Before You Buy a Rice Cooker
Rice cookers have been hugely popular in Asian countries for a long time, however it has not been until more recently that they have gained such a large fan base here in the west.
Lots of people have grown to love their rice cookers and those that have ever tried one never want to go back to cooking their rice in a pot on the stove.
Because of many varying factors, including a new emergence of healthy eating and an ever increasing price of food, rice is rapidly gaining popularity as a household staple.
The use of a rice cooker greatly simplifies the act of making rice for any meal, it is simple to use and all but mistake-proof.
The rice that is made is perfect each time, it will not over cook it, it will not under cook it, and as long as you put in the amount of water that it calls for you will never have anything less than perfection.
They save an incredible amount of time and effort in the kitchen, allowing you time to spend on other aspects of the meal or to take a nap.
If you feel like you want to learn to cook, even how to make sauce, a rice cooker is a good starting place, it will help you out a lot.
Plus, you can find a lot of web sites out there that will get you on the right track by providing you with several rice cooking tips.
There are numerous important facts to consider when searching around for that perfect rice cooker: 1) The price They vary in price from as little as $15 up to $200 or even more.
And in most cases, the more you pay, they more you get.
For many people, a standard rice cooker that turns on, cooks the rice and turns off is sufficient.
The basic cookers tend to have a glass lid and an inner pot, typically.
You need to correctly measure out the amount of water depending on the type of rice you will be cooking, however, since most rice cookers are designed for standard white rice, if you are using other types such as brown you may not get the quality you are looking for.
Spending a bit more on your rice cooker will get you additional options.
Many more expensive rice cookers come with extras such as a timer, the ability to cook various types of rice, all to perfection, or perhaps a warmer to keep your rice hot long after it's finished cooking, without drying it out.
2) Size They are available in many different sizes, from 1 cup to well over 10 cups.
Anything small compared to 3 cups is not recommended as you should not ever want to cook less than two cups at a time.
Cooking only one cup could make the rice come out a little dry or even slightly burned.
For an individual I normally recommend a rice cooker that holds 3-5 cups, 5 cups is great in case of company or if you want to make a lot extra for fried rice or other dishes that call for day-old rice.
Small families should not go smaller than 5 cups and the 10 cup sizes are great for larger families.
3) Extra options A few other options that you might want to think about when buying a rice cooker have: - A removable inner-lid for sanitation purposes.
- Support for different types of rice, including brown, mixed, sushi, etc...
- Measuring lines on the inside of the cooking bowl, this enables you to always add the perfect amount of water, even after having washed or rinsed your rice.
Lots of people have grown to love their rice cookers and those that have ever tried one never want to go back to cooking their rice in a pot on the stove.
Because of many varying factors, including a new emergence of healthy eating and an ever increasing price of food, rice is rapidly gaining popularity as a household staple.
The use of a rice cooker greatly simplifies the act of making rice for any meal, it is simple to use and all but mistake-proof.
The rice that is made is perfect each time, it will not over cook it, it will not under cook it, and as long as you put in the amount of water that it calls for you will never have anything less than perfection.
They save an incredible amount of time and effort in the kitchen, allowing you time to spend on other aspects of the meal or to take a nap.
If you feel like you want to learn to cook, even how to make sauce, a rice cooker is a good starting place, it will help you out a lot.
Plus, you can find a lot of web sites out there that will get you on the right track by providing you with several rice cooking tips.
There are numerous important facts to consider when searching around for that perfect rice cooker: 1) The price They vary in price from as little as $15 up to $200 or even more.
And in most cases, the more you pay, they more you get.
For many people, a standard rice cooker that turns on, cooks the rice and turns off is sufficient.
The basic cookers tend to have a glass lid and an inner pot, typically.
You need to correctly measure out the amount of water depending on the type of rice you will be cooking, however, since most rice cookers are designed for standard white rice, if you are using other types such as brown you may not get the quality you are looking for.
Spending a bit more on your rice cooker will get you additional options.
Many more expensive rice cookers come with extras such as a timer, the ability to cook various types of rice, all to perfection, or perhaps a warmer to keep your rice hot long after it's finished cooking, without drying it out.
2) Size They are available in many different sizes, from 1 cup to well over 10 cups.
Anything small compared to 3 cups is not recommended as you should not ever want to cook less than two cups at a time.
Cooking only one cup could make the rice come out a little dry or even slightly burned.
For an individual I normally recommend a rice cooker that holds 3-5 cups, 5 cups is great in case of company or if you want to make a lot extra for fried rice or other dishes that call for day-old rice.
Small families should not go smaller than 5 cups and the 10 cup sizes are great for larger families.
3) Extra options A few other options that you might want to think about when buying a rice cooker have: - A removable inner-lid for sanitation purposes.
- Support for different types of rice, including brown, mixed, sushi, etc...
- Measuring lines on the inside of the cooking bowl, this enables you to always add the perfect amount of water, even after having washed or rinsed your rice.
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