How Do Rice Cookers Work?

[Washoe]

In preparation for our impending nuptials, my girlfriend and I have decided that we need to lose some weight. Which means no more eating out until after the ceremony. So we went to the mall last night and bought a rice cooker. Unfortunately, the device seems to be smarter than I am, and I can’t figure out how it works. The instruction manual says that it will cook either white or brown rice, and that all I have to do to achieve this is to put the rice and the water in the cooker, push a button, and the cooker will take care of everything. As soon as the rice is cooked, it will automatically shut off and keep it warm for me. How does it do this? We all know that brown rice takes about twice as long to cook as white rice does. How does the cooker "know" what type of rice I am putting in it? The button is the only control on the unit. What if I put Minute Rice in it? Will it magically realize this and cook it for only five minutes and shut off?

I took it for a test drive last night, and I wasn’t notably impressed with the results. I took one cup of Uncle Ben’s regular long grain parboiled white rice, rinsed it cold water, and put it in the cooker. I then added one and a half cups of water, per the instruction manual. The rice wasn’t bad, but about a fourth of it was burned and stuck to the bottom of the cooker, necessitating an overnight soaking to remove. When I looked at the instructions on the back of the box, it called for two and a quarter cups of water to one cup of rice, not one and a half cups of water. What gives? I’d really appreciate some advice here, lest I have to pack my girlfriend into her wedding dress with a crowbar.

[GorillaMan]

Huge WAG, having never used one....as long as the right proportion of water-to-rice is in the cooker, all it needs to do is wait for all the water to be either absorbed or evaporated - which it can identify by the temperature rising from the steady state it will have been in while the water was simmering.




And whaddya know, my while-typing search of www.howstuffworks.com proves me right :D .... http://home.howstuffworks.com/question35.htm

[GorillaMan]

Oh, and the best way to cook rice is to get completely plain stuff....no parboiled, easy-cook, or anything like that. Just regular basmati. Or long-grain if you insist.

[Muffin]

A rice cooker has a thermometer. When it senses that the temperature is hotter than the boiling point of water (when the water has been absorbed or boiled off), it shuts off.

[jsleek]

be skeptical because I don't know what I'm talking about. My new daughter is Korean and despairs of my understanding rice.


Rice cookers are an Asian design meant for Asian rice. They prefer what we call 'short grain' rice, which looks like a little rugby ball and cooks up real gooey. You describe long grain rice, which looks like a little pencil and does not stick together.

So your cooker isn't designed for what you're cooking.

Asians use rice the way Americans use bread; sitting on the counter ready to use. So the cooker sits on the counter (or floor, for a big one) and keeps the rice ready for instant use.

If you have a cheap cooker, it won't work well, no matter what you put in it. You describe a cheap cooker if it burns the rice. Try popping it into warm before it burns.

And you won't lose weight on rice unless you don't eat very much. It's about the same as bread or potatoes.

[Terminus Est]

Rice cookers are built to cook raw rice. Parboiled rice is already partially cooked, so I'm not surprised your Uncle Ben's (ugh!) got burned.

[quothz]

What if I put Minute Rice in it? Will it magically realize this and cook it for only five minutes and shut off?

How does a rice cooker know when to turn off? (http://home.howstuffworks.com/question35.htm) at How Stuff Works.

Sally (http://www.sallyskitchen.com/html/reviews.html) owns ten rice cookers and have tips and reviews. Most notably, she points out that you can't use a little bit of rice in a big rice cooker. A quick run by unclebens.com shows that those packets - which cook in the microwave in ninety seconds, incidentally - have eight ounces of rice. That is not a lot of rice.

This matches well with my own experience. Also, the 'keep warm' feature on the rice cookers I've used will dry out the rice and eventually burn it. Don't let it sit for more than ten or fifteen minutes before you shut it off. It will stay warm for a while.

Refrigerate excess cooked rice in a closed container, and reheat by adding a splash of water and microwaving gently in an open container, or on the stove in a closed saucepan on low. It might need a little stirring either way, depending on how much you're warming up.

Basmati is a good, hearty, all-around long-grain white rice popular in India. Jasmine is another excellent long-grain white rice from Thailand with a wonderful scent. Both are widely available in US grocery stores, in package sizes that might be easier to deal with than Uncle Ben's. If you can be troubled, gently browning long-grain rice in a dry skillet before cooking will make it taste better.

Short-grain rice is primarily used to make 'sticky rice' which is coated in su while hot to preserve it and, well, make it sticky. This is the sort of rice used in sushi. A rice cooker can handle long- or short-grain rice just fine, but I think you'll be happier with long-grain unless you have a special project in mind.

[sturmhauke]

Cooking short grain rice in the Filipino style is very simple. Observe:

Get a 3 quart pot with a lid (preferably glass). Put in a quantity of rice that, when leveled out, comes to a depth equal to the first joint on your forefinger. Rinse the rice several times with water, until it runs as clear as you have patience for (more cloudy = more starch = more gummy). After rinsing, add enough water to double the total depth - shake the pot to level the rice, barely touch the rice with your fingertip, the water should come to your first joint again. Now put the lid on and bring to a boil. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID UNTIL IT IS DONE. When the water boils, turn the heat to low and cook 20 minutes.

The glass lid is so you can see the water boil before it spills over and makes a starcy mess. If you don't have a glass lid, watch for steam shooting out to indicate boiling.

[China Guy]

the trick is to use real rice - doesn't matter if it's short grain, long grain or brown but none of that minute rice or other pre-cooked/semi-cooked abominations.

Then it's really a matter of experimenting with how much water is needed. Rice cookers are pretty forgiving, so a bit too much or too little water won't matter. Most rice cookers come with hash marks like a measuring cup to help out.

as pointed out in an earlier post, cooking a lot of rice in a small cooker or a tiny amount in a big cooker is usually a recipe for disaster.

sturmhauke nailed stove top rice cooking (but a rice cooker is a lot easier)

[Doobieous]

Please don't use the parboiled crap (and I say crap because if you ever brought parboiled rice into a Filipino house hold you'll be told to take it back where you bought it). I myself will NEVER allow parboiled rice into my home, it's just a travesty.

Rice cookers were invented to make cooking regular rice easy. All you do is measure out your rice using cups (most cookers come with a measuring cup), and then add water to the line in the pot that says "cups". Pretty much all models i've come across have lines in the pot to indicate water of level for cups of rice. Some of the best Asian models can even keep the rice warm all day, but you have to keep the lid on it, and sometimes adding a little water will keep it from drying out. But, we usually just turn it off and keep the lid on it, and consume as needed.

I prefer short grained sticky rice because i prefer it to hold its shape when i'm eating it and not fall off of my fork or chopsticks. Longer grained rices tend to be less sticky (i don't like jasmine rice much for this reason, although, I can get a stickier and softer jasmine rice if i add a little more water than the water per cups of rice level indicates).

If you're cooking less than one cup (and i've done this in a cooker that only is supposed to cook no less than 2 cups), it's best to just cook it on the stove. Although it's easier to burn rice this way if you don't watch it.

I also never wash my rice. I find it's more useful to remove possible bits of husk, but i've never gotten a "gummy" result from not washing it. Sometimes talc is added to keep the rice dry.

The only rice i've never cooked in a rice cooker is Philippine "malagkit" which is a glutinous rice used a lot in desserts (actually i've only ever heard of it being used in desserts). The rice for meals is a longer grained type. But every Filipino I know (my family included) here in California seems to prefer the Japanese sticky rices (such as from companies like Calrose or Botan) for meals, not the less sticky Chinese or jasmine rices.

[levdrakon]

Just a tad off topic, but my best friend comes from a large family of frequent rice eaters & ricer cooker users, and he laughed at me when he saw me searching for my little rice measuring cup & carefully measuring the rice & water I put in my cooker. Then he showed me the trick his family uses.

You put however much rice you want to cook in the cooker, then add water, rinse the rice once or twice, then just add enough water so that the level of the water is a teensy bit deeper than the first fold at the tip of your index finger, if you poke your index finger so that it's just a smidge into the rice. That's basically 1 1/4 inches (or about 3 1/4 cms) on my index finger. Just figure out about what that is on your index finger and you'll never have to measure the rice or water again.

[quothz]

the trick is to use real rice - doesn't matter if it's short grain, long grain or brown but none of that minute rice or other pre-cooked/semi-cooked abominations.

While I agree with you in terms of taste, cost-effectiveness, and utility, I see no technical reason why this would not work. I haven't actually tested this empirically, but I haven't heard anyone but the OP say they have, either, and the OP doesn't appear to have been using enough rice.

I've no intention of experimenting, either, but if someone cares to I'd love to hear about it. My presumption at the moment, however, is that "instant rice" should cook just fine in a rice cooker.

I see my experiences with short-grain rice have not been very broad. Still, I've always found long-grain rice to be more flavorful and aromatic than short-grain, although I can see how the short-grain's clumpiness might be useful for ease of eating. I do use short-grain rice in puddings, but I suggest that only long-grain works well in soups.

Matter of preference, ultimately, I suppose, and I suggest anyone in doubt try a few different varieties of rice. I'll still keep using Basmati for most things, myself.

[Washoe]

You guys are good. :D I tried everything you suggested and it worked a lot better. First, I chucked the Uncle Ben’s stuff and used some Trader Joe’s long grain brown basmati. I also doubled the amount of raw rice to two cups as quotzh suggested. Much, much better results. I used exactly one part rice to two parts water and it was some of the best rice I’ve ever tasted. There was still a little bit stuck to the bottom of the pot, but it wasn’t scorched. I think I’ll go back to the mall and get a smaller and better quality cooker for everyday use, so that I can cook an amount suitable for one or two people with none leftover.

[levdrakon]

There was still a little bit stuck to the bottom of the pot, but it wasn’t scorched. I think I’ll go back to the mall and get a smaller and better quality cooker for everyday use, so that I can cook an amount suitable for one or two people with none leftover.

That's the good stuff! And you will always get that with the smaller cookers.

[China Guy]

While I agree with you in terms of taste, cost-effectiveness, and utility, I see no technical reason why this would not work. I haven't actually tested this empirically, but I haven't heard anyone but the OP say they have, either, and the OP doesn't appear to have been using enough rice.
.My WAG is that these abominations have a much shorter cooking time, and that a rice cooker is designed to cook raw rice and doesn't have a setting for abominations. Therefore, end up with scorched rice

[MikeG]

I use a method similar to that explained by levdrakon. I put the rice in the cooker without measuring it. If it is new rice I put my palm on the surface of the rice then fill it with water till it comes up to the middle of my first knuckle. If the rice is older I put a tad more in.

I also rinse my rice 6-7 times till the water runs clear before I cook it and I generally only use jasmine rice as I prefer the flavour.

[spingears]

A rice cooker has a thermometer. When it senses that the temperature is hotter than the boiling point of water (when the water has been absorbed or boiled off), it shuts off.Thermometer? Not quite. It is a thermostat which controls temperature. A thermometer measures temperature.

[Ca3799]

I don't like jasmin- too perfumy. And I don't rinse as I like sticky rice. I use any old cup for measuring as long as the proportions are 1:2.

I add zuccini, carrots, and yellow squash to the rice in the rice cooker and let it all cook at once. You can use broth for some or all of the water, too.

Sometimes I add broccoli and cream of mushroom soup, and add alittle cheese afterwards for a quick and easy broc-cheese casserole.

I've also added bits of chicken and celery with broth or soup for a casserole.

I sometimes lightly grease the bottom of the cooker to prevent sticking, but find I get more sticking when I'm cooking less rice. Perhaps it gets a little too hot.

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

Thermometer? Not quite. It is a thermostat which controls temperature. A thermometer measures temperature.


Wouldn't a thermometer be the thing that senses the temperature inside the pot, and triggers the "off" mechanism?

[Purd Werfect]

To get brown rice that's not all mushy, soak it for six hours first, then rinse it well and cook as usual. It takes a little extra planning, but it definitely improves the texture of brown rice.

[Mr2001]

Wouldn't a thermometer be the thing that senses the temperature inside the pot, and triggers the "off" mechanism?
A thermometer measures temperature for display. A thermostat mechanically opens or closes a switch at a certain temperature.

[sturmhauke]

more cloudy = more starch = more gummy
Let me correct that. Stickiness results from more starch. Gumminess results from using too much water and overcooking the rice.

[ouryL]

Rice cookers are built to cook japanese style rice. This type of rice is techically a short grain rice but is often referred to as a medium grain rice. This rice does not need washing but often is to remove bugs, bits of the husk or sometimes talc used to polish or keep the rice dry and free flowing, or tiny bits of rice itself that has flaked off and will turn to mush if cooked. This should be done only before you cook it using cold water. Wash gently so as not to break any more rice bits off. You may do a simple rinse or wash until the water is no longer cloudy. This type of rice requires 1 cup of water per 3/4 cup of rice. If you use the brown variety, soak it ahead of time in a cool place overnight or for six hours. Always use cold water. If you use long grain rice, you may increase the proportion of water. When the rice cooker turns off, you may check the rice to see if it is glossy. If not more water may be sprinkled over it for a softer rice. If it seems too wet, leave the cover off for two to five minutes and cover. In any case, the rice should sit covered for at least twenty minutes to finish. You may find that the amount of water one uses will vary to the brand and/or crop of rice. Most rice will be labeled premium, which is actually the regular grade rice, but you will find that the extrapremium rice, sometimes called sushi rice, will be not only better flavored and textured, but is easier to cook to perfection - however twice as expensive. :eek: :D

[Testy]

I have to second Sturmhake's method. My wife is Thai and this is exactly what she does. An an OBTW, I wouldn't put glutinous rice in a cooker. I did this once when the wife was away and wound up with a single giant cake of rice. No good for man or beast. Likewise, never use Uncle Ben's anything. That stuff has the same relationship to rice as Budweiser has to actual beer.

Have fun

Testy

[Doobieous]

I have to second Sturmhake's method. My wife is Thai and this is exactly what she does. An an OBTW, I wouldn't put glutinous rice in a cooker. I did this once when the wife was away and wound up with a single giant cake of rice. No good for man or beast. Likewise, never use Uncle Ben's anything. That stuff has the same relationship to rice as Budweiser has to actual beer.

Have fun

Testy

I've *never* ever had this problem with glutinous rice at all. Long, short, sticky, less sticky i've never had a "single" giant cake of rice. I have had the rice settle, but you simply break it up after it's cooked.

[Dr. Lao]

FWIW, in enriched rice the nutrients that are added in the talc. Washing enriched rice before cooking, or draining it after cooking will make it less nutritious.

[Testy]

I've *never* ever had this problem with glutinous rice at all. Long, short, sticky, less sticky i've never had a "single" giant cake of rice. I have had the rice settle, but you simply break it up after it's cooked.

I'm unsure whether your glutinous rice and mine are the same. The stuff we have at home is very sticky after being cooked, more so than the rice used for sashimi. My wife usually steams it in a woven bamboo cone when she makes the stuff. I think all rice settles, that is expected.

Regards

Testy

[quothz]

Rice cookers are built to cook japanese style rice.

Well, no, they're built to cook rice. They really don't care what kind. The various traditional asian rice cookers are something else entirely (typically clay pots or braziers, depending on region ), and aren't generally used in serious cooking outside of their regions of origin because they kind of suck.

Always use cold water.

I use warm water. This is pretty universal practice for sushi rice, and it works just fine for long-grain rice, too.

[QUOTE=ouryL] In any case, the rice should sit covered for at least twenty minutes to finish. [QUOTE]

No. When finished, rice is ready to serve unless you're using at as an ingredient in a recipie (it should cool long enough not to actually burn you, but typically the serving process is enough for that)

[QUOTE=ouryL] You may find that the amount of water one uses will vary to the brand and/or crop of rice. [QUOTE]

No. In Japan, the amount of water is varied depending on how -old- the rice is, following a standard ratio of 8 cups of water to 8 cups of rice, increasing the proportion of water steadily over time (cite: _The_Joy_of_Cooking_). But neither brand nor crop, only the variety and age, are taken into account anywhere that I am aware of (age is not a factor unless you have -access- to new rice). For the casual rice-eater, neither is a major factor.

Sushi rice is not a specific variety. It always includes vinegared rice in some form or another, typically as su.

IANASC. However, I do sell a fair bit of irrashai, and I work with people who specialize in north Indian and Thai food, and I drink with an asian cooking columnist. I'm by no means an expert on rice, but I've handled a fair few varieties in my day and had to listen to people talk excitedly for godawful lengths about it.

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

My method for making rice in a cooker is far from scientific, but my mother (Thai) taught it to me and it has never failed me. Don't ask me why it works, but it does for both me and her, and we have different sized hands - the relevance of which will make sense in a minute.

I scoop in however much rice I want to make (using some silly little cup that has no measurings - after all this time, I can just eyeball whatever amount I want. I then lay my fingers over the surface of the rice, with my palm facing downwards, but not touching the rice. I add water until the level of water reaches my knuckles (the ones at the base of my fingers).

Works every time. YMMV of course.

[levdrakon]

I then lay my fingers over the surface of the rice, with my palm facing downwards, but not touching the rice. I add water until the level of water reaches my knuckles (the ones at the base of my fingers).

Works every time. YMMV of course.

That method seems it would only work if you don't have hands that are larger than the rice cooker you're using, which is why I prefer just the index finger method.

[Shoeless]

Funny.... when I hovered over the link to this thread, the preview text showed "In preparation for our impending nuptials, my girlfriend and I...."

Putting the thread title and preview text together in my head, I came to the conclusion that you were planning on throwing cooked rice at the wedding! :D

[Ukulele Ike]

never use Uncle Ben's anything. That stuff has the same relationship to rice as Budweiser has to actual beer.
Incorrect.

Most Creole and Cajun recipes call for converted rice.

[Testy]

Incorrect.

Most Creole and Cajun recipes call for converted rice.

Really? I'm amazed. I've got one of Paul Prudhome's (sp) cookbooks and I don't recall it saying anything about using converted rice. Anyway, thanks for the tip. Is there any reason for that?

Regards

Testy

[Doobieous]

I'm unsure whether your glutinous rice and mine are the same. The stuff we have at home is very sticky after being cooked, more so than the rice used for sashimi. My wife usually steams it in a woven bamboo cone when she makes the stuff. I think all rice settles, that is expected.

Regards

Testy


You said your wife is Thai? All of the Thai restaurants i've been to where i've had the glutinous rice, it's always been like a brick, even being steamed in little packets.

I've done Filipino malagkit (a glutinous rice) in a steamer and not had problems.

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

You said your wife is Thai? All of the Thai restaurants i've been to where i've had the glutinous rice, it's always been like a brick, even being steamed in little packets.

I've done Filipino malagkit (a glutinous rice) in a steamer and not had problems.


If it's a brick, I'd be worried. Thai sticky rice (I have no idea how to phonetically spell the Thai word for it... SOmething like "Cow-neal" but not really :confused: ) is very sticky, but the mass of it is soft and pliable - definitely not stiff or bricklike.

And those damn bamboo cones are not cheap. I need a new one.

[DanBlather]

I'm unsure whether your glutinous rice and mine are the same. The stuff we have at home is very sticky after being cooked, more so than the rice used for sashimi. My wife usually steams it in a woven bamboo cone when she makes the stuff. I think all rice settles, that is expected.Sashimi is raw fish without rice. Nigiri sushi is rice prepared with sweetened vinegar, smushed into an oblong, and topped with fish and other bits of stuff.

As someone pointed out, sticky/glutinous rice is not what is typically used to make Japanese rice. Sticky rice is used to make things like mochi (http://www.jamesbeard.org/events/words/mochi_rice.shtml) or wrapped in lotus leaf to make sticky rice. The typical rice you get at a Japanese restaurant is medium grain. Calrose is a good brand.

Rice should sit for a while to steam after the light goes out on the cooker as it will continue to cook. It is good to gently stir/turn over the rice with a wet rice paddle a few minutes after it is done and then let it sit some more. This lets it cook evenly

[Testy]

If it's a brick, I'd be worried. Thai sticky rice (I have no idea how to phonetically spell the Thai word for it... SOmething like "Cow-neal" but not really :confused: ) is very sticky, but the mass of it is soft and pliable - definitely not stiff or bricklike.

And those damn bamboo cones are not cheap. I need a new one.

I've always thought of writing it as "Khow Neow". It is a shame to run out of letters. Sticky rice is a pain to make but is great with fried chicken! :D

Regards

Testy

[Testy]

Sashimi is raw fish without rice. Nigiri sushi is rice prepared with sweetened vinegar, smushed into an oblong, and topped with fish and other bits of stuff.

<SNIP>



Thanks for the info. I'm always getting sashimi/sushi mixed up.

Regards

Testy

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

I've always thought of writing it as "Khow Neow". It is a shame to run out of letters. Sticky rice is a pain to make but is great with fried chicken! :D

Regards

Testy


Sticky rice, fried chicken, and sweet chili sauce. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life.