All you need to know about Rice Cooker

Rice is the most consumed food item across the globe. It is the constituent ingredient of a large number of dishes. Therefore, it is important to cook the rice well. Well, with the right kind of tools, you don’t need to be an expert to cook the rice well.

A rice cooker is an electronic device that automatically cooks the rice to the point of perfection. Although the electric cookers are slower, it works with perfection. It is simple to operate so, you can easily cook a large variety of tasty dishes. They consist of a large cooking pot, a thermometer to monitor and modulate the internal temperature, a couple of handles, a set of control buttons, and most importantly the heating element. The internal pot of the rice cooker has a non-stick coating so, it may consist of a paddle or spoon meant for its non-stick surface.

Types of Rice Cooker

With the large increment in the demand for rice, the demand for rice cookers has also increased. Rice is one of the main sources of carbohydrates so, a lot of people are adding rice to their diet lately. Based on the technology used and the functionalities, there are various types of rice cookers available in the market. Here, we have discussed 4 main types of rice cookers.

1. Standard Rice Cooker

They are very simple types of rice-cooker you will find on our website. They are very simple to operate. You just have to add the rice and water to the pot and plugged in the electricity, and the job is done. Actually, most of the rice cookers, you will find in Nepali households are Standard Rice Cookers.

Key Features

• Easy to use
• Automatically switches to the warming mode, once the rice is cooked.
• Very easy to clean
• A large variety in capacities and sizes
• The power cord is detachable
• Cheaper than other rice cookers

2. Improved Rice Cooker

Basically, they are improvements over the Standard Rice Cookers with some additional features. They cook better and faster than standard cookers.

Key Features

• Separate cook settings for the brown rice
• Separate settings for steaming and warming
• Have a digital delay timer and countdown
• Options for cooking
• Expensive than the standard model but cheaper than the other models.

3. Multi-function Rice Cooker

Multi-function rice cookers have all the features of other rice cookers and more. They have lots of other cooking options like sushi rice, brown rice, mixed rice, and cereals hence, they are given the name multi-function cooker.

Key Features

• Integrated microcomputer technology
• Retractable cord
• Digital control panel
• Different timer functions
• The lid can be easily detached.
• Middle ranged pricing

Due to their pricing and highly demanding features, they are very popular.

3. Induction Rice Cooker

Induction Rice Cookers are the best among all rice cookers. They are highly efficient and have a large number of cook settings as compared to any other setting. The standard rice cooker exchanges heat to the inward pot via conduction which delivers the heat inefficiently and unsteady. On the contrary, the induction process transfers heat through induction. Firstly, the electric current is passed through the coil surrounding the pot. This electricity produces the magnetic field around the pot which in turn generated electric current in the pot. This heats the entire pot quickly and cooks the rice evenly.

Key Features

• Faster and stable heat distribution than any other rice cookers
• Cooks the rice perfectly and evenly
• Extra settings for jasmine rice, sushi rice, and many more
• Advanced digital control pads
• Extended warming features

The downside of induction rice cookers is the energy consumption and cost. They are comparatively expensive and consume more electricity. Despite these downsides, they are highly popular across the globe.

Size of Rice Cooker

Rice cookers have a wide range of capacities. As we know, the size of the rice cooker is measured in cups ranging from 1 cup to over 15 cups of rice. Based on the size, the rice cooker is classified into the following types:-

• Mini rice cooker: Under 3 cups of cooked rice
• Small rice cooker: 3-6 cups of cooked rice
• Standard rice cooker: 6-9 cups of cooked rice
• Large rice cooker: 10-14 cups of cooked rice
• Extra-large rice cooker: 15+ cups of cooked rice

How to find the ideal Rice Cooker for you?

Rice cookers are not the most expensive kitchen appliances but they are the important ones. They are the most common cooking appliances in every Nepali household. However, most of us are not capable of making the right buying choices. Here, we have mentioned some key factors, you must consider while buying a brand new Rice Cooker.

1. Easy to Operate

While buying a brand new rice cooker, you must consider the operational factors. This means that the rice cooker must be easy to operate. It must not require expertise to operate. Most rice cookers come with one-touch easy operation. First of all, add rice and the appropriate amount of water to the pot and switch the rice cooker to cook mode. When the rice is finally cooked, it will automatically switch to warm mode. Thus, you should always pick the one that requires minimum human effort.

2. Type of Lid

Although the lids are not the most important feature of the rice cooker, we have options. Most commonly, we have see-through lids and close-fit stainless steel lids. See-through lids enable us to check the progress of the rice while it is cooking.

3. Easy to clean

It is important to clean your cooking pot after every cooking. First of all, we should make sure the cooking bowl and lid are safe to wash in the dishwasher. However, it should not be necessarily washed in the dishwasher. You can clean the pot and the lid easily with the sponge scrub, detergent, and water. Picking a rice cooker with stainless steel, aluminum or a non-stick cooking bowl is always beneficial in the long run.

4. Automatic switch function

This is one of the most common features of the rice cooker. Basically, this feature enables you to change the rice cooker from cook mode to warm mode automatically once the rice is cooked. This saves your electricity and prevents your rice from overcooking.

5. Multi-purpose Rice Cookers

It’s worth considering a multi-purpose rice cooker if you are a small family. It’s always helpful to have one appliance which can do multiple tasks. A multi-purpose rice cooker can steam vegetables, meat, fish, and other items along with the rice. Some of these models enable us to cook pulse as well. Therefore, if you are someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time inside the kitchen, you should pick the multi-purpose rice cooker.

6. Accessories

Most of the latest rice cookers come with a set of accessories. While buying a new cooker you must look for the accessories set. Accessories may include measuring cups, a steam tray, a serving spatula, and spoons. Depending on the brand, the accessories may vary.

7. Capacity

One of the important things we should consider while buying a new rice cooker is the size of the rice cooker. Usually, the size of the rice cooker is measured in cups ranging from 3-15 or more. You should buy the rice cooker that fits your need. As rice cookers are designed to work properly at a certain capacity, you should never buy one which is too big or too small for your family.