OT Rice Cooker

Zojirushi (Japanese for "elephant brand") is one of the name brands for rice cookers. The other big name brands are Panasonic (Matsushita) and Sanyo. We've had a 10-cup Zojirushi rice cooker for about 17 years, and have lost the steam valve on the cover so the rice comes out mushy now. Up until the valve got lost, it made great Japanese rice 3 or 4 times a week for 17 years. The fuzzy logic ones were not on the market when we got our last one so I don't have personal experience with one but my parents and sister have them and like them. I think we will get one of the fuzzy logic ones soon.

If you are using Japanese rice (Kokuho Rose and Nishiki are the 2 big brands, grown in CA), the trick is to let the rice soak for 4 or more hours before starting cooking, although we usually only soak for 30 minutes with no problems.

If you have leftover rice, place 1 serving on a sheet of plastic wrap like Saran wrap, wrap the rice into a snowball, and freeze. To serve, microwave the rice ball with the plastic wrap in place for about 2-1/2 minutes, remove the plastic, and you will have rice that is close to what came out of the rice cooker.

I think one of Zojirushi's first products was an air-pot thermal carafe where you pump the top and the liquid comes out of a spout in front. The spout looks like an elephant's snout, hence the name "elephant brand."

I eat steamed rice just about every day and use a 10 cup Tiger Brand cooker. I have a preferance for Hinode Brand rice but have used others brands too (bought on sale). I don't know about the need to soak the rice before cooking. All I do is measure out the rice, usually 3 or 4 cups (using the measure cup which came with the cooker), wash it, fill the water to the level indicated on the rice pot according to the amount of rice using, then place the pot into the cooker and start it up.

Soaking the rice before cooking is one of those things my mom told me to do. Personally, I can't tell the difference and so we just wash it, add the water, and press the button, although my dad says he can tell when it has not been soaked long enough.

It's a *WHO*???

My first wife wanted a National Rice Cooker. (National is a brand of Matsushita, or Panasonic). No Fuzzy Logic needed: you put in the rice and the water and press the button, it goes ding and you have perfact rice...

What is perfact rice? If rice isn't starchy or sticky when it's done cooking but isn't quite soft, would you say it was from too little or too much water (over or under cooked?)

That's rice you get when you're cooking it with Fat Fingers...

I would say too little. But then, my Chinese wife was the expert on that.

I have adopted a new saying about her: Every time I see her I wonder why I divorced her. Every time I talk to her I remember...

But I'll tell you one thing...she could COOK!!! I had some of the best authentic Chinese food you'd ever find anywhere, right in my own kitchen. I miss that more than anything...!

but you were hungry an hour after each meal...... ;-)

If it isn't soft and it was cooked in a rice cooker, then too little water.

We learn the most interesting things here in the toyota NG, :)

LOL! Hey, I don't know about you guys, but another reason I drive Toyotaws is because I like Japanese culture.

And so, the rice fits right in!

Not often...I always had her put in extra meat for me! ;)

Thanks for the info.

good boy! ;-)

Hey! She lives down by you. Are you looking?! If you're deaf, that makes it that much easier! ;P

I mix 1 1/2 cups water for every 1 cup rice - you dont need distilled water like the radiator, add a dash of salt. Its better to use warm or hot water and not cold water. when cooked, unplug (just to save on electricity) and let stand for another 2 minutes scrape the rice (like spreading butter) and dont get a big chunk like your cutting a cake.

I dont soak and wash the rice before cooking. I keep my rice in an air sealed plastic container, washing would wash out the healthy nutrients in the rice.

In a traditional Japanese household, they do not measure water. My mom taught me to stick your finger into the rice to determine how deep the rice is and mark the depth on your forefinger with your thumb, then put your finger on top of the rice and fill with water to where your thumb is. I guess measuring rice and water quantities is like asking someone in the U.S. to measure out water for boiling potatos or somene in Italy to measure water for pasta.

I was also taught to use the coldest water possible to wash the rice so that it doesn't start to affect the rice grains while washing.

Rice used to be coated with a talc powder, but whatever it is these days is probably a lot safer. We still give our rice a quick rinse but the instructions on the bag say not to.

I got used to measuring the rice and water with the same cup. First, I measure the rice then I measure the water, so that the cup wont be wet when I get rice out of my conatiner. I heard of that fingertip measuring technique too but I dont rely on that since I wont rely on my eyes to check if my tire pressure is good or bad. When I bought my rice cooker it comes with a free measuring cup, so I might as well use it : ) I use hot/warm water in the rice cooker so the cooker wont use too much power in bringing the temp up. I tried washing the rice once and I did not find any impurities so I never bothered washing them again, and I dont wash potatoes and pasta before I boil them. I always peel the skin off and dont eat them plus I dont buy the dirty looking potatoes in the store.

My mother gets perfect rice every time using the fingertip method. My wife gets perfect rice about 75% of the time, I get perfect rice about half the time. Obviously, my wife and I should use the measuring cup, but at least for me, it is kind a cultural thing to be able to use the fingertip method ;-)

Like I said, the instructions on the rice say not to wash it, but close to

50 years of watching rice being washed makes it kind of hard for me to break the habit!

I learned recently to leave the skins on while boiling and then let them cool down a little or run them under cold water, and then lightly use the peeler. The flavor and texture seems to be a lot better. Especially for when making potato salad.Mark_