A thermometer measures temperature for display. A thermostat mechanically opens or closes a switch at a certain temperature.
Let me correct that. Stickiness results from more starch. Gumminess results from using too much water and overcooking the rice.
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: 
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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 
) 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.
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 likemochi 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
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!
Regards
Testy
Thanks for the info. I’m always getting sashimi/sushi mixed up.
Regards
Testy
Sticky rice, fried chicken, and sweet chili sauce. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life.