Rice Cookers: Simple or High Tech?

[vertical_doug]

Define high quality rice, please!

My Zojirushi is one of my favorite appliances but I need to branch out from the standard supermarket Jasmine and Calrose stuff, I think.

You should look for Japanese rice labelled SHINMAI (新米) literally 'NEW RICE'. It is the rice that is harvested and sold in the same year in Japan. Generally it becomes available in early fall and is sold until the end of the year.
(Mitsuwa probably has some now in Fort Lee)

(I know some of you will scoff, but for the midwest folks here, you know fresh corn on the cob is better than canned corn. But it is just corn , right? )

[vertical_doug]

Attachment 75928

when your rice comes from here......

[spopepro]

You should look for Japanese rice labelled SHINMAI (新米) literally 'NEW RICE'. It is the rice that is harvested and sold in the same year in Japan. Generally it becomes available in early fall and is sold until the end of the year.
(Mitsuwa probably has some now in Fort Lee)

(I know some of you will scoff, but for the midwest folks here, you know fresh corn on the cob is better than canned corn. But it is just corn , right? )

You can find California grown current season (probably marked this way, not using kanji or romanji) koshihikari rice that is excellent, and a fraction of what the imported version costs. Just know that you must use less water, or shorter soaking, for new rice.

I wouldn't have belived that rice could be so good... but then I learned how to properly wash, hand polish, and cook the stuff... and now I'm very happy with a bowl of good rice with a single umeboshi on top. It's really a transformative experience.

[Too Tall]

Sopepro reminded me of this. He is right on the money. Washing rice until water runs clear and even a little pre-soak makes a ton of difference.
Not sure what you mean by hand polish however. Educate me man!

[jitahs]

Mm....

Rice. The need for washing depends on what you're cooking. Madras curries need bugs in the basmat, hi-zoot Japanese needs the opposite - finely separated rice kernels.

Some Jasmine rices I get specifically instruct not to wash...to do so would be to turn it into Calrose. Yippee. Furthermore modern rice packaging is so, so much cleaner (depending on its origin) that I'm sure many of you don't remember that coarse silt and rocks, yes rocks, at the bottom of your pan from days of yore.

Jasmine rice is mostly a fragrance to go with lemon grass, lime, kaffir leaves and basically just works with Middle American cooking. What spo and vertical are about is a pure, japanese-y sensibility that's basically wholly opposite of it.

Modern basmati, I read awhile back, has been found to be less nutritious than that of previous generations due to the lack of insects/eggs in it -- that's protein.

S'all good, you're cooking it right?

BTW coated or uncoated is the alu-Alzheimer's "connection" or non-stick particle unknowns argument. I'm 108 and have used uncoated since birth, so help me.

[miwuksurfer]

Hmm.. I still find small rocks in my lentils.

I've been converting my whole kitchen to stainless steel, cast iron and pyrex. The rice cooker is the last to go. I found a relatively cheap rice cooker with stainless steel pot, lid and steamer from Bed, Bath and Beyond online but I hate that store so much I'm still looking for something a little smaller than Too Tall's industrial sized one.

[sbornia]

Question: does everybody's rice cookers have coated aluminum pots and lids?

I'm shopping for a new rice cooker and it seems this is the norm. I'm now on a search for a stainless steel pot and lid rice cooker (not "brushed stainless" exterior).

We have a Lotus Foods stainless steel model (stainless pot, glass lid). I think it's about a 12-cup capacity, but works well for even just a cup or two.

[crumpton]

i guarantee you will tell in my kitchen. the process of rinsing and soaking basmati as i do results in a light fluffy, on the dryer side than what the set it forget it cookers can do... though honestly i've never tried that method with a cooker. anyone treating their rice that way and using a cooker?

as for brown rice, i like to lightly brown in olive oil then add cold water. again i'm after a light fluffy dryer finished product. my least favorite thing at the table is gloppy wet rice.

Between some real high quality rice and a high quality rice cooker, I do not think anyone we be able to tell. In fact, the quality of the rice may actually floor you.

Too Tall, the next time you are in NY, I'll have you and Darren over for some home made dumplings and rice cooker rice.

[Too Tall]

Yep, I rinse and soak Basmati before using the rice cooker. After you drain it the water to rice proportion is approximately 1:1 (rice cooker) or 1:1.5 for stovetop.

[jitahs]

i guarantee you will tell in my kitchen. the process of rinsing and soaking basmati as i do results in a light fluffy, on the dryer side than what the set it forget it cookers can do...

I've always suspected the traditional water bath cooker method was designed to keep the kernels intact vs. the American lite, fluffy Uncle Ben's result. The former stands up better to sauced dishes. It's like Brylcreeming your hair vs. waking up with bed head and driving a convertible.

[crumpton]

i see it a tad differently. i first got turned onto light fluffy basmati paired with various hearty curries with some hindu friends. it works well. beyond that i do not generally put sauces on rice.

but then again i'm a chrome dome so the analogy doesn't fly either.

uncle bens? not really the same texture i'm getting with basmati.

[Bobonli]

I need to enroll in rice academy because I could do better. I follow the water to rice ratio described in the Zojurishi manual, and I wash off the rice (let it soak in cold water for a few minutes and then rub between my hands, rinse and drain)but I haven't gotten to "light and fluffy" yet. Mostly sticky no matter what variety I buy.

The missus prefers Jasmine and we buy whatever brand the supermarket carries (comes in a plastic zip locked bag). Should this not be soaked and scrubbed? I read on the internets that all rice should be washed and scrubbed to get the crud off.

[jitahs]

The Uncle Ben's analogy was about the grain's exterior - the interior of basmati is much more firm. Sort of like a reconstituted french fry vs. a steak cut fry.

I mean, I have light fluffy hair but still have a head under it. Either way our heads are saying the same thing. There are a million preferences for risotto too, arborio vs. carnaroli vs. baldo, all good.

[Too Tall]

Try a longer soak and add melted butter to the result and toss.

Nic is right, nothing beats a slow torture on stovetop with a good pot.

I'm a caveman, most of the time I can't pay attention long enough to make good stovetop rice.

I need to enroll in rice academy because I could do better. I follow the water to rice ratio described in the Zojurishi manual, and I wash off the rice (let it soak in cold water for a few minutes and then rub between my hands, rinse and drain)but I haven't gotten to "light and fluffy" yet. Mostly sticky no matter what variety I buy.

The missus prefers Jasmine and we buy whatever brand the supermarket carries (comes in a plastic zip locked bag). Should this not be soaked and scrubbed? I read on the internets that all rice should be washed and scrubbed to get the crud off.

[zetroc]

Try a longer soak and add melted butter to the result and toss.

Nic is right, nothing beats a slow torture on stovetop with a good pot.

I'm a caveman, most of the time I can't pay attention long enough to make good stovetop rice.

I have a cheap rice cooker but only ever use the thing for lentils. Alice Waters' stovetop method for long grain and Harumi Kurihara's for sushi rice have, with practice, produced some of the best rice I've ever eaten. The little cooker just doesn't compare. Maybe I cheaped out.

[Too Tall]

Hmm, I have some reading to do. Thanks man.

I have a cheap rice cooker but only ever use the thing for lentils. Alice Waters' stovetop method for long grain and Harumi Kurihara's for sushi rice have, with practice, produced some of the best rice I've ever eaten. The little cooker just doesn't compare. Maybe I cheaped out.

[zetroc]

Hmm, I have some reading to do. Thanks man.

Hope it helps. For reference:

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (Hardcover) | Green Apple Books
Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Food for Family & Friends (Hardcover) | Green Apple Books

[spopepro]

Sopepro reminded me of this. He is right on the money. Washing rice until water runs clear and even a little pre-soak makes a ton of difference.
Not sure what you mean by hand polish however. Educate me man!

Here's my method, but it does not involve a cooker. This is what Taka-sensei taught me and is likely from his grandmother from when everything was wood fired. And of course only applies to short grain white rice like the Japanese varieties.

Put rice in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water (don't rinse under steady water). Swirl with your hands and then drain, retaining the starchy water for cooking, watering plants, or spraying on your linen when pressing (not... I don't have time for the last anymore...). Repeat 3-4 times. On the last rinse, press down and grind the grains together with some force against the bottom of the bowl. This is what I mean by "hand polish". I have no idea if it does anything meaningful, but it's part of the routine.

I cook my rice in a wide fry pan. Place the rice and water in the pan and cover with a glass lid for roughly 30 min to 2 hours. Really, any time after the rice has become fully opaque it is ready for cooking. Turn up the heat to full and let the lid dance for 1min after full boil. Turn the heat down to the point where the rice starts to make big starch bubbles (might be just a touch higher than the lowest setting). When the bubbles fully subside, and the water is just about completely absorbed (only about 10 min) turn up the heat to high for 1 min. Then, let rest with the lid on for at least 5 min, probably longer (wait until serving). If you are making sushi get your apprentice/dinner guest/children to fan the rice before adding seasoning.

Something that works really well for me is freezing rice. I wrap it up in plastic while still warm in single servings and freeze the bricks. 1.5 min in the microwave while in the wrapping brings it up to perfect temp. It's what I do for bento because I don't set my non-existent rice cooker over night.

Another tip for probably everyone beside Vertical Doug is adding a zakkoku/kokumotsu mix to your rice while cooking. These are multi-grain mixes with some seeds and beans that add some texture and nutrition to your rice if you are self conscious about having just a bowl of refined grains. I find that it helps make my bento more filling.

[Too Tall]

Steve, perfect i was having a hard time finding that.
Spopepro, appreciated. Ritual and routine imhfo are not overrated.

[dashDustin]

wife got a $30 rice cooker off of amazon. it's pretty damn awesome. steams, cooks rice...how did we live without it?