Rice Cookers...

[LS24]

I have used my rice cooker a few times and whilst the rice is always very nice...there always seems to be a layer of rice burnt and stuck to the bottom of the non-stop bowl. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong or how to stop this? Thank you.

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There are two schools of thought on the crunchy layer:

1. Use better quality rice and/or rinse it throughly before cooking; OR

2. The crunchy bit is the best bit!

DH subscribes to the latter and I to the former. So I skim the fluffy rice off the top and leave him to the crunchy skin below. Tbh I far prefer cooking it in a saucepan anyway, so I do it that way when I can get away with it (ie when he's not watching)!

That means you have one of the old style rice cookers. When I was a little girl, there was always a layer of burnt rice at the bottom of the rice cooker. It hasn't been like this for 30 years. What brand have you got and where did you get it from?

I assume the change comes from slower cooking from the rice cooker and the non stick inner bowl. I'm not sure what technology change has made this happen. But it sure saves a lot of rice when cooking for 1 or 2!

Is it a microwave rice cooker. I tend to find you need to add a little extra water for cheaper types of rice.

Thanks for your replies.
This is the rice cooker that I have:
www.kenwoodworld.com/en-int/products/cooking-baking/rice-cookers-and-jars/rice-cooker-rc368
I usually buy Uncle Ben's rice and rinse it several times before putting it in the rice cooker...and I still seem to get that burnt bottom bit!!

I have a really basic one I got from Asda a good while ago. It has a "keep warm" feature and instructions advise I should leave the rice in the cooker to keep warm for a bit before switching off in order to dry the rice off more. I find if I do this it sticks so I take the inner pot out of the cooker as soon as it stops cooking. I also never measure the water - just pour enough in so if I put my finger in the pot the water comes up to just before the first knuckle (tip from Chinese woman that taught me Chinese cooking a while ago). I use basmati rice which I wash and then soak for 30 mins before using.

I use a Japanese one so can't comment on the kenwood. Except that the lids are no longer like this on rice cookers from the Far East. The saucepan lids are the old design. But that doesn't mean it is the reason you can crunchy rice.

Maybe it's the Uncle Ben? How much rice do you eat? Can you get proper rice from a Chinese supermarket instead? Or Indian basmati (though I have no experience with this).

The rinsing won't make the difference. I'm a lazy cook and don't actually rinse my rice. I just add water to the appropriate mark on the side of the bowl.

Haggis made a good point. I remember having to stir the rice as soon as it's cooked. Then put the lid back on and press the start button again. The button should pop back up fairly quickly. This should dry out the rice a little.

The modern ones I referred to have microprocessors in them. That's why you no longer need to stir, or sit the rice for a while before serving. (And they don't burn the bottom either).

I have the same rice cooker and only occasionally get a few clumps of crispy rice, which then break up as o stir it at the end of cooking time. It never burns, I always use the rice scoop and the watered during lines on the bowl.

I did wonder if maybe the rice you're using is par-boiled? I know a lot of Uncle Bens stuff is par-cooked so that it can be quickly finished off in the microwave (I love the Express pouches). If so, then It isn't suitable for a rice cooker really.

I use Tesco basmati or long-grain, also wild rice, sushi rice and Thai jasmine rice. All work perfectly. Check your rice packet

Uncle ben's rice is long grain rice (american!, and rice cookers are an Asian invention, suited to rice like basmati, jasmin, etc.

Thanks I will check the rice but I am nearly sure it is the box of Uncle Ben's long grain rice. Some of it usually ends up stuck to the bottom of the non stop bowl...oops.

We always used to use Uncle Ben's but I've found that basic Sainsbury's own brand long grain is a lot better in the rice cooker than Uncle Ben's. And significantly cheaper!

Thanks Theveryhungry...will give that a go!