Any thoughts on using dedicated rice cookers for other grains? Any issues encountered? Our kitchen has been making more barley and faro. We have almost abandoned brown rice due to arsenic concerns. Of course, we may be overly fearful regarding arsenic, but I must say that for many situations calling for rice, I prefer barley. As we swelter on in Texas summer, I think ahead, wistfully, a few months and think of braised short ribs over barley.
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Works well, I use more water cooking barley than when cooking rice. But , if you cooked brown rice, vs white rice, you probably know about adjusting the amount of water.
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Hi, Tim, I donāt know if this has been talked about but have you investigated buying certain rice brands that donāt have arsenic? Nishiki sushi rice for the U.S. is said to be grown in California and claim no or low? arsenic, For our brown rice, we have Lundberg California organic brown basmati. We donāt eat rice all the time, though, either, but I stopped buying generic store brand domestic rice for general purpose.
I havenāt tried cooking those other grains, though.
I use Lundberg as well. It is quite good in jasmine and basmati. I have a jar of RiceSelect arborio for risotto. The company is not crystal clear as to where it is grown. I give it a B+ for risotto. Next time I shall search for Lundberg or, better still, some carnaroli from Italia. I do not see how any rice could be zero arsenic as arsenic occurs naturally in the soil.
I think if you keep the intake low by finding low arsenic rice, your body can eliminate it. Thereās people who eat rice every day and I donāt know what health issues they have or their toleration and they probably arenāt searching where itās grown. I donāt have rice that often, it just depends on what Iām making. Then thereās my poke and donburi bowls which uses the sushi rice.
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Arsenic in rice is a whole other discussion here, but I can say that 80% of the population of Hawaii eats rice almost dailyā¦including myself, and arsenic toxicity is not a clinical issue for Hawaii residents. Most people here eat Calrose rice that is grown in California, which according to a NYT article on arsenic and rice contains less arsenic than varieties grown in other parts of the country and overseas.
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I think the greatest concern is over rice grown in places that have more lax views on these sorts of things than California does.
Texas?
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Absolutely.
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Hi everyone i have been researching the best rice cookers lately because I want a simple and reliable way to cook rice at home without much hassle. Iām looking for something thatās convenient for daily use and can consistently cook fluffy rice for regular meals.Some of the things that matter most to me are ease of use, durability, quick cooking time, and easy cleaning. Iād also prefer a cooker thatās reliable and requires very little maintenance.After reading reviews from trusted sources and checking customer feedback, these three options stood out to me:
Black+Decker Rice Cooker
Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker
Novaspark low carb rice cooker
However, Iām having trouble deciding which one would be the better choice, so Iād really appreciate some advice. If anyone here has experience using either of these brands or models, your insights would be very helpful.For context, Iām mainly looking for something that offers consistent cooking results, simple controls, and good durability for everyday useWhich one would you recommend? Any pros, cons, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
We love our Zojirushi rice cooker
Bot
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Let me premise my answer by saying that I live in Hawaii, and my wife is 1st generation Japanese. We make rice daily. There is always cooked rice in our house, and it goes with every meal. In Hawaii, the Zojirushi rice makers are held in high esteem, and that is what we have. Measure your rice, pour it in the metal bowl, add water to the desired line, push the button and youāve got rice. Itās all pretty mindless or automatic for usā¦and the Zojirushi reliably works day in and day out, year in and year out. If this machine ever dies, (itās over 20 years old), Iāll replace it with another Zojirushi. They are that reliable.
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I have a Zo that I bought during a promotion. Its really basic ..just the on/off switch.
It was all of about $35 iirc, and it works great regardless of what grain I put in it. Quinoa, Farro, buckwheat, brown or white riceā¦it all comes out tender and fluffy.
Danger, Will Robinson!
I grew up in a culture of eating rice daily and still eat rice perhaps 5 to 8 times a week. Iāve never had a rice cooker. I make it on the stovetop in a stainless steel pot and drain it in a steel colander. I get perfect rice every time as long as I donāt get distracted. In my case itās practice makes perfect but I can see how a rice cooker might be helpful to many people.
I did this for many years, and it worked well.
We moved to a house with a larger gas cooktop, and I just couldnāt get the right power level for my sauce pans and sauciers, and caved, buying a Cuckoo CR-0632F. I have no regrets, as itās hands-off, and makes perfect rice every time.
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Donāt have experience with those. I grew up in a rice eating family too, and weāve always invested in fairly nice Asian brand rice cookers. From your description, it sounds like cooking plain rice well is your primary interest, and not as much in getting something with multi-cooker function.
If that is accurate, go with the cheaper Black & Decker unit. If that works, the inexpensive Aroma rice cooker always seems to get a shout out or a pick for the same reason on multiple websites and review pages, so may be worth considering. Honestly, at 20-30 dollars - even getting a good 2 years out of it is worth it. You can upgrade later if you want more functionality.
If you think thereās a possibility you might want to cook other things and get a smart rice cooker than can do different grains just as well, in addition to soup or porridge, etc, thereās a lot of good brands in this thread for the high-end rice cookers.
