I read another post stating that the neuro fuzzy may be better for other items but I never read a response to that line of thinking. Any help would be appreciated.

[helenjp]

Hello schaefsn, hard to say whether neurofuzzy is better or not, without knowing the basis for the claim that you read!

I haven't tried couscous, but I have cooked quinoa and steelcut oats in my IH ricecooker. For oats of any kind, I use the "porridge" (okayu or congee) setting.

I also use the "porridge" setting for anything I expect to take a while to cook. For potatoes, I usually put a small amount of milk in the bottom of the rice cooker, add the potatoes and seasonings, and cook on a regular rice setting. I haven't tried cooking potatoes since I've had my current cooker, but if I had a doubt it would be about the pressure aspect not the IH aspect.

There were some things that were easier to do with old rice cookers, because the settings were simpler, but I think that neurofuzzy machines are just as hard to fool as IH cookers. For example, cake in a modern rice cooker is not easy to cook if the machine reads the weight and either refuses to start cooking or assumes that cooking time should be extremely short - the really old machines simply cooked...

[andiesenji]

I posted my experiences with the IH cooker and other grains, including mixed grains, etc., in post #39 on

This Thread.

I have learned, by trial and error that I have to add extra water to the "difficult" grains, such as farro and raw hulled millet. However, I simply checked the grain when the cooker went into "Keep Warm" mode and if it needed additional cooking, I simply added more water (actually hot water as I have an instant hot water dispenser) and clicked on "Cook" and it would go through a shorter cycle.

Quinoa, amaranth and teff (which I usually cook in combo as I like the mix) cook up better than in the old style rice cookers and about the same as in the Neuro Fuzzy cooker.

The bowl in the IH cooker is thicker and heavier because it is the magnetic property of the vessel that causes it to heat. I have had this on a metered block (just because I am curious) and the IH cooker uses less energy than the older type cookers, including the neuro fuzzy, because it isn't heating a coil that then transfers heat to the inner vessel.

For the grains that can be more difficult and that sometimes resist getting past the extreme chewy stage, with a little hard granule at the center, I simply put them through the cooking cycle early in the day and let them stay in the cooker on the "Keep Warm" setting - which will go for 21 hours (or longer if you open the cooker, stir with a wooden spoon and/or remove some of the stuff) and will re-set itself when you push the button.

I was experimenting with the cooker and was also experimenting with several different recipes that call for cooked rice or other cooked grains, including some baked items, fritters and pancakes.

You will have to try your own experimentation, but it is fun and I never, ever had to throw out a batch of rice or grains, which I did have to do several times with the older rice cookers because the rice or grain eventually dried out. I never had this problem with the neuro fuzzy cooker either, the sealed lid is a huge advantage.

Edited November 4, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[schaefsn]

Zojirushi told me that the Neuro Fuzzy would be better than the IH cooker for all around use. Here is what I asked and their response:

Question:

I am going to buy either the 5.5 Cup Induction Heating Model or the 5.5Cup Neuro Fuzzy model rice cooker. I would like to cook brown rice andwhite rice but also use it for porridge, oats and other things. Is onemodel better than the other for any particular purpose?

Response:

Thank you for your inquiry.We recommend the Neuro Fuzzy model. The Induction Heating models are madefor brown rice and white rice only.

We do not have a particular setting that makes steel cut oats. However youcan cook steel cut oats under the Porridge setting.

First you would have to soak the oats for 13 hours before putting it underthe porridge setting.The steel cut oats may boil over sometimes and sometimes not. In this case,check the measurement of oats & water.

Then check the water temperature and room temperature. Cooking steel cutoats is not guaranteed for our rice cookers. Also remember 1 cup uncookedoats = 3 cups water.

If you need further assistance, feel free to contactme.

My comment:

Everyone here has commented that the IH models do a great job with steel cut oats and other non-rice items. Can anyone comment on Zoj's answer?

I still like the idea of the IH model because I specifically want it for a white and brown rice cooker and I want to use it for other things on the side.

Any help would be appreciated.

[helenjp]

What they seem to be saying is that you are on your own - which is true, the hardware and firmware are designed for and tested with rice.

As for why they say that neurofuzzy would be better, I'm sorry I don't know the answer to that, although it would be interesting to hear their explanation.

Regarding porridge, yes oats do froth up (though rice congee does froth quite a bit too), and for that reason, you never want to be cooking congee or porridge at maximum capacity if you can avoid it.

As for 13 hours, well maybe ideally...but the coarseness and hardness of steel cut oats varies quite a lot according to brand. I've never had problems when they've soaked overnight (timer setting), in any case. That would be less than 13 hours, but then I'm not wanting steelcut oat porridge to be as soft as a rice congee!

[andiesenji]

One of the reasons I have the 10 cup model is because I don't have to worry about the "other" grains boiling up too much. As I mentioned above, I cool farro and barley in it and that stuff boils up a lot.

[baroness]

I have a Sanyo micom/fuzzy and am very happy with its performance.

Steel-cut oats turn out great whether set up the night before (with the timer set for breakfast time) or cooked right away, with NO soaking. Of course, it makes delicious rice, quinoa, barley, etc. as well--even bread pudding!

[Chris Amirault]

Has anyone ever made sweet/sticky rice with their Zojirushi machine before? I see the setting but haven't tried it yet; however, I'd be very happy to break out of the soak/steam pattern that I currently use.

[andiesenji]

I have cooked at least three different types of sticky and sweet rice in both my old Zo neuro fuzzy and in the newer IH cooker with excellent results.

I particularly like the texture and mouth feel of the black sticky rice (kao niow dahm) cooked in the Zo because sometimes the skin does not soften with conventional cooking - at least the way I had done it - leaving unpleasant papery husks which I did not like.

Instead of using just water, I use coconut milk for 1/3 to 1/2 the liquid and love the flavor.

[prasantrin]

andiesenji--are you using the Zoji IH or neuro fuzzy one? (I'e debating getting a Japanese model, but I can't read all the kanji on them, so I'm not sure it will be worth the hassle.)

[andiesenji]

andiesenji--are you using the Zoji IH or neuro fuzzy one?  (I'e debating getting a Japanese model, but I can't read all the kanji on them, so I'm not sure it will be worth the hassle.)

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I use the IH now. I gave the neuro fuzzy one to my daughter.

I also have the 10 cup as I cook a full batch each time and freeze the extra in 1-cup portions so I can use it for "filler" in other dishes. The sweet rice makes a lovely quick single serving of rice "pudding" with an egg, milk and flavorings.

[Marlene]

Has anyone ever made sweet/sticky rice with their Zojirushi machine before? I see the setting but haven't tried it yet; however, I'd be very happy to break out of the soak/steam pattern that I currently use.

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I have two Zojirushi cookers and I don't have a sweet\sticky rice setting on them. I use the regular setting for sticky rice.

[jmfangio]

Has anyone ever made sweet/sticky rice with their Zojirushi machine before? I see the setting but haven't tried it yet; however, I'd be very happy to break out of the soak/steam pattern that I currently use.

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Works like a charm. A few months ago I splurged and bought the fancy pants induction heating Zojirushi , and just made a perfect batch of sticky rice. Just as good as the soak/steam method.

I don't know if this is common to other rice cookers (it wasn't in my last one), but I like how you set the timer for when you want the rice to be finished, rather than a start time.

Edit: Deleted a superfluous comma.

Edited June 1, 2008 by jmfangio (log)

[helenjp]

If there is a setting for sticky rice in Japanese, it will say おこわ (okowa) in hiragana most likely.

Somewhere I read that with modern sticky rice, you might as well not soak it, especially if actually using a sticky rice setting on a modern rice cooker. I've been much happier with results since I started doing that - comes out soft, but not doughy.

[nickrey]

It's interesting that no-one has addressed the issue of the Tiger rice cooker that was raised in the initial post. Very expensive induction heating models aside, when I was doing my research in Australia for a good but not too expensive rice cooker, all the information I read said that the Tiger brand was the best.

I bought one without fuzzy logic, etc because I am using it for sous-vide cookery with a PID controller and would have to say that the rice it produces is among the best I have tasted (although this could partially be due to using Himalayan Basmati rice).

I haven't tried brown rice as yet (personal preference) but reviewing this on the Internet it seems, as Leviathan said above, that you just use more water.

So if you don't want to go the full induction heating route and want to get a top quality product without excessive expense, you don't need to go past the Tiger.

[helenjp]

I assumed that Tiger would be a cheaper choice than Zojirushi when I went to buy a 220/240V rice cooker for my sister...but in the end I sent her a Zojirushi fuzzy logic instead of a Tiger IH - and in the more limited range available for 220/240Vm the Tiger IH was more expensive than the Zojirushi.

IH cookers are indeed good, but they are definitely dedicated to the job of making rice, and pricey. If my sister's Zojirushi cooker breaks, I could send her a new one and still come in under the price of the latest model IH of either brand.

It's difficult to compare exact models from country to country - maybe easier to compare functions?

[jmolinari]

The one time i tried to make sticky rice in my Zo Neuro it came out a gloppy sticky mess....if i remember i had soaked it first...maybe i'll try without soaking it.

[baroness]

Has anyone ever made sweet/sticky rice with their Zojirushi machine before? I see the setting but haven't tried it yet; however, I'd be very happy to break out of the soak/steam pattern that I currently use.

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Works like a charm. A few months ago I splurged and bought the fancy pants induction heating Zojirushi , and just made a perfect batch of sticky rice. Just as good as the soak/steam method.

I don't know if this is common to other rice cookers (it wasn't in my last one), but I like how you set the timer for when you want the rice to be finished, rather than a start time.

Edit: Deleted a superfluous comma.

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Both of my Sanyo cookers use the same timer method, setting the done time. They make great sticky rice on the 'Sweet" setting.

[WiscoNole]

Forgive me if it's been discussed and I missed it, but what are the best options for a smaller rice cooker? I fly solo so to speak so I would only need to make a cup at a time at most. Are there good IH 3 (or so) cup cookers?

[baroness]

Sanyo has a number of 3.5 cup cookers, as well as 5, 5.5, and 10 cup models available in the U.S.

I don't know if their IH models are sold here, but the micom (fuzzy logic) are great!

I have both a 5 and a 10 cup, even though I frequently "fly solo".

As a general rule, if you wish to cook only one (180ml) cup, use a 5 cup or smaller cooker for best results. That being said, the micom models can slow cook soups/stews and steam eggs and vegetables; some even make soft tofu, dol sot bi bim bap, or bake bread...and there isn't much overall size increase from the 5 to the 10 cup machine.

[WiscoNole]

Great, thanks.