When I got married in 1983, one of our treasured wedding gifts (given by my best man and his Hawaii-raised wife) was a Hitachi rice cooker. It received at least weekly use in our household for the entirety and of our 36-year marriage, and came with me when I moved in with my second wife in 2021. The inner rice pot would comfortably cook two cups of standard white rice, and it might have fit three.
Unfortunately one evening in the fall of 2021, I prepared to use it yet again, when I noticed a puddle of water underneath it on the countertop. Inspection revealed a pinhole in the pot. I immediately drove to our local Target store to obtain a replacement. The closest I could find was an Aroma brand rice cooker, so I bought that.
It has been a disappointment. It cooks the rice just fine, but it is missing the two features that made the Hitachi the perfect appliance. It has no bell to let me know when the cooking has stopped and it’s just keeping the rice warm. It just makes a barely audible “click.” The other thing it’s missing is AN ON/OFF SWITCH! You plug it in and it’s ON! I hate that! It was only $30, and if I could find my old model of Hitachi, I’d replace it in a heartbeat.
But it seems that some time during the aforementioned thirty-six years, Hitachi stopped making rice cookers in that size. I’ve been able to find 12-15 cup sizes, but those are too spendy and too large for my countertop (so I haven’t considered them, and I don’t really know if they have the features I’m pining for).
I’m using the Aroma less often than I otherwise would these days, and I probably wouldn’t be thinking about it now, except for the fact that I made a pot of ersatz Spanish rice today. I’m considering looking for a different brand WITH the features.
Thanks, but I’m afraid I wasn’t as clear as I should have been. My ideal rice cooker is very low tech, small, has a dedicated ON/OFF switch and a bell, AND comes at a price point similar to my old Hitachi and current Aroma.
If I can’t find that, I’ll just go on with the Aroma and curse the Hitachi Corporation under my breath every time I use it.
We had the same Hitachi when we first started out, too! It was great - bell sounded when the rice was done and it automatically switched to “warm” mode. So smart, and yeah, other cheap rice cookers never measured-up after the Hitachi died. As a result, we’ve reverted to the uncivilized method of cooking rice in a regular pot on the stove.
Does the pot from the Aroma rice cooker fit in the Hitachi? May be worth a try.
I know nothing of rice cookers but on eBay I see a number of “vintage” Hitachi “Chime-o-Matic” rice cookers in various sizes with on/off switches on the front.
I’ve had a Zojirushi rice cooker for a long time. It plays a tune when finished (my gf tells me) but I can’t hear it. It has an off/on button and defaults to a keep warm mode. I bought it, so I assume it is reasonably priced.
Because I can’t hear it, I just set a timer on my phone.
Yesterday I reluctantly went to the orchardist’s supply store and bought myself another Felco #8 pruning shears. Over the past eight years I have lost both my old Felco and my back-up Felco.
My old Felco, which I got about 1978, at the time cost $35, which was a serious investment in quality garden tools, for me. They are made in Switzerland. Cheapo shears were like $8.99, and were probably made in the US.
My new pair, just as beautifully made as my original one which gave me so many years of service, cost $70. I’ll try to hang on to them.
You only have two choices: buy another of the same cooker and pay the difference caused by four decades of inflation, or get a crappo cooker for the 1983 price.
I’ve gotten several rice cookers over the years from Goodwill. A couple for my daughters, and one when I downsized from my 10-cup 1981 Hitachi. There’s a Goodwill in one of the more Asian neighborhoods where there are almost always a few to choose from.
I’ve been cooking for 40 years and this is how I cook rice. It comes out perfectly fine, every time. Yet some people swear by their rice cookers. What is their appeal, exactly? Does the rice come out fluffier or something?
That’s really it- a comparable rice cooker to your $30 Hitachi in 1983 would cost you somewhere around $95 today, when inflation is accounted for. Which is actually a bit more than the most stripped down Zojirushi models go for these days.
The big advantage to having a rice cooker for me is that it’s both more forgiving in terms of measurements- if I get my rices confused and use one’s proportion of water for the other, the rice cookers accommodate that due to the way they work.
And most importantly, they’ll cook it right, then disengage and keep it warm. You don’t have to remember or listen for a timer or anything like that- it’s just done and warm, and you eat when everything else is ready.
Mine (a 20 year old Panasonic) even has a “Done” timer, where I can load the rice and water in whenever I feel like and set the timer to have it finish by a certain time. I don’t typically put the rice in more than two-three hours ahead of time, but it’s extremely nice when I have a lot to do, and have a minute to load the rice cooker and set the timer near our planned dinner time.
I’m glad you brought this up, so I didn’t have to get yelled at. I cook mine in a nonstick pot and set a timer to tell me when to take it off the heat and let it steam a bit. This isn’t rocket science and it works perfectly every time. I use rinsed Basmati rice, which is pretty much foolproof. I’m pretty sure that millions of Indians and other Asians use the same technique without having to buy yet another appliance. Not that I don’t like the appliances that I have; I just don’t see the need for this one.
I was gonna suggest just findiing heat and water resistent tape and fix it that way or research other easy and cheap ways to fix the hole instead of spending money on another rice cooker.
I kinda feel much the same way. I briefly thought about buying a rice cooker and then thought, really, why bother with another appliance? If I need white rice I put the appropriate amount of Uncle Ben’s (now called “Ben’s Original”) converted rice in a saucepan with twice the amount of water, bring it to a gentle boil in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes, and then let it sit for anywhere from a minimum of 5 minutes up to an hour or more if I’m not immediately ready to serve it – doesn’t matter. I’ll use the microwave timer to tell me when to take it off the heat.
For flavoured rice I’ll use vegetable broth instead of water and add a handful of dried porcini mushrooms. Also perfect results every time. According to a chef I once spoke with, Ben’s is a preferred choice for a versatile and forgiving rice.
I’m sure that good rice cookers have advantages that I’m not aware of, but I personally see no need for one.
I buy the cheapest white rice I can find. I put some in a pan, add twice as much water, salt, bring it to a boil. Cover it with a tight lid, down to simmer, 20 min. Uncover, let stand 5 or however. I have a smallish kitchen. I don’t need an appliance that is basically redundant. Though, I guess I understand the set it and forget it ease.