• Dessalines@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    One I didn’t see mentioned yet: a rice cooker.

    Put in rice, add water, push start button, and you get perfect rice every time. I’m usually against single-purpose kitchen tools but a rice cooker is soo worth it.

    • jmp242@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Really only if you eat a lot of rice. For once a year or so, a pot on the stove works just fine. The actual benefit I’ve see for ricecookers is how well they can hold the rice for hours ready to go, but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think.

      • chaorace@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        […] but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think

        For me, this is the primary benefit of a rice cooker. Having warm, cheap, filling food on demand at any time is fantastic. I am so lazy and my little rice buddies are always ready to go when I can’t be bothered.

      • IonAddis@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        A rice cooker can serve as a cheaper instapot tho. I can steam rice and veggies without having to babysit a pot.

        I also have kitchen anxiety, and in a roommate situation can keep a rice cooker in my room.

    • Addfwyn@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Living in Japan, this almost didn’t register to me. I have literally never met anybody that didn’t have one. When you move out, you use your family’s old one until you can buy a newer one.

      Everyone should have one, absolutely.

      • zagaberoo@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        When I did a homestay in Japan, my host dad was shocked my family didn’t have one. I do now though!

    • ebits21@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I know this will be a popular response, but I don’t get it.

      I just use a pot and the rice is always perfect? Not hard at all? Am I just good?

      • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I used to do that for years, but rice cookers really do some magic to get perfectly fluffy rice. I thought my technique was good, until I tried rice from a rice cooker.

      • Cortell@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah just add however many cups of rice and then add water to the specified line. Don’t need to do any of that finger bullshit to check water levels

        And by cup I mean the cup that comes with the rice cooker not sure how it corresponds to the actual unit of measurement

    • ubermeisters@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Rice goes in my instapot ( the crocpot version technicaly) on low pressure and irs every bit as good as my old rice cooker, once I nailed the timing and water amount. Bonus: it’s great at a BUNCH of other types of cooking also

      Between that thing and my air fryer, I rarely use the oven anymore. Even more so for the microwave.

      • Stephen304@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I recently got an instant pot and gave my rice cooker back to my parents, the tough part was figuring out how to make it not stick of you don’t have a nonstick liner. Letting it naturally release pressure with the keep warm off seems to do the trick for mine, I’m guessing quick release releases too much moisture, and the keep warm doesn’t help either. With that I get good rice every time with no sticking.

        • ubermeisters@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Gotta use low, that high-pressure renvitonment ruins the fluffiness in my experience. It’s acceptable when the flavor addition is sufficient though, like a marinated pork loin slow cooked with rice is fantastic even if the rice is paste practically.

          • PissinSelfNdriveway@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            Mine always seems turn turn out fine on high 6min with 10min natural release but now you have me wondering if I just haven’t had good rice haha. How long do you do it on low?

            • ubermeisters@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I think it’s 8 mins on low with fast release but my notes are at home so I can’t verify that. I also prefer to toast my rive first in butter, that has a substantial bearing here.

      • captain_samuel_brady@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Hmm, okay, I’ll bite. What’s the secret with low pressure for long grain rice like basmati? I’ve been using 1:1 ratio rice:water for 6 minutes on high with a 10 minute natural release.

        • ubermeisters@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Bone broth in place of water and using the fry function of the crock pot to toast the rice before hand in a little bit of butter

            • ubermeisters@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I always quick release bit that’s because I am certifiably impatient. I’m not at home so I would have to check down what I wrote in my reference boom but I THINK I use 8 minutes. Now, those 8 mins only start once the pressure top engages, so the quantity of rice and the model of the unit probably allow for about 3 minutes of wiggle room due to preheat cycle differences and amount of time to reach pressure.

    • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      We sold our rice cooker on eBay after finding out the microwave rice cooker addon for 10€ is just as good, if not faster.

    • Lorax@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      It’s great for quinoa, farro and couscous too. Love our tiger rice cooker, it’s a work horse!

      • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Speaking of, be careful about consuming too much rice because of arsenic. There are plenty of other grains that don’t soak up arsenic so readily and have a better nutritional profile. It’s fine to eat rice, just switch it out throughout the week.

    • Kyannon@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      So much this. I’m usually responsible for cooking for the week, and prepping rice was so much of a hassle in the middle of cooking everything else that most of the time I didn’t even bother and went for pasta instead— way easier to cook, but easily 3x the calories.

      After I got a rice cooker, I just pop like 4 cups in that mfer and we got enough rice to last through like 2 days worth of dinner + bentos for lunch the day after.

      Get a rice cooker y’all.

    • doomy@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      ok this might sound heretical but a “hack” i learned from cooking youtube is to just boil rice like pasta then drain. I do this for about ~12 mins with white rice and it comes out perfect every time with no risk of messing up. Downside is you need to drain it.

      unsure the validity of this claim? but apparently there can be a non-insignificant amount of arsenic in american grown rice, and boiling can help leech it out into the water.

    • negativeyoda@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Love mine.

      When I make chicken or beef stock I put it in I’ve cube trays. On some mornings I add the rice, a stock ice cube, and maybe some miso. I let it ride while I get ready and then crack an egg on the cooked rice and add some avocado, tamari and rice seasoning (nori and sesame)

      Best breakfast and super easy

    • Shrek@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      An instant pot can do that and a whole lot more. I’m not sure if that falls under $100 but I would bet if you got an off-brand version it would.

      • lenathaw@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        You can do a lot more with a rice cooker. Soup, pasta, sauces, even steam vegetables if you put a tray on it.

        • Shrek@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          You can do all of that. I don’t care either way. I was just suggesting because of the “single use” comment.

      • whofearsthenight@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The relatively good larger instant pot that I bought a couple of years ago was around $79, so I reckon you can still get one for under $100. Although I also have a rice cooker, I find this thing indispensable. I often have 5-8 people at my house, so a go to is throwing a bunch of chicken breast, soy, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, etc, in the instant pot for around 30-40 minutes total time while the rice is cooking. Shred chicken, turn to sauté, add a little corn starch slurry. Boom teriyaki chicken.

        We do a similar thing for chicken tacos, but spicing with chicken bouillon, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, garlic, onion, tomato. Shred, enjoy meat for tacos, enchiladas, etc. I make a passable birria in about around 2 hours.

        Country ribs/pork shoulder, bbq sauce, apple juice, onion, garlic. While it’s cooking in the instant pot, simmer down an onion. Not quite caramelize until it’s jelly, but sweat until onions are soft. Turn oven to broil, cut the entire pack of kings hawaiian rolls or similar in half, butter and brown under the broil. Shred the pork, spread on the rolls, add a little bbq sauce, the onions, and cover with provolone slices. Broil again until cheese melts.

        Chili is another good one. Although I haven’t done it, you can use unsoaked dry beans in some recipes. I usually just throw a few cans of my faves (I prefer it bitier, so more kidney) with spices and browned meat of some sort (feel free to omit) and we’re good to go.

        Most of the things I make in the instant pot are things that I would normally have to wait all day for, or at least 3-4 hours. Not great after a work day. Low and slow recipes work really well in instant pot with a minor adjustment here and there, and often you turn a 4 hour recipe into a 1 hour recipe. And as a poor, this type of cooking can be a game changer because low and slow is often for foods that are cheap. if you head to the store and buy a ny strip, you can come home and be eating great in 15 minutes. Not so much with a much, much cheaper piece of chuck.

    • xNekoyaki@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      My husband got us a Zojirushi rice cooker for my birthday one year, and I love it so much! We had an old $15 Oster one previously, which was also pretty nice to have, but oh boy. I’m spoiled by Zojirushi now. We could make a cake in it! I haven’t yet… But I could! Lol.

    • FrostKing@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      For anyone who doesn’t want a rice cooker but can’t find a good basic white rice recipe: Put rice and water in a pot (1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water. People will tell you 2 cups water, punch them, or ignore them, your choice.) Turn it on high until it boils, stirring lightly occasionally to stop it from sticking. As soon as it starts boiling (not simmering) cover it with a lid and turn on low. Keep covered until it’s done (just taste it to test if it’s done.)

      P.S. You can add whatever seasonings you want if you find something good online or something. It’s not important to actually cooking the rice.

    • iamak@infosec.pub
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      1 year ago

      Is it different from a pressure cooker? Because pressure cooker is similar (add water, rice, start cooking, wait for X whistles) and has multiple use cases.

      • nudny ekscentryk@szmer.info
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        1 year ago

        Rice cookers are not sealed for high pressure (they are in fact not sealed at all, just like regular pots and lids, because they need to lose excess moisture) and they are configured for this one particular thing: every rice cooker is calibrated for a fixed serving of rice (or couple different settings) with fixed amount of water. All it really does is turn off at the perfect moment, which is determines by weight. which is determined by a thermostat (magnet-based in this case)

        • Pieisawesome@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          The high end rice cookers use sensors and will vent excess moisture or hold in moisture as need and can adjust cook time.

          Zojirushi calls their sensors “micom”

        • jmp242@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          Oh, I have a pressure sealed rice cooker, but it’s the top of the line Zojuroshi and is more like $600. It’s also not fast, takes like an hour, but the rice is divine. Sadly, I rarely cook rice. I got it for my sister, who lived in China for a while and used to eat rice all the time, but then moved into a tiny house and gave it back to me… I can’t really bear to throw it out - but I only use it if I’m making a huge amount of rice randomly.