Rice cookers

karen b

karen b

Following on from Colourific’s thread about air fryers, does anyone have a rice cooker? In particular interested in advice for the Lakeland one. We had one from my dad as a Christmas present (had been thinking about buying one).

It is ok, but we still haven’t had perfect fluffy rice from it yet. I don’t know if we aren’t washing the rice enough or haven’t got the quantity of cooking water right.
 
Puds

Puds

karen b said:
Following on from Colourific’s thread about air fryers, does anyone have a rice cooker? In particular interested in advice for the Lakeland one. We had one from my dad as a Christmas present (had been thinking about buying one).

It is ok, but we still haven’t had perfect fluffy rice from it yet. I don’t know if we aren’t washing the rice enough or haven’t got the quantity of cooking water right.
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I used to muck up rice all the time, always turned stodgy , I thought about a rice cooker. Now after a tip from someone here I commit the cardinal sin (?) of adding boiling water to it to about 1 cm above dry rice level, bring back to boil, lid on turn heat off & leave it. Never get stodgy rice any more. If I'm in hurry I leave heat on bare minimum under it.
Family taking mickey out of my rice the other night suddenly realised it had been good recently. :rolleyes:
Now all I have to do is actually watch the rest of the food & not burn it. I get bored & walk off usually.
 
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Emil Tac 2

Emil Tac 2

Roller of Sleeves
I'm also interested in this. I tried and failed miserably making coconut rice a while ago. It ended up being a creamy risotto for some odd reason despite adding the right quantities and washing but anywho...:rolleyes:
 
TimA

TimA

I can't speak to the Lakeland rice cooker, but we got a Yum Asia Panda mini rice cooker a while ago. Changed my life.

I always wash the rice in the cooking pot - plenty of water, stir it round with my finger, drain and repeat 2 or 3 times. Then use the measurer that came with the cooker for the cooking water quantity. It figures out how long to cook the rice for then keeps it warm when it's done. Tip the rice out and fluff it up with a fork. Brilliant.

I've done quinoa and porridge in it too, works great.
 
matometo

matometo

Rice cooker is life saver. I can't imagine how my life would be without it.

The important thing is wash your rice thoroughly (about 2-3 times) till the water is not too cloudy anymore. Pour in clean water and measure it with your index finger (the first distal line) and then pop it in and press the button and 20 mins later you can have fluffy hot rice ready. This is for jasmine rice/fragrance rice only though so I'm not so sure about basmati rice.

You can add seasoning to your rice to cook it in the rice cooker too. I sometimes cook chunk of chicken with my rice so the chicken is steamed and rice is cooked with chicken broth.
 
Igor

Igor

I've got one of those 10 in 1 electric pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker things. Love it. Second favourite kitchen appliance.
 
MichelleF

MichelleF

Igor said:
I've got one of those 10 in 1 electric pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker things. Love it. Second favourite kitchen appliance.
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I looked at those, mainly for the pressure cooker function but got bamboozled by the choice! Can you recommend one and can it go in a cupboard or are they big and have to sit on the worktop??
 
Alman

Alman

If you're eating that much rice then do it: get a nice cheap one where it only has cook and warm, that way you can put rice on in the morning/getting home and it'll be good for the rest of the evening. Throw any left over away or freeze, rinse repeat. As long as you put the right amount of water/rice ratio it'll be perfect rice every time.
 
Igor

Igor

MichelleF said:
I looked at those, mainly for the pressure cooker function but got bamboozled by the choice! Can you recommend one and can it go in a cupboard or are they big and have to sit on the worktop??
Click to expand...
Mine is a "Pressure King Pro" - sits on the side in my kitchen, but in fairness that's just me. Could go in a cupboard. I had the kitchen rebuilt with zones. "Hot zone", where the nuke oven, instant kettle, halogen oven, induction hob, toaster and this sit, "Wet zone", sink, washer droids, and "prep zone" where ...well, I prep food.

All wheelchair accessible, so I have no cupboards except high level with cantilever pull downs to bring their contents to my height.

I do the christmas joints in it, stews, rice, all sorts. Then the joints go in the actual slow cooker after they've been pressure cooked, and left for a couple of days, in wine or guinness. It can be a slow cooker as well. Seriously versatile bit of kit, and cheap to run as well. I'm currently running a perpetual stew in it, as the weather is nice, and it's costing me nothing to run whatsoever. Easy tea when I get in.
 
Puds

Puds

Nothing to do with rice but I've started using Puy lentils as a side, surprisingly popular at home. Very nutritious too.
Buying dried as cheaper & cooks far quicker than most other lentils.
 
karen b

karen b

Alman said:
If you're eating that much rice then do it: get a nice cheap one where it only has cook and warm, that way you can put rice on in the morning/getting home and it'll be good for the rest of the evening. Throw any left over away or freeze, rinse repeat. As long as you put the right amount of water/rice ratio it'll be perfect rice every time.
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The problem is getting the right rice/water ratio. Still experimenting.

We always used to cook basmati with the plenty of water method. Obviously a rice cooker needs just the right amount of water. I think I am going to do this as a series of experiments making more careful notes of the variables
 
Alman

Alman

karen b said:
The problem is getting the right rice/water ratio. Still experimenting.

We always used to cook basmati with the plenty of water method. Obviously a rice cooker needs just the right amount of water. I think I am going to do this as a series of experiments making more careful notes of the variables
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The ratios usually depends on the length of grain: longer grain require slightly more water, shorter requires less. Start with 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups water if you have a rice cooker. Without a rice cooker I use the plenty of water method.
 
G

Golem

My chinese relatives use multicookers for doing their rice. I think it was the Crockpot one we got them as a gift, from their suggested list. They use it for other recipes too.
 
Fleur

Fleur

Controversial opinion but if it's getting sticky, rather than fluffy - try not washing it. Most rice we get in the UK doesn't need washing as it won't have stones/dirt on it.
 
Paul

Paul

Alman said:
If you're eating that much rice then do it: get a nice cheap one where it only has cook and warm, that way you can put rice on in the morning/getting home and it'll be good for the rest of the evening. Throw any left over away or freeze, rinse repeat. As long as you put the right amount of water/rice ratio it'll be perfect rice every time.
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Hmm, I'm wary of rice standing around, not sure it will keep it hot enough to prevent Bacillus cereus spores germinating and making toxins.
 
matometo

matometo

Fleur said:
Controversial opinion but if it's getting sticky, rather than fluffy - try not washing it. Most rice we get in the UK doesn't need washing as it won't have stones/dirt on it.
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Jasmine rice needs washing. And sushi rice definitely no matter where you get it from? From my experience only basmati rice doesn't get sticky.
 
Alman

Alman

Paul said:
Hmm, I'm wary of rice standing around, not sure it will keep it hot enough to prevent Bacillus cereus spores germinating and making toxins.
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In a rice cooker, the warm setting will keep it just above 60c and so it usually lasts several hours before it goes bad.
 
Fallout_Girl

Fallout_Girl

I've got one of those Instant Pot multi-cooker things and sometimes do rice in that. I live alone though so to be honest I mostly just use the microwave pouches. I don't eat rice very often so just keep a couple of those in the cupboard.
 
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