Home Chef Cooking Tips

Photo by DennisSylvesterHurd

Rice cookers are not vegetable steamers that can also be used for rice.  They are a highly specialized appliance that can prepare any type of rice perfectly, and all you need to do is add the ingredients. Rice cookers will also keep the rice warm once it is fully cooked, and even reheat cold rice.

The big question is, do you really need gadget that makes only rice?

By answering a few simple questions, you can determine if a rice cooker is right for you. The answers will also tell you if you’re better off spending your money on another more useful appliance.

If you eat rice at least 3x a week, a rice cooker is a good investment. If you are eating rice only once a week, but consistently every week, you may want to consider a rice cooker with a smaller capacity (4 cups). If rice is only an occassional side dish (or you enjoy the taste of Uncel Ben’s or Rice a Roni) you will be better off perfecting rice on your stove top, and saving the counter space for another appliance.

Assuming rice is a dietary staple, you’re most likely not concerned with the 15 – 20 minutes it takes to simmer on your stove top. This is important, becuase good rice, like good barbecue, takes time, and for perfect rice, rice cookers take their time.

rice cooker are available in two basic varieties: the simpler on/off, and the more sophisticated fuzzy logic.

On/Off Cookers

This style of rice cooker operates exactly how the name implies, the heating unit turns on – cooks the rice – turn off. Some manufacturers offer basic programming features like preset timers and warming capability once the rice is finished, but the key component is that the heating cycle turns on and remains at a fixed temperature during the cooking cycle, then turns off. As a result, these models will cook the rice faster, and some of the simpler models will only be capable of preparing white rice.

Models include:

Panasonic SR-TMB10
Sanyo ECJ-N55W

Fuzzy-Logic Cookers

These rice cookers are microprocessor controlled, so by continuously monitoring the temperature they are able to continuously adjust both the cooking time and temperature in order to maintain the optimum moisture level for perfect rice every time. Since the time and temperature are continuously monitored and adjusted, fuzzy logic models will require longer cooking times than the simpler on/off models.

The fuzzy-logic rice cookers are also much more versatile in that they can also cook specialty rices such as arborio, basmati, and sushi rice. The best models are not only highly programmable (timer settings, and warming options) but will even allow you to program in your preferences for texture (hard, soft, sticky or wet).

Models include:

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy-logic NS-ZCC10
Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy-logic NS-ZCC18
Sanyo Micom ECJ-D55S

The best fuzzy logic rice cookers also utilize induction heating. Instead of the heat being generated from an electrical plate under the cooker, and electric current creates a magnetic field which generates heat all around the cooking chamber. Induction heating provides four key improvements:

1. More uniform heating
2. More accurate temperture sensing
3. More accurate and finer temperature control
4. Temperature changes are immediate

Now do you really need the latest and greatest style of rice cooker?

Remember, before even starting to look for a rice cooker, answer the following questions: 

How often do I eat rice?
How much rice will I typically cook at any one time?
What type of rice do I prefer?
What features do I need (timer, programmable, etc)?

This will insure you purchase an appliance that you need and will use.