Answering some rice cooker questions
posted on 7 Dec 2007 by maki ::
A few readers have emailed me recently about rice cookers by coincidence. So I thought I would put my answers here for everyone’s benefit.
What size of rice cooker is right for me?
A single portion of rice ranges from 1/2 to 1 cup. So, if you are a single person or a couple you don’t need a huge rice cooker unless you are the social type who regularly has parties. The smallest capacity I’ve seen sold outside of Japan (where they do sell 2-cup or even 1-cup cookers) is 3 cups.
However, the newer rice cookers from good manufacturers like Zojirushi, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and so on handle small amounts of rice in their big-capacity rice cookers. For example this
can cook 1 cup as well as 10 cups. So, the size issue may come down more to budget and how much countertop space you can give it.
Q. Do I really need to spend so much on a rice cooker?
My general philosophy is this: If you think you’ll use it regularly, it’s worth spending a bit more for any appliance. The if you’ll use it regularly part is critical though. Will you be making rice at least 1 or 2 times a week, every week? Then a rice cooker is worth getting. And there’s such a world of difference between a good rice cooker and a cheap one. The most important one is durability - my older Zojirushi rice cooker is 20 years or so old and still working fine. The more durable an appliance is, the less you’re going to be adding crap needlessly to your local landfill. And you’ll save money in the long run.
(Incidentally, I’m not being unfairly biased by always recommending Japanese rice cooker manufacturers like Zojirushi. For one thing, everyone in my family has had great experiences with them. For another - Japanese people eat a lot of rice and they are quite particular about how their rice cookers perform!)
Should I get a rice cooker that can cook brown rice, or other types of rice?
Again, if you think you will be cooking other types of grains or rice regularly, definitely yes.
What features should I look for?
In order of importance:
A timer! Most rice cookers have a timer function, but it’s really handy to have. You can wash the rice the night before to have it freshly cooked in the morning, or wash it in the morning so you can come back to fresh cooked rice, etc.
Ease of use! You should be able to set it without thinking once you’ve read through the manual.
A durable, non-stick inner container is good to have, so that you can wash the rice in the container instead of having to bother with another bowl, etc.
An audible beeper, so you know when the rice is done.
Settings for cooking different kinds of rice or grains.
Sophisticated electronics that ensure your rice is cooked well (they are called Micom or Neuro-fuzzy or something like that usually)
Keep-warm feature. I have to say that I usually switch off the keep-warm as soon as the rice is done, because I think it makes the rice taste worse and worse. You should never use keep-warm for whole grains, including brown rice, because it will start to get odd fairly fast.
Q. I got a rice cooker but my rice still doesn’t taste right.
If you’re cooking Japanese style rice, are you sure you got the right kind? (See .) Are you washing it correctly? (See .) You can’t skip the washing part and expect to get rice that’s as good as you can get at your favorite Japanese restaurant. (And to be picky, a lot of Japanese restaurants don’t wash their rice well enough for me, or use the evil ‘no-wash rice’ (musenmai). But that’s another story.)
Can I use a rice cooker for cooking other things?
You sure can. You have to keep in mind that a rice cooker is designed to start cooking at a low heat, gradually increasingly the heat, ending at a high heat. And it’s also fairly (in some models completely) sealed, so you get a moist steam heat. So, things that can be cooked in that type of environment will fit. There are several books about rice cooker cooking in Japan, and All About (the Japanese equivalent ) has a . There are some rice cooker books in English too, like . I can’t vouch for any of the books, but I’ve tried some of the recipes on All About and they are rather fun.
Q. Do I need a rice cooker at all?
Our ancestors didn’t have cute beepy electric cookers, so obviously it is possible to cook rice properly without one.
I have a little confession actually - recently, I’ve been cooking rice more and more in anything but my rice cooker. I still rely on it when I’m in a hurry. And when someone else is making dinner, I can just ask them to ‘do the rice’ and as long as it’s using the rice cooker, everything is ok.
But I’ve found that the best tasting rice really is made in a regular, heavy pot, or in a pressure cooker. That’s the only way
these days. However, it takes some patience and practice to cook rice without the handy set-it-and-forget-it-ness of a rice cooker. I never used to be able to cook rice properly without a cooker - the rice
would always turn into mush, or be hard and raw. Even now, after years of fairly concentrated practice, I occasionally turn out a pot of inedible goo.
So for a busy person who cooks a lot of rice or other grains,
I think a rice cooker is a great appliance to have. It’s just one less thing to think about after all.
About the rice cooker cup
One very important thing to keep in mind if you purchase a rice cooker is that you should always use the little measuring cup that comes with it. The capacity of the cup is usually 180ml, which is less than a Japanese one cup (200ml) or an American one cup (236ml) or the offical metric one cup (250ml). If you do lose that cup though, just measure out 180ml with a regular measuring cup.
Shopping news: Zojirushi and Tiger rice cookers in Europe
Europe-based readers haven’t had a lot of luck finding Japanese rice cookers, barring a trip to Japan. I’ve spotted this fairly new Zojirushi Rizo model on the web site of a German/Japanese mailorder store, Ja-Mart:
It’s a 3-cup capacity model that cooks Japanese style rice, risotto, and also does ‘steam cooking’. It comes in yellow, white and stainless steel, and it’s available . The price for the yellow and white models is &186, which for a Japanese rice cooker in Europe is fairly reasonable. The site is in Japanese and German only, but they do deliver to several European countries, so try emailing them at customer.service at ja-mart dot de. (Note for people in Switzerland: they do ship here, even though Switzerland doesn’t appear in their drop-down menu.)
If you’re in the U.S. and fall in love with the cutie, you can get it from .
(Update on JA-Mart: They now carry a 1 to 10-cup capacity IH (Induction Heating) , another very good brand.)
Shopping news: CasaBento carries 220V rice cookers
carries 220v models of Zojirushi rice cookers. For example
is &144.99; in the U.S. it retails for . If you know anything about U.S. vs. European prices, you’d know that that makes the CasaBento price pretty fair. (Disclaimer: As of October 2009, CasaBento is a premium advertiser on Just Bento.)
Shopping news: UK source for Zojirushi rice cookers
I received an email from Donna and Neil of , who currently sell two models of Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic rice cookers in the UK. They are 220-240v and have three-pin UK plugs (an adapter plug would be needed for continental Europe). Check them out!
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Maki, another source in UK for Fuzzy Logic rice cookers is
I have just ordered one from them and it will be delivered soon. I'll be reviewing it on my blog when I get a chance to play with it!
Hi. The reason why everyone on this blog is recommending Zojirushi is because its a Japanese brand with Japanese high build quality and this is something I completely agree with. I bought a non-japanese branded rice cooker which was made in China and the electronics didn't last very long. It failed after 3 months use. Even Sanyo's which you would think are a good brand have failed my friend on occasion.
What we all love about Zojirushi's is their ease of use and they have menu settings for different types of rice which the ones you quoted to have bought don't feature. They can be used as a slow cooker if you want but perfect rice comes top of my 'want list'.
As a Japanese person, I believe that the quality of rice cooked in a dedicated rice cooker is better than that of a slow cooker. My Zojirushi has not failed me in over 5 years and I use it twice every day.
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- a hard glossy finish
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- a soft rubberized finishI've been making my own yogurt for a few years now and I don't think I'll ever go back. Not only does it actually save me some grocery money, but this homemade yogurt is seriously good. I'm eating more yogurt now than ever before.
The method I've adopted is very basic — no special heirloom yogurt cultures or fancy incubating equipment required. You could even make a batch tonight and have homemade yogurt for breakfast by tomorrow morning!
What Do I Need to Make Yogurt?
All you need to make homemade yogurt is a half gallon of milk and about a half cup of yogurt. Whole or 2% milk will make the thickest, creamiest yogurt, but you can also use skim milk if you like. For the yogurt, either Greek or regular yogurt is fine, but
stick to plain, unflavored yogurts.
When you're buying yogurt, also check that it lists "Live Active Yogurt Cultures" in the ingredients — we need those! The live cultures are what actually turn the milk into yogurt. The number of cultures doesn' as long as there is at least one, you can make yogurt. This said, different strains of bacteria have different health benefits, so I personally look for the yogurt with the most number of cultures lists. Some common ones are L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei.
What Equipment Do I Need?
All you need to make yogurt is a heavy pot with a lid. I like to use a 3-quart Dutch oven. Once the lid is on, a heavy pot like this does an admirable job of keeping the milk cozy and at a fairly steady temperature (ideally around 110°F) while the bacteria go to work turning the milk into yogurt. It also helps to put the pot somewhere insulated and warm while this is happening, like an oven with the light turned on or a picnic cooler with a hot water bottle.
You can certainly use a yogurt maker or even a dehydrator if you have one — these are great for holding the yogurt at a very steady temperature as it incubates — but can make great yogurt without them.
What Next?
Once you have this basic method for making yogurt down pat, there are all sorts of tweaks and changes you can make. Some people like to add dry milk powder or
for extra thickness, others like to strain off the liquid whey for a dense . Using different brands of commercial yogurt to culture the milk can also give you subtly different flavors and nutritional benefits.
You can also try purchasing a special starter from a health food store, food co-op or online. My favorite resource for interesting starters is Cultures for Health:
from Cultures for Health
Do you make your own yogurt? What's your favorite method?
To make yogurt, you need a half gallon of milk, a half cup of yogurt, and a heavy pot with a lid.
How To Make Yogurt at Home
Makes about 2 quarts yogurt
What You Need
Ingredients
1/2 gallon milk — whole or 2% are best, but skim can also be used
1/2 cup commercial yogurt containing active cultures
3 quart or larger Dutch oven or heavy saucepan with a lid
Instant-read or candy thermometer (one that can clip to the side of the pan)
Small measuring cup or small bowl
Instructions
Heat the milk. Pour the milk into the Dutch oven and set over medium to medium-high heat. Warm the milk to right below boiling, about 200°F. Stir the milk gently as it heats to make sure the bottom doesn't scorch and the milk doesn't boil over. According to the , this heating step is necessary to change the protein structure in the milk so it sets as a solid instead of separating.
Cool the milk. Let the milk cool until it is just warm to the touch, 112°F to 115°F. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. (Though if one does form, you can either stir it back in or pull it out for a snack!) You can help this step go faster by placing the Dutch oven in an
and gently stirring the milk.
Thin the yogurt with milk. Scoop out about a cup of warm milk with a measuring cup and add the yogurt. Whisk until smooth and the yogurt is dissolved in the milk.
Whisk the thinned yogurt into the milk. Pour the thinned yogurt into the warm milk while whisking gently. This inoculates the milk with the yogurt culture.
Transfer the pot to the (turned-off) oven. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and place the whole pot in a turned-off oven — turn on the oven light or wrap the pot in towels to keep the milk warm as it sets (ideally around 110°F, though some variance is fine). You can also make the yogurt in a dehydrator left at 110°F or using a yogurt maker.
Wait for the yogurt to set. Let the yogurt set for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight — the exact time will depend on the cultures used, the temperature of the yogurt, and your yogurt preferences. The longer yogurt sits, the thicker and more tart it becomes. If this is your first time making yogurt, start checking it after 4 hours and stop when it reaches a flavor and consistency you like. Avoid jostling or stirring the yogurt until it has fully set.
Cool the yogurt. Once the yogurt has set to your liking, remove it from the oven. If you see any watery whey on the surface of the yogurt, you can either drain this off or whisk it back into the yogurt before transferring to containers. Whisking also gives the yogurt a more consistent creamy texture. Transfer the to storage containers, cover, and refrigerate. Homemade yogurt will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Your next batch of homemade yogurt. Once you start making your own yogurt, you can use some of each batch to culture your next batch. Just save 1/2 cup to use for this purpose. If after a few batches, you notice some odd flavors in your yogurt or that it's not culturing quite as quickly, that means that either some outside bacteria has taken up residence in your yogurt or that this strain is becoming weak. As long as this batch still tastes good to you, it will be safe to eat, but go back to using some store-bought commercial yogurt in your next batch.
Recipe Notes
o Cost Breakdown: We eat about a quart of yogurt a week in our house, which was costing roughly $2.60 a week. A half gallon of milk makes a little less than two quarts of yogurt, which has been just enough to last us two weeks. We buy a
that costs $3.70 per half gallon ($1.85 per quart), so we end up saving about 75-cents per week on yogurt. Nice.
o Holding the Temperature: If your milk drops below 110° while it's incubating, that's fine. It will take a little longer to set and might end up a little looser, but the bacteria in the yogurt culture will keep the milk from spoiling. By the way, even after 8 hours in the oven (overnight), our yogurt made in the Dutch oven still usually registers about 100° when I take it out of the oven!
o Homemade Greek Yogurt: You can make Greek-style yogurt by straining your homemade yogurt until it is as thick as you like. Read more about it here:
This post and recipe have been updated. Originally published August 23, 2010.
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