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The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

atlasobscura.com

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Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#61

Post by robotmay »

StavrosK wrote: post #59
robotmay wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not too sure what others models will do it, but this is the one I have and they call it "Yumami": https://www.yumasia.co.uk/bamboo-induction-heating-ceramic-r... I originally went for it because there honestly aren't that many options in the UK, and this was the only Induction Heating model on the market here when I bought it, as most of the Japanese brands aren't CE marked I think? I imagine the technology exist…

Oh huh, thanks. Looks a bit pricy, though if you eat rice as regularly as you do I imagine it pays for itself quickly.

Hah yes it was expensive, however I do use it so often that I feel I got very good value for money in the end.

Check out some of their cheaper models as well, they're also quite well-reviewed and they import Zojirushi stuff too.

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#62

Post by StavrosK »

robotmay wrote: post #60
StavrosK wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you! Unfortunately, I'm in the EU, where these are hard to find, and also they cost an absolutely preposterous amount of money for something that cooks rice, which is a little odd given that their claim to fame is how simple they are. I think I'm going to start with a $20 one and see.

I think that's a good approach. If you end up using it a lot and want something more, then you can always upgrade later on :) YumAsia ship to most of Europe and have some cheaper models, if that's useful to you.

Yep, my reasoning exactly. I will look at YumAsia's models, thank you!

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#63

Post by [deleted] »

ginko wrote: post #56
ffggvv wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i’m no rice expert but i really don’t think you need a special cooker for brown rice in my experience. just a different ratio of water to rice. it isn’t special

Brown rice takes significantly longer to cook, so the rice cooker might not be programmed to do that.

[deleted]

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#64

Post by smichel17 »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #10

For people that regularly eat rice, buying a decent rice cooker is really a no-brainer. Cooking rice in a pan is possible and you can obtain good results if you're careful and turn the heat down at the right moment before the rice starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, it's easy to miss though. A rice cooker makes this process so much easier though: Put in the rice, the adequate amount of water, press a b…

If you have an electric kettle, you can sidestep this problem -- add boiling water and keep the stovetop flame on low the whole time. Then it's just a matter of turning off the heat at 15 minutes and uncovering at 20.

I will admit, despite how trivial it may sound, that it is nice not having to worry about turning off the heat. It means you can walk away and get into some other task more deeply.

However, I don't think I'll ever buy another rice cooker, as a pressure cooker can do the same thing but is a more general tool.

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#66

Post by throw0101a »

travisjungroth wrote: post #38
chris_st wrote: post #13

Note to those who already have an Instant Pot: they make fantastic rice.

The trick I found (maybe this is true of all rice cookers) is it's better if it has time to rest after cooking. I start the rice as the very first thing when cooking and it works well.

> […] it's better if it has time to rest after cooking.

This is true of a lot of foods. Not enough people let meat rest for long enough after removing it from the heat.

* https://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/how-to-have-juicy-meats-...

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#67

Post by roganartu »

travisjungroth wrote: post #38
chris_st wrote: post #13

Note to those who already have an Instant Pot: they make fantastic rice.

The trick I found (maybe this is true of all rice cookers) is it's better if it has time to rest after cooking. I start the rice as the very first thing when cooking and it works well.

I have found that the perfect amount of wait time is, conveniently, how long it takes for the natural pressure release to complete after cooking. Normally that's another 10-15 mins or so, but whenever the pressure lock drops so that you can open the lid the rice should be good.

I always disable the Keep Warm setting though, not sure if that makes a difference.

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#68

Post by throw0101a »

spaceflunky wrote: post #14

The science behind a rice cooker is fascinatingly clever, yet painfully simple. In short, boiling water temperature plateaus due to the latent heat of vaporization. When the water is gone the temperature of the pot starts to rise. The rice cooker uses this principle to control the switch. The switch is held by magnet. When the pot finishes boiling the heat rises and exceeds the curie point of the magnet, which means…

> When the water is gone the temperature of the pot starts to rise.

Water-to-rice ratios are important. America's Test Kitchen has a good video on the topic, especially if you're using a pot and not a rice cooker:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOOSikanIlI

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJFU7ezipbg

The rice actually only 'needs' a 1:1 ratio, but you need to put in extra to deal with evaporation; brown rice needs more-extra because it takes longer to cook (the bran slows absorption), and the longer cooking time leads to more evaporation.

TL;DR: ignore what's on the bag/box, and for every cup of rice add one cup of water (1:1, 2:2, 3:3), and then a fixed amount of extra overhead for evaporation.

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#69

Post by brudgers »

ginko wrote: post #56
ffggvv wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i’m no rice expert but i really don’t think you need a special cooker for brown rice in my experience. just a different ratio of water to rice. it isn’t special

Brown rice takes significantly longer to cook, so the rice cooker might not be programmed to do that.

With the simplest rice cookers, there's no programming. When the water is gone, it is gone.

Re: The battle to invent the automatic rice cooker

#70

Post by Torkel »

cycrutchfield wrote: post #16
ThePhysicist wrote: post #10

For people that regularly eat rice, buying a decent rice cooker is really a no-brainer. Cooking rice in a pan is possible and you can obtain good results if you're careful and turn the heat down at the right moment before the rice starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, it's easy to miss though. A rice cooker makes this process so much easier though: Put in the rice, the adequate amount of water, press a b…

IMO the Korean brands are the market leaders. Check out Cuckoo

We have a cuckoo rice cooker in Sweden (purchased in Korea). It is great!

Our cuckoo is a preassure cooker, and the rice it makes is the best I’ve had.

We currently live in Tokyo, and the Panasonic we got here is not as good as the cuckoo. Maybe because the power here is weaker?

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