Can anyone recommend me a rice cooker?

[berri]

Sick of not being able to cook rice!! And it'd be so useful to have it kept warm for different people eating…
Don't mind paying the extra if it's actually going to work, I see there are varying prices on Amazon.

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My friend swears by hers, a Tefal one, but she has had it since she got married so possibly that model not available any more.

I borrowed it recently, and although it's fairly useful and does have the "keep warm" function, I still had to keep an eye on it like I would if I was just making it in the pan, and a large section of the rice at the bottom was inedible, so quite a lot of waste. If you need to make a large-ish quantity, then you need to put it on tea towels and so on as it bubbles over.

Also, it doesn't seem to automatically go from "cook" to "keep warm", I had to switch it over. This is probably why the rice at the bottom was inedible, I was waiting for it to automatically go from one setting to the other, but it didn't, so i switched it manually.

Other models may be better than this, but to me, it's a very large piece of kit to store as well, when frankly, you can use any pan that gets used for everything else anyway and easy cook rice is just that, damned easy!

I have a Zojirushi one I bought back from Japan, which is fab - I think Yum Asia (google will help) sell them in the UK. It's seriously brilliant - it has a timer so I set it up in the morning and it means that I can have a really hassle free tea if I just need to heat leftover curry/chilli etc. It also has different settings for white/brown rice and porridge(congee) and has an auto keep warm setting.

Yes, you can cook rice in a normal pot but the rice cooker is just so much less hassle.

Anonymous I seem to be incapable of cooking even easy-cook rice! Everything just gets too stuck together and gloppy rather than fluffy. I've tried loads of different methods but can't seem to get it right.

Also DH tends to eat around an hour or so after the rest of us so it'd make things easier timing-wise.

I don't like the sound of the one you mentioned though, I was under the impression they were much more hassle-free than that! Otherwise yes, doesn't seem much point.

VeryPunny I'll look into the Japanese ones - would make sense that they are good brands! I'm guessing they are going to be expensive though!

I have a Tefal 8 in 1, and its great. I can set it for different rice types, delay start, and keep warm.

berri Panasonic (also called National) do basic ones - a pot that automatically switches over to keep warm, and that's about it. You can use them with a plug timer to control when they start cooking. Also Aldi/Lidl sometimes have them.

Are you near any good Chinese grocers? Our local one has a small supply of rice cookers for reasonable prices - we have a big student population here who use them.

That's a good idea - there's an Oriental supermarket just opened which I've been meaning to go to anyway so I'll pop in.

CMOT what else do you do with your 8-in-1? Is it huge? I just assumed it'd take up lots of space so kind of ruled it out!

I have an electric multifunction pressure cooker that has seriously changed my life. It has a rice function and I've gone from burnt or undercooked rice every time to having perfect rice in a matter of minutes. It's called an instant pot, you can find them on amazon and there are plenty of groups on fb dedicated to them for cooking ideas and recipes

I went to Asda one evening for wine some essentials and just mooched around the electrical aisle .I saw the cheapest rice cooker they had and bought it on the spur of the moment. Its been great.

I can have rice whenever I want and its always nice once I mastered the art of rice to water ratio .It keeps the rice warm and makes fair amount at one time. It does splutter though

Anonymous I seem to be incapable of cooking even easy-cook rice! Everything just gets too stuck together and gloppy rather than fluffy. I've tried loads of different methods but can't seem to get it right.

Masses of water brought to the boil with salt, rice in, gentle boil, then drain after the allotted cooking time. it won't stick and it cannot go wrong.

My 8 in 1 is the same size as a slow cooker - which i what I use it for as much as rice cooking, though I plan to do quinoa tonight for the first time