I am sorry now, that I didn't buy the plain rice cooker without the steaming attachments. By adjusting the water and cooking time, I still get good results.

I feel like I'm missing out. I've only ever made rice in a pot on the stove, but it comes out just fine every time. I'd get a rice cooker, but I suppose I don't really eat enough rice to justify the purchase.

I am, however, thinking of getting a breadmaker. Zojirushi seems to have a nice one on Amazon...

An update ..

Mrs uk1 and I have now become fully rice-obsessed and are thrilled to bits with our newly adopted little family friend.

Little Zoji (as we like to call him) has been hissing merrily and filling the house with his jasminey ricey sweety smell and mrs uk1 now clearly "gets it". She is hunting through the recipes for suitable things to be plated alongside the rice. She has even been fingering her way through my oversized Thai Street Food by David Thompson ..... so she has it bad.

The only initial downside I'd say is that Indian style basmati rice ie each grain seperate isn't what is produced. But now we've tried the cooker version - but we now prefer it because it brings out the fragrance of basmati to a degree we haven't seen before, and the basmati produced seems designed to absorb curry sauces rather than be eaten alongside.

Thanks again to all of those that contributed to the thread and helped and convinced me that it would be worthwhile - as it really has been.^:)

Our Zoji also does a great job with steel cut oats for breakfast. Yum.

joe

I've wondered about whether it would make a decent sweet scotch porridge oats.

Probably. I use the quick setting if I want steel cut with a little bite, or the porridge setting if I want them really creamy.

joe

You had mentioned seeing the boiling, so I assumed that you have the Cuisinart CRC-400 model, which has the glass lid. It is in fact the "old-style" model with a teflon coated insert, so you're fine with steaming, poaching eggs and making rice. You'll just need to adjust the water to rice ratios for your favourite type of rice. If you have the FRC-800 model, it is "new-style"/"fuzzy logic" basic model, so you're okay here too :) They both come with accessories that fit perfectly into the cookers.

Basmati Rice
 

There are a few ways to get separate grains with rice cookers. The best method I've found so far is to use 2/3 of the water called for in the recipe and then when the cooker says it's done, I switch it to manual/slow cooker/steamer mode and add the remaining water and finish cooking the rice with the accessory lid. That way you still get the fragrance and a bit more of the fluffy texture. Experimenting a few times will help you figure out the approximate ratios and times for the texture of rice you're after.

An alternate way is to let the cooked basmati dry out by increasing the holding time after cooking, or by holding with the lid partially propped open with the paddle.

No matter what style of rice you're making or style of pot you're using, the trick is to open the lid as soon as the rice is done to release the extra steam and fluff the rice in the pot immediately. Keeping warm always comes after fluffing.

Zojirushi has "induction" models now.
They also make small-capacity models for solo or two-people dining.

For grains sticking together, it comes to the type of rice you're using and if you rinse before hand. It's easier to accomplish with long grain rices IMHO. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear (although there is some diminishing returns after two). If cooking on the stove, reduce water by ~1/3cup depending on total quantity of rice, when cooking leave it alone and don't stir.... If using a Zojirushi or clone, fill the water to the designated line, no need to reduce water.

As a Chinese-American person, I grew up eating rice from a really old National rice cooker (that also doubles as a food steamer), rice cooked from a pot (necessity from my college days), microwave rice cooker (college again), and now two models of Zojirushi (one small one large).

All methods can cook rice well. They are all tools. What you as a cook intend to do with the tool is what really matters. The tools can all get you to roughly the same place.

A pot requires more care, pot watching, and temperature control. (Don't open the pot during cooking and stir it around! Leave the **** thing alone!) Ultimately, I get the best texture (Chinese wise) from Zojirushi. The con is cooking time. Even the "quick cooking" time is a bit longer than cooking on the stove. My Japan-made one is still going strong for 10+ years. My current model is made in China, and I have had no issues with it. Note though, that I have never tried making Western pilafs or Western type rice dishes in the Zojirushi cooker so don't know how well it would do for your needs.

i'd just like to update this post.... i bought this 5cup zoji from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS-Z...5&sr=8-1-spell

it has a nice clock on it to indicate how long the current batch has been cooking. 24 hours from cooking and the rice tasted as delicious as it did the day before.

also, i returned the sanyo through Amex return protections... *instant* credit-back ^^^

I have the CRC-400 model, tcl. As you mentioned, I have to play around with the water to rice ratios, as I don't like the crust at the bottom. Thanks again.

Great choice .... that is the Japanese version of the one I have. But because ours are 240v we have to pay £203 including shipping .....:eek:

I was told that this model is the most popular one sold from the range in Japan and that in "taste tests" people couldn't tell the difference between the induction models and these.

That and bacon.

Mmmm bacon.

Today has been the first non-rice day since little Zoji joined us.

It didn't work.

Next three days mapped out now. King Prawns with chilli (with rice). Rib-eye in teryaki (with rice). Sweet and sour chicken (with rice).

I guess I'll get fed up with the rice soon ..... but it doesn't seem likely.

In general they will produce better rice than most people can make using a traditional pot. I certainly get excellent results with mine, which is a Zojirushi model that uses induction heating (IH) technology, and cooks rice under a high level of pressure.

Most rice cookers will do a good job, but the best ones use induction to cook the rice (and keep it warm), and are "pressure type" models- ones that cook rice under pressure. These will produce better rice, and keep it nicely warmed and ready to eat generally for about 24 hours (or even longer, but I prefer to make fresh rice each day)