Yay! I got my very first rice cooker~!!

[Petenshber]

Well i don't know the "correct" way to cook sticky rice (i never bothered to find out) but i have my own method and i think it works just fine (makes good rice balls). For 1 cup (u.s.) or 236ml (metric) uncooked sticky rice i add 2 cups (u.s.) water (i don't even rinse the rice) stir gently to make sure all of the rice is wet (this is a great time to add dry seasonings if you like, such as garlic powder or onion powder, they will soak into the rice with the water).

Then i turn the heat to medium-high (about 60 percent of the total heat) just long enough for the water to start to boil (placing your head close to the pot, you should hear a low sort of rumble and you'll get used to the way the heat around the pot feels), once it's ready i lower the heat to medium-low (about 30 percent of the total heat) and leave it uncovered for 20 minutes (i keep an eye on it to be safe but don't touch it in this time), after that i take it off the heat then cover it and let in rest for 15 minutes and it's ready to be eaten, makes about 3 cups (us) cooked rice.

Keep in mind altitude and humidity differences where you live (they can affect the results, i live in U.S.A. Florida so you may have to make adjustments to compensate. I hope this helps.

 

[leonmarino]

By the way, I used to be kind of anti-suihanki, but now that I have one I realize that it is so convenient!! I've eaten rice pretty much everyday since I have it!!

 

[Davey]

One thing I would recommend no to do even though it's said to be one of the features of your rice cooker, is that washing rice in the pot in which you cook the rice. By doing so repeatedly, you might scratch the inside coating which can damage the pot and also can be harmful to you.

I usually wash my rice in a bowl then put it in the pot afterwords.

Scratch with your nails? I don't have nails and I have a really strong pot , so I always wash it in the pot. Then I leave it in the water for another 20 minutes before I turn the switch on.

 

[=w=eezer]

I use musenmai rice, so i dont have to wash it it's good for lazy people like me. I was surprised to find it at so many grocery stores where I live.

 

[misa.j]

Scratch with your nails? I don't have nails and I have a really strong pot , so I always wash it in the pot. Then I leave it in the water for another 20 minutes before I turn the switch on.

I keep my nails short, too, but I was told by my mother that rice could scratch the pot. Who knows, she had told me so many things that were just her own ideas.

Soaking rice is a must do, makes a big difference for the texture of cooked rice.

 

[epigene]

I keep my nails short, too, but I was told by my mother that rice could scratch the pot. Who knows, she had told me so many things that were just her own ideas.
Soaking rice is a must do, makes a big difference for the texture of cooked rice.

It used to be true, because the pot inside the rice cooker used to have a coating that was vulnerable to scratching. So your mother was correct.

However, the newer rice cookers have different, tougher coating on the pots, so it's now a matter of which goes first--the rice cooker or the inside pot. The last two rice cookers I've used have tough inside pots. Scratching occurred for the first-ever rice cooker I bought after getting married.

And, I also agree with misa that soaking is a must-do! (Though I skip it when I'm in a big hurry! :joyful: )

 

[SushiShin]

lol , this is a good thread too! love rice and rice cookers? so does anybody have something special for me about his/her rice cooker?? or some info about their cookers??

 

[yukio_michael]

I just want to let you know, that I officially killed my suihanki when I accidentally put rice in it without the bowl being in it, then washed it out with water, which dripped through the suihanki.... So I'm so sad... but I'll get another one, there is one for sale here which is an even better model for only $10 dollars more...

 

[SushiShin]

owh thats pity! better luck next time and i hope you will be carefull =)!

 

[yukio_michael]

owh thats pity! better luck next time and i hope you will be carefull =)!

Possessions are transient, all things in life including life are transient, and we move into full nirvana when we realise this.

m(_ _)m

 

[epigene]

Possessions are transient, all things in life including life are transient, and we move into full nirvana when we realise this.

m(_ _)m

Zannen-deshita, yukio_michael-san!

The new rice cookers have integrated circuit boards that must not become wet. Except for the inside pot and maybe some other detachable items, the cooker must be wiped clean.

Better luck next time, and kiotsukete-ne!

 

[Goldiegirl]

It's still disappointing...to me when something is ruined because of my lack of attention I feel worse. I hate to be wasteful, even unintentionally. I have an electric rice cooker, but I don't use it. I use a hand woven thai rice basket. It's so simple and easy to use.

 

[yukio_michael]

Better luck next time, and kiotsukete-ne!

There is nothing in this world that I have lost, that I can not get back again, there will be another next-time, and, this is only a minor-inconvenience... 窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堋ｪ窶堙??堋､窶堙仰、窶堋ｦ窶堙停?堋ｰ窶堙業探ﾆ停?慊、I have a rice-steamer... a little less convienent... (I miss the timer!), but... there are suihanki for sale often here... I'll rise again!

 

[SushiShin]

lol, this is a good astrothread its very good and its astro-usefull(for all the info about cookers)! well i've also something astrofunny i found a rice cooker (very cheap) and its not astro-asian trademark its astro-swiss made but if you see the label on the box it saids astromade in astrojapan the funny thing is its only good for 2 astrocups(small cups) just enough for 2 persons. Why do they make everything so astrosmall??

(sorry for the 'astro'word but im just in the astromood )

 

[yukio_michael]

There's a panasonic model posted on craigslist, better than the one I bought last time and only 10 dollars more, I'll probably pick it up next friday... Once you go suihanki, you can't go back.

 

[Pepe]

I wish I wasn't limited to the the small New Zealand market when it came to buying whiteware....

 

[SushiShin]

what is the best suihanki ever on the mart??? i mean wich brand not the contents of the cups just the name =)

 

[epigene]

what is the best suihanki ever on the mart??? i mean wich brand not the contents of the cups just the name =)

Although the bestselling suihanki in Japan today come from Zojirushi, Sanyo, Mitsubishi and Panasonic, all rice cookers are basically the same in function. The only difference in the "newer" types is improved sealing of the inside chamber and higher heating temperature in order to simulate traditional rice cooking in a hearth and also to enable cooking unpolished rice (for some models).

Also, an important point in using suihanki is the rice cooker size. You need to choose the size that is just right for the amount of rice you normally cook. If you live alone and prepare rice for yourself alone, the 3-cup size is recommended. For a small family, the 5+ cup size is best. Anything bigger than that is for very large families or for parties. The quantity of rice that is best is usually a cup or two less than the maximum capacity of the suihanki.

For those who do not have access to electric rice cookers, use a sturdy and thick pot, preferably ceramic or earthenware. Again, the size of the pot should be proportionate to the amount of rice cooked--always not too big and not too small.

The traditional style of cooking rice over fire beats an electric rice cooker any time, although it does require your constant attention to the pot until the rice is done. In fact, I actually cook rice in an earthenware pot over fire when I have this craving for good, flavorful rice.

Please look for undrentide's post earlier in this thread for rice preparation without a rice cooker. (I hope the link still works!)

 

[Pepe]

I'm going to take the plunge in the next couple of days too. Briscoes (a homewares store chain downunder) now carries a Japanese styled rice cooker from Breville. Finally a smart rice cooker that does more than rice designed for our domestic market! Took long enough.

 

[SushiShin]

cool thanks Epigene! now i've learned much more! love rice cookers what a comfort =)

 

[Pepe]

Our new rice-cooker arrived this morning. We shall shortly be making some risotto (my better half is Italian) as we also managed to score some arborio rice for cheap.

 

[SushiShin]

a rice cooker on battery's??? huh (') wow i read today in a philippino newspaper that an asian company is trying to make rice cookers on battery's because a lot of people complains that the plug of their rice-cooker is too short or too big (O_O') okey.......... would this be a smart idea?? i think this would have some pro+ and contra's- ☝

(_ _')zZzZ

 

[Pepe]

a rice cooker on battery's??? huh (') wow i read today in a philippino newspaper that an asian company is trying to make rice cookers on battery's because a lot of people complains that the plug of their rice-cooker is too short or too big (O_O') okey.......... would this be a smart idea?? i think this would have some pro+ and contra's- ☝
(_ _')zZzZ

The juice required to cook rice would chew through batteries like there's no tomorrow. Even if large capacity Lithium Ion batteries are used, they need to be recharged and therefore plugged in. Also, Lithium Battery packs and water don't mix - leads to a rather impressive explosion with a large fireball (linky to vid: - n.b. this is the result of an overcharged battery, but the results are the same when exposed to water).
Bottom line - doable but uneconomical and with no benefitfor the user. Which means that someone will still make one and attempt to sell it.

 

[toto1004]

i love rice cookers! i just learned how to use one a couple years ago. My whole life I learned how to make rice on a stove with a pot. Does anyone else still do this?

 

[Pepe]

i love rice cookers! i just learned how to use one a couple years ago. My whole life I learned how to make rice on a stove with a pot. Does anyone else still do this?

I tried to avoid it because I always ended up making a huge mess. That's why I got the rice-cooker! BTW, you can make some very nice risotto in a rice cooker, and it takes next to no effort. I can't wait untill we move to Italy so that I can cook risotto for my partners dad (he's the cook in the family), being the technofreak he is, he'll probably want to buy it off me!