rice cooker -- help meeeeeeeee

[abcdefz]

....so I'm sold on rice cookers now, except that the non-stick coating on mine is kinda shot to Hades after only six months' use.

1) Is this a problem you've had, and do you just toss it out and buy a new rice cooker?

2) Are there really good rice cookers that just don't have this kind of problem?

Enquiring minds want to know.

[insertnamehere]

how does this rice cooker work? is it like a rice steamer? cause ived used those. if you're talking about what i think you're talking about, try to find one without nonstick. we had a sort of net, i guess someting like cheesecloth could work if youre making little enough rice at the time? or maybe the not-nonstick ones come with this net, and you put the net in the cooker put in rice and water, and fold the net closed over top. then when its done cooking, you take the top of the net and pull out a gian cooked rice tablet. then put some water in the pot and just scrub it down with the net. if you dont burn the rice, its really easy to clean that way, and there's not nonstikiness to mess up.

[insertnamehere]

actually come to think of it, what we had wasnt actually a steamer because the water and rice sat in the same pot. just for the rice to be well cooked and a little sticky you had to leave it in after the pot shut off to sit in the steam for awhile.


but you probably dont want a 50 cup industrial gas-powered rice cooker, so i'll shutup now.

[abcdefz]

how does this rice cooker work? is it like a rice steamer? cause ived used those. if you're talking about what i think you're talking about, try to find one without nonstick. we had a sort of net, i guess someting like cheesecloth could work if youre making little enough rice at the time? or maybe the not-nonstick ones come with this net, and you put the net in the cooker put in rice and water, and fold the net closed over top. then when its done cooking, you take the top of the net and pull out a gian cooked rice tablet. then put some water in the pot and just scrub it down with the net. if you dont burn the rice, its really easy to clean that way, and there's not nonstikiness to mess up.



...that sounds interesting.... hmmmm....

[marsdaddy]

After 6 months, the non-stick coating should not be flaking off. Don't buy that brand again.

There are some super industrial rice cookers that you can buy at a Persian food store. It's for making crispy rice (can't spell Tadig correctly, I fear), and the non-stick never flakes off.

Either way, toss the one you have as the non-stick is not for internal use.

[abcdefz]

do you use metal utensils to serve the rice from your rice cooker?



Nope. Just the plastic spatula that came with the cooker.

Then the pan gets soaked overnight and wiped clean with a soft scrub sort of sponge, if any scrubbing is necessary.

It was an inexpensive cooker, to be suure, but I really thought it would've lasted longer than this. But now EVERY batch is sticking, and that means more scrubbing to get it clean, and that means more of the coating must be coming off... so I figure it's time to sink money into a good one, if there are "good ones" that don't have this problem.

[Echewta]

Nonstick? I have a crappy asian approved rice cooker thats not nonstick and it seems to do ok. Do you burn the stuff? You do, don't you. You cook rice to much huh? Maybe you should try Uncle Bens.

[abcdefz]

After 6 months, the non-stick coating should not be flaking off. Don't buy that brand again.






That would be Oster. :(

[abcdefz]

Nonstick? I have a crappy asian approved rice cooker thats not nonstick and it seems to do ok. Do you burn the stuff? You do, don't you. You cook rice to much huh? Maybe you should try Uncle Bens.



Yes. Good deal. No. I said "no." Again: no. No.

[abcdefz]

my mum has one and has been using it for years. she doen't have this problem.

i think what she does is let the rice (not eaten) go cold in the cooker first. scoop out the cold rice into a bowl and cover it. then you wouldn't need to soak it at all cos and stickyness would've dried and once it's dried it would just flake off with a damp sponge.



...there's no time for a cooling-off period unless I make it at night and let it sit there while I sleep. I don't want to do that.

[insertnamehere]

i dunno what kind of rice you use, but maybe you need to wash it first? when i made rice i had to first put it in the pot (after putting previously mentioned net in) and fill it with water, and then scrub the rice around against itself, pour out that water, do it again, pour out that water, and then put in the cooking water. the first wash, the water sometimes looked almost like milk. maybe if you wash it, there will be less starchy crap to stick?

[Echewta]

Is there a asian resturant near by? Just get rice takeout :D

[abcdefz]

i dunno what kind of rice you use, but maybe you need to wash it first? when i made rice i had to first put it in the pot (after putting previously mentioned net in) and fill it with water, and then scrub the rice around against itself, pour out that water, do it again, pour out that water, and then put in the cooking water. the first wash, the water sometimes looked almost like milk. maybe if you wash it, there will be less starchy crap to stick?



Sounds like a lot of work, but it's an idea.



Is there a asian resturant near by? Just get rice takeout :D



Yes. No.

1) I use brown rice; 2) At 4:00 AM!?!?

[Echewta]

Asians are crazy and stay up to bizzare hours in the night or morning.

[Echewta]

whoa, i missed that part too! You gotta wash the rice! EWWWW

[abcdefz]

dude. you don't wash your rice first?



Nope. You guys are schooling me. (y)

[abcdefz]

You gotta wash the rice!





Seriously; I didn't know this.

This is why I love this message board. And life in general. I learn so much!

A-. (y)

[Echewta]

Fill up the cooker with rice and water above the rice level, use your hands to stir up the rice and water, drain and repeat until the water is clear. That should get rid of a lot of garbage and starch. And the bugs.

[insertnamehere]

yeah, for awhile i was cooking several hundred cups of rice a day, so i can wash and cook rice pretty awesome.


i dunno whats in that junk but whenever ben had to wash rice he'd get eczema breakous on the backs of his hands and on his arms. thats why i became the official cooker of rice at my restraunt.

[abcdefz]

you don't use soap or anything to wash it with. just tap water.



I was going to polish each grain like an individual pearl.
































Okay -- no, I wasn't.






Fill up the cooker with rice and water above the rice level, use your hands to stir up the rice and water, drain and repeat until the water is clear. That should get rid of a lot of garbage and starch. And the bugs.



It's kind of funny that I wouldn't know this. Well, I mean -- I guess.... why would I?

I wonder if it's in the instruction booklet.






yeah, for awhile i was cooking several hundred cups of rice a day, so i can wash and cook rice pretty awesome.


i dunno whats in that junk but whenever ben had to wash rice he'd get eczema breakous on the backs of his hands and on his arms. thats why i became the official cooker of rice at my restraunt.




Whoa.

Eczema=bad.

D+. (n)

[Gareth]

uncle ben's is fucking joke.

[Rock]

That would be Oster. :(
I eat rice pretty much daily and use an Oster. We've had it for 4 years and never a problem.
My mother has had hers for a lot longer and never a problem.
I think you are doing something wrong.

[abcdefz]

I eat rice pretty much daily and use an Oster. We've had it for 4 years and never a problem.
My mother has had hers for a lot longer and never a problem.
I think you are doing something wrong.



....apparently, this "washing" voodoo might have something to doodoo with it.

[fucktopgirl]

me,i use a pot,add 2 cup of water,a little bit of oil and a pinch of salt(or some butter).Let it boil,add one cup of rice.Put the heat to minimun.15-20 minutes later,, the thing is "ketchup"!! :D i never had a real rice cooker,,but with my technic i never miss my rice!Oh and i never wash my rice !??

[Echewta]

If you buy regular rice, wursh it!

[fucktopgirl]

to wash the dirty chemical!?

[Rock]

its all about the basmati rice yo (no nutrional value to it though I believe).

Soak it for about 15 minutes. Mix it around gently for a bit, drain.....and get cooking.
If you wash it too much or stir to hard it will break a lot of the rice.

Those were my Pakistani Mom's words of advice (she eats rice on the daily for the past half century), when I started using the rice cooker and they have treated me right for around ohhhhhhhh 10 years.

but if you want to get a little crazy....http://www.beastieboys.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=44203

[abcdefz]

If you buy regular rice, wursh it!




...but see: this may also be why I have such a stiffy of an immune system while people around me drop like flies. Hah!

[abcdefz]

its all about the basmati rice yo (no nutrional value to it though I believe).

Soak it for about 15 minutes. Mix it around gently for a bit, drain.....and get cooking.
If you wash it too much or stir to hard it will break a lot of the rice.

Those were my Pakistani Mom's words of advice (she eats rice on the daily for the past half century), when I started using the rice cooker and they have treated me right for around ohhhhhhhh 10 years.

but if you want to get a little crazy....http://www.beastieboys.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=44203




Mine is strictly for the nutritional value, danke.

So I buy brown rice in a 10 pound bag, 'cause that's the way to go. Fresh California rice from one of my two neighborhood markets.

This one is closing down in a couple of weeks, though.... the landlord asked them to move.

After 50+ years. :rolleyes:

[insertnamehere]

if its brown rice and you want it for the nutritional value i dunno if you should wash it or not. does the package say anything? i know on our white rice at work, well we mix two different kinds, but the one says that if you was it it washes away some of the vitamins. i love rob zombie.

[abcdefz]

Apparently I've never read anything rice-related other than this thread.

Next thing you're gonna tell me is that you're supposed to eat the mushy inside-part of the banana instead of the challenging, tart peel.

[marsdaddy]

Too lazy to go back and quote, but don't soak the rice cooker overnight and NEVER use a scrubby thing to clean it. You're pulling off the non-stick surface.

If you end up with rice stuck to the bottom, you're not using enough water -- see cleaning rice first, too, as a possible cause. If you're try to get stuck rice unstuck, use your hands.

[b-grrrlie]

I usually use brown rice and I always wash it. Then I fry it in the pan with some garam masala and salt or just red grounded pepper or cayenne pepper and then pour in the water, bring to boil and let simmer whatever time the rice needs (some need 20 mins, some 45).
Sometimes I add a little wild rice as well, makes the rice purple! :D

[BangkokB]

Obviously the little lady always has rice cooking. The brand she uses is National~a cheap $15 cooker that has worked like a champ since we've moved back; which is either 1 and a half years or 2 and a half.....Jasmine rice is all that graces it's presence. She's picky about only having that kind of rice. Me, I'd never heard of it bf moving here and can't really taste a difference but everyone has their prefrences.

[iceygirl]

who needs a rice cooker? just use a regular pot and lid.

[abcdefz]

Too lazy to go back and quote, but don't soak the rice cooker overnight and NEVER use a scrubby thing to clean it. You're pulling off the non-stick surface.

If you end up with rice stuck to the bottom, you're not using enough water -- see cleaning rice first, too, as a possible cause. If you're try to get stuck rice unstuck, use your hands.



I think I should buy a new cooker and start over.