pros and cons of rice cookers

[Silvafox]

What is the advantage of using a rice cooker? Does the rice taste better when cooked in one? Does it have a different/improved texture?

Amazon is having a sale on many brands and I'm considering investing...but need to know if I would get better rice than I do with my top of the stove method.

Debra

[Yomom]

I love my rice cooker. Yes, rice texture is better. Just put measured rice and water in the cooker, and walk away -even hours ahead of time, or the night before - and it will be ready when you need it. It also cooks porridge.

[Silvafox]

PS What kind of rice cooker do you use?

d

[Yomom]

Tiger JAG-S Rice Cooker: huge capacity, cooks plain rice, quick rice, rinse-free, germinated brown, brown, mixed and sweet rice plus porridge. Has "keep warm" feature.

[LauraA]

Hi - Ask Letha, or maybe she'll see this. To me, the biggest advantages are that the rice is perfect each time, plus you can hold the rice all day at the right temperature. My rice cooker also cooks steel cut oatmeal perfectly. It is the best thing in my kitchen besides my Vitamix. Take care, LauraA

[sigma957]

I have a Zojirishi and it's great. It makes perfect rice and holds it for hours if need be. I've also made steel cut oats, quinoa and polenta in it. I have the small 3 cup one since it's just the two of us. I love it.

[Letha..]

I love my Zojirushi rice cooker. I’ve got that thing on all day every day. I think rice cooked in the rice cooker has a better texture then rice cooked on the stove, but what’s great about the Zojirushi is that it has a timer and a warming feature. I can fill up the cooker with rice and water before I go to bed and set the timer to have my brown jasmine rice done at 6am. It will keep the rice warm and moist all day long so I can have rice at 7am, noon, 4pm, and 8pm just by going to the rice cooker and filling up a bowl. Before bed, I clean the rice cooker, fill it up and set the timer again. Easy breezy.

Another interesting thing about the Zojirushi rice cooker is that it has a program for making GABA brown rice. This is not a new variety of brown rice, but a newly discovered way of cooking brown rice to “activate” it and increase natural occurring gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid in brown rice believed to have health giving properties such as lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function and relieving stress. The brown rice is “activated” by soaking the rice at 104 degrees F for 2 hours before the actual cooking begins.

I use the GABA program option but it doesn’t really taste any different to me and there is actually some controversy about whether the 2 hour soak time is sufficient to start the germination process. Soaking for 12-16 hours before cooking was the recommendation for GBR (germinated brown rice) prior to the newest rice cookers making it part of their program. I will be interested to see any future studies that measure the GABA in rice made with a Zojirushi or studies that measure the benefits of eating rice with higher levels of GABA.

I can’t think of any cons with my Zojirushi rice cooker except for the price and maybe the silly song it plays when it starts up that always makes me smile but that some folks might find annoying. Best wishes.
Letha

[SactoBob]

I have the same model as Letha and would agree with everything she says about it.
Some additional points - it is easy to clean. It is also good for getting to adherence IMO because with the warmer feature, you will always have warm,perfectly cooked rice for a quick snack. Just add your greens or veggies as you like.

I thought that this was an expensive appliance when I bought it, but not really since it is used every day. As Letha says, the timer and auto warmer features are great, and the rice is perfect every time. The magnetic induction system also keeps the appliance quieter and cooler. It even looks nice. I also like the GABA cycle. I wish the power cord retracted.

It is really a trouble free device - just set it up and forget it.
I also thought the musical alarms were corny, but now I like them. We have so many timer alarms - but I always know when the rice is done.

[Gramma Jackie]

I love having a rice cooker. We have always eaten a lot of rice. I have an Aroma rice cooker. It only cost $50.

The advantages are:

rice never overcooks or gets burned

mine has a light to show when its on and when its done

mine has a warming element that keeps it warmed even after its finished

rice is always perfect

also my rice cooker has a rack in the top that steams vegetables at the same time the rice is cooking

[Faith in DC]

My walking partner is Chinese and they use it all the time. I'm not sure what brand. It sounds like it's a heavy duty one though because they always are making rice.

I myself love my Black and Decker Rice Steamer. I never got to try the zojirushui brand but I tried two of the $25 rice cookers and they all sticked after awhile they also spit rice water all over, so I'd have a big mess to clean up.

[Starchyme]

I have a B&D rice 'steamer' but I have to add water in with the rice, like on the stove. I am really looking for one that truly 'steams' like one steams veggies with the water separate on the bottom. Anyone have, or know of, one of those?

[ncyg46]

I have a Zojirishi and it's great. It makes perfect rice and holds it for hours if need be. I've also made steel cut oats, quinoa and polenta in it. I have the small 3 cup one since it's just the two of us. I love it.

how do you make the polenta? I have the 3 cup one also....

[ncyg46]

i have the small zojirushi 3 cup...and I like the twinkle, twinkle little star that plays when you start it! lol...I make long grain brown rice (this week) with 2 T of lentils in it. I love the way it come out...still want to find out how to do polenta in it!

[serenity]

Letha and SactoBob,
I've been considering a rice cooker like yours for quite a while. Because of the cost, I'm taking my time deciding. Would you mind answering a couple of questions?

- What size do you have - the 5.5c or the 10c?
- Do these cook effectively if they are half full? The price difference between the two sizes is minimal, and I'm thinking that if I got the 10c, I would have more flexibility in how much I cooked. But only if it works well regardless of the amount cooked.
- How is the footprint on your counter? Comparable to...?

Thanks very much!

[Letha..]

Hi Serenity,
I have the 5.5 cup model. I haven’t noticed any difference if I’m making 2 or 4 “cups” of brown rice. I pulled out my old toaster for a photo comparison of size. Hope that helps.
Letha