Rice Cookers and other kitchen gadgets......

_Dara_

Dial Hard wrote: »

I have such a "thing" against single-function appliances. Yoghurt makers. Rice cookers. Tea-makers, ffs. What the hell is wrong with a kettle?

Me too. My sister is always complaining about her lack of counter space but then went out and bought a ginormous rice cooker. Seriously, it's a really cumbersome yoke. I can't get my head around why you would need a special appliance for that. It just seems to complicate a simple task. Tooting my own horn here but I do really good steamed rice and all I need is a saucepan with a lid and some tin foil. And it takes 15 minutes tops. And only five minutes of that requires my presence near the cooker. I just take it off the heat and walk away after that and let it do its thing.

_Dara_

_Dara_ wrote: »

Me too. My sister is always complaining about her lack of counter space but then went out and bought a ginormous rice cooker. Seriously, it's a really cumbersome yoke. I can't get my head around why you would need a special appliance for that. It just seems to complicate a simple task. Tooting my own horn here but I do really good steamed rice and all I need is a saucepan with a lid and some tin foil. And it takes 15 minutes tops. And only five minutes of that requires my presence near the cooker. I just take it off the heat and walk away after that and let it do its thing.

I do have a waffle-maker though. But that something that needs its own maker, whether it's a plug in waffle maker or the cast iron yokes you can put in the oven.

Thargor

People saying rice cookers are pointless dont understand, theres a reason every house in Japan has one.

rubadub

Thargor wrote: »

People saying rice cookers are pointless dont understand, theres a reason every house in Japan has one.

Just did a search on the last page and there was pretty big support of them.

I have a "rice cooker", my microwave, you might consider me one of those saying they are "pointless". I actually do have a rice cooker in the press that a housemate was given, I never bothered with it, either has he as far as I remember.

I have also heard few households in the US have electric kettles, and searching google seems few in Japan have the pop up toaster which you could similarly claim "every house in Ireland has one".

I do understand why people in Asia might have a rice cooker, the majority are likely feeding families rice every single day, multiple times a day, makes perfect sense for them to have one, and for me not to bother.

Thargor

Its a taste/texture thing though, the rice cooker just does it better.

Dial Hard

Thargor wrote:

Its a taste/texture thing though, the rice cooker just does it better.

How much rice do you eat, though?

I only eat it about once a month, and I only eat brown, which is foolproof anyway. A rice cooker would literally just take up space/gather dust in my kitchen the vast, vast majority of the time.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Am I the only one who uses the auld boil in the bag rice? Can't go wrong.

madmaggie

Dial Hard wrote: »

I have such a "thing" against single-function appliances. Yoghurt makers. Rice cookers. Tea-makers, ffs. What the hell is wrong with a kettle?

I bought a three tier steamer in Aldi last year. The difference in the taste of veggies is amazing. You can pack a lot of stuff in the the tiers, and just rinse them under the tap. That said, I have a fair few gadgets gathering cobwebs out in the shed.

_Dara_

Thargor wrote: »

Its a taste/texture thing though, the rice cooker just does it better.

I’ve eaten rice out of my sister’s. It was fine but I can’t recall anything noteworthy about it.

Gloomtastic!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Am I the only one who uses the auld boil in the bag rice? Can't go wrong.

TV Dinner speciality!

the beer revolu

Thargor wrote: »

Its a taste/texture thing though, the rice cooker just does it better.

If you cook rice by the absorption method in a pot and let it finish properly, it tastes the same to me.
We had one for a while but I found it handier to do it in a pot and found the rice no better from it. I gave it away.

It's not just Japan, it seems to me that all Asian people use them. Stayed with a Taiwanese friend who was in France for a few months. She bought one and left it after her rather than be without one for a few months.

My mother in law (originally from Singapore) uses one daily, too.

I really don't see the point unless you eat rice a couple of times a day every day.

DavyD_83

My wife is totally anti-clutter, me not so much

We got an Air-fryer and a breadmaker last week, both of which are already causing issues in terms of counter space.
I haven't managed to fully road test either yet, but am hoping both will be worthwhile and useful.

I still want to get a stand mixer, but may have to wait until the house is extended; it's also hard to justify in a Gluten Free house (I'm the only 1 of 4 who can eat Gluten).
Our kitchen at the moment is really badly planned and really can't cope with more than 1 person. Extra items only make it even worse.

jennyhayes123

caviardreams wrote:

Oh I didn't realise it did pancakes! Can you make them thin and they still brown on both sides? The depth of the slots in the aldi one look quite deep.

I made them thin and just turned them over after few mins.
I'm delighted with it. Doesn't say on it you can make them. I just did

Amirani

_Dara_ wrote: »

Me too. My sister is always complaining about her lack of counter space but then went out and bought a ginormous rice cooker. Seriously, it's a really cumbersome yoke. I can't get my head around why you would need a special appliance for that. It just seems to complicate a simple task. Tooting my own horn here but I do really good steamed rice and all I need is a saucepan with a lid and some tin foil. And it takes 15 minutes tops. And only five minutes of that requires my presence near the cooker. I just take it off the heat and walk away after that and let it do its thing.

You can use your rice cooker for a lot more than just steamed rice. You can make all sorts of varieties using different spices and sauces that don't translate as well to cooking in a saucepan.

Dial Hard wrote: »

How much rice do you eat, though?

I only eat it about once a month, and I only eat brown, which is foolproof anyway. A rice cooker would literally just take up space/gather dust in my kitchen the vast, vast majority of the time.

Haha, I'd be completely different here. I eat rice every day Monday-Thursday (and often weekend too), I generally have a day for Thai, Indian, Mexican and Middle-Eastern food which would all be rice dominant. The only non-rice carbs I ever eat really are oats in the mornings and potatoes on the weekends.

rubadub

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Am I the only one who uses the auld boil in the bag rice? Can't go wrong.

Boil in the bag can be expensive. Though I see tesco have an unusually cheap basmati boil in the bag, 500g for 79cent, while uncle ben boil in the bag basmati 500g is €3.59!

I like the microwave as it is extremely consistent and I do not have to watch over it, the timing is automatic and as I am doing the absorption method it cannot get overcooked if left, in fact it just gets better. The absorption method also allows you easily add spices etc with no waste.

It is very easy for me to clean my microwave rice container, easier than a pot or the (unused) rice cooker.

kylith

I have a rice cooker and I love it. We'd eat rice several times a week and I always make a big batch so we can have leftovers. My rice cooker is multi function so it's also a slow cooker. Apparently it's a steamer and a porridge cooker too, but I've never used either of those functions.

Clareman

I put the decorations back in the attic last week and noticed the bread maker, rice cooker, ice-cream maker, air fryer and slow cooker. I'm not into gadgets, honest

_Dara_

the beer revolu wrote: »

If you cook rice by the absorption method in a pot and let it finish properly, it tastes the same to me.
We had one for a while but I found it handier to do it in a pot and found the rice no better from it. I gave it away.

This is my method too. It is so easy peasy. Seriously: saucepan, lid, tin foil. Done.

And yeah, it makes sense to have a rice cooker in cultures where it's the main carb. In Ireland that's not most people. It's not worth the countertop real estate for me. But if you ARE an Irish person who eats lots of rice, then it is worth having.

Amirani wrote: »

You can use your rice cooker for a lot more than just steamed rice. You can make all sorts of varieties using different spices and sauces that don't translate as well to cooking in a saucepan.

I've made all kind of different rices either on the hob or in the oven with the cookware I have. Pilau, fried, lemon, coriander, risotto etc. As long as you toast the spices on their own in the pan quickly first, the flavour should transfer.

This Fat Girl Runs

I have a small kitchen and have to be selective about gadgets. I don't even have a microwave. I do have a personal size rice cooker. Makes two perfect portions and I can do loads more with it than just rice. I have an old, unreliable stove and could never get perfect rice so I'm delighted with my little gadget.

The only other gadget (aside from the usual toaster and kettle) I have is a small smoothie maker but again there's a lot I can do with it.

I'm happy enough with that.

_Dara_

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I have a small kitchen and have to be selective about gadgets. I don't even have a microwave.

Our microwave went kaput six weeks ago. We still haven't got around to replacing it and I honestly thought we relied on it a lot. I'm amazed at how infrequently I miss it. We will eventually replace it but I now understand why my sister hasn't missed not owning one for the guts of ten years.

Have to say, my waffle-maker is worth it. Waffles are totally different to pancakes which surprised me.

And I love my sandwich toaster. My MIL had two so gave us one of them last year and I've used it 3-4 times a week since. I remember my mother humming and hawing over buying a sandwich toaster in Roche's in Galway in the late 90s. It was around £20 but money was tight and our kitchen was small, plus she had heard people joking about how little they used theirs so she was unsure. But she bought and it is still going strong, nearly twenty years later. The peak time of its use was the teenage years of her children but even so, it is still regularly used and always has been. I've worked it out. Say, it's been used on average twice a week since she bought it. That means it's been used 104 times a year for, I think, 19 years. So it's been used approximately 2000 times and counting. A sound investment.

Dial Hard

_Dara_ wrote:

Our microwave went kaput six weeks ago. We still haven't got around to replacing it and I honestly thought we relied on it a lot. I'm amazed at how infrequently I miss it. We will eventually replace it but I now understand why my sister hasn't missed not owning one for the guts of ten years.

We're in the exact same position, broke before Christmas. Again, we'll replace it eventually but not until we really start missing it.

The microwave in my ex-marital home broke before and we never bothered replacing it at all.

_Dara_ wrote:

And I love my sandwich toaster. I remember my mother humming and hawing over buying a sandwich toaster in Roche's in Galway in the late 90s... But she bought and it is still going strong, nearly twenty years later. The peak time of its use was the teenage years of her children but even so, it is still regularly used and always has been.

My mother has an ancient Morphy Richards one that mskes THE best toasted sambos ever. I still use it semi-regularly when I'm over there; they don't really. She's offered it to me loads of times but I always refuse. I don't need that kind of temptation in the house!

dxhound2005

kylith wrote: »

I have a rice cooker and I love it. We'd eat rice several times a week and I always make a big batch so we can have leftovers. My rice cooker is multi function so it's also a slow cooker. Apparently it's a steamer and a porridge cooker too, but I've never used either of those functions.

Reheated leftover rice could be a bit dodgy.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to-eat-leftover-rice-without-getting-sick-2017-3?r=US&IR=T

Shenshen

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Reheated leftover rice could be a bit dodgy.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to-eat-leftover-rice-without-getting-sick-2017-3?r=US&IR=T

Please have a quick read through the Food Forum Charter around Food Safety advise. While your post is certainly in line with the "when in doubt, throw it out", we don't want this to start a discussion around the subject.
Thanks!

RasTa

The electric knife! Who remembers using this 80's nostalgia. I had totally erased it from my mind until the mother mentioned she was thinking of buying one for the christmas dinner. Then it appeared again the other day when I was watching an episode of Black Mirror

Gloomtastic!

RasTa wrote: »

The electric knife! Who remembers using this 80's nostalgia. I had totally erased it from my mind until the mother mentioned she was thinking of buying one for the christmas dinner. Then it appeared again the other day when I was watching an episode of Black Mirror

Normally would just use a sharp knife to carve. Used an electric knife at my Mum’s to carve the ham, turkey breasts and stuffed legs at Christmas. So much easier with the electric.......

_Dara_

Dial Hard wrote: »

We're in the exact same position, broke before Christmas. Again, we'll replace it eventually but not until we really start missing it.

Yeah, the only change me and himself indoors have had to make is to make sure to eat dinner as soon as it's ready, no reheating. And that hasn't been an issue.

Outside of that, just little things. Like today I was making pancakes and I wanted to melt butter for the batter but didn't want to dirty an extra pan. But I just fried them in a generous dollop of butter instead. And sometimes I cook noodles in the microwave instead of on the stove as it's quicker and again, not wanting to dirty a pot. Those are the only two instances where I have really missed it.

Dial Hard wrote: »

My mother has an ancient Morphy Richards one that mskes THE best toasted sambos ever. I still use it semi-regularly when I'm over there; they don't really. She's offered it to me loads of times but I always refuse. I
don't need that kind of temptation in the house!

I know, sandwich toaster toasties are just... sex. There, I said it. The way the squished crust goes all biscuity. Plus, I'm focused on losing weight at the moment and toasties actually fit in very neatly into that goal while still giving me something super tasty to eat if I've sick of salad and greek yogurt. You don't need much cheese (well, I don't) plus the butter on the outside is just a scraping to help it brown.

Umekichi

I have a rice cooker and it's easily the second most used piece of equipment in my kitchen after my cooker. It's a bit of a bother as it takes up a huge amount of room but for all the meals I get out of it, I put up with it. It's a programmable type that also acts as a multicooker so I use it for other things like making porridge, yogurt or cheesecake. It's well worth the investment imho, especially if you eat a lot of rice.

kylith

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Reheated leftover rice could be a bit dodgy.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to-eat-leftover-rice-without-getting-sick-2017-3?r=US&IR=T

I know, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.

Will I Am Not

Counter space? Am I the only one that has a press for all that crap?
If I need the rice cooker/slow cooker/George Foreman etc I get it from the press, use it, clean it and put it back.

_Dara_

RasTa wrote: »

The electric knife! Who remembers using this 80's nostalgia. I had totally erased it from my mind until the mother mentioned she was thinking of buying one for the christmas dinner. Then it appeared again the other day when I was watching an episode of Black Mirror

That's another 90s kitchen gadget of my mother's that was and is still heavily used. She uses it to slice the bacon they have once or twice a week for dinner and then various Sunday roast meats. And she couldn't have paid more than £20 for it.

Dial Hard

The Fake Sheikh wrote:

Counter space? Am I the only one that has a press for all that crap?

My press space is also finite and is equally split between crockery/glassware, pots/pans and pantry units.

I even have an extra free-standing floor to ceiling shelving unit and the only appliance/gadget on that is my jug blender. And I don't even have a particularly small kitchen!

Just counting up now, I have 9 cupboards (including one corner and one double unit) and four are used for food. One is the under-sink unit so all the cleaning stuff and the other two double units are cookware, glassware and crockery, all of which are used regularly. I cook a *lot* and I also have people over for dinner a lot.

The free standing unit has wine on the bottom and then the rest is more cookware. Again, all used all the time. That includes stuff like my pestle & mortar and mezzaluna and whatnot.

_Dara_

The Fake Sheikh wrote: »

Counter space? Am I the only one that has a press for all that crap?

Nope, my press space is also at a premium!

Clareman

_Dara_ wrote: »

Nope, my press space is also at a premium!

At this stage attic space is getting to be an issue for me, I forgot the blender, food processor, smoothy marker and the "spare" George Foreman

_Dara_

Clareman wrote: »

At this stage attic space is getting to be an issue for me, I forgot the blender, food processor, smoothy marker and the "spare" George Foreman

Ooh, look at Mr. Fancy Pants with his attic space. :pac:

A food processor is also something I don't want to own. I know they are very useful but I just don't think I'd use it enough to justify the space it takes up and how much it costs.

Clareman

_Dara_ wrote: »

Ooh, look at Mr. Fancy Pants with his attic space. :pac:

A food processor is also something I don't want to own. I know they are very useful but I just don't think I'd use it enough to justify the space it takes up and how much it costs.

Used to make coleslaw with it until I discovered a grater would do the same job.

If we are talking non electrical sh1te I've also a few slap chops, spiralizers, roasting rack/tins, rolling pins, bun racks up there as well

_Dara_

I keep forgetting to buy a rolling pin. That I can justify because I have space in the drawer for it (just about) and they're chape enough. Usually end using a glass or tin of beans the few times of years I need to roll out dough.

Spiralisers. Are they the yokes for making courgetti? I've never made but my sis made cauliflower rice once and she was like "Yeah... it was grand but I'm never making it again, not worth the effort". I suspect courgetti suffers the same fate often.

Clareman

_Dara_ wrote: »

I keep forgetting to buy a rolling pin. That I can justify because I have space in the drawer for it (just about) and they're chape enough. Usually end using a glass or tin of beans the few times of years I need to roll out dough.

Spiralisers. Are they the yokes for making courgetti? I've never made but my sis made cauliflower rice once and she was like "Yeah... it was grand but I'm never making it again, not worth the effort". I suspect courgetti suffers the same fate often.

I don't know to be honest, I've never used it, I thought it would be handy for the kids to get them to eat their veg but I forgot they love their veg so it's not needed. I've a soup maker as well in a press as well as a mini food processor for baby food.

Oh yeah, I also have a couple of coffee machine, bean grinder and a tea infusion kit, I have an awful lot of sh1t but in my defence some of it was bought for me and almost all of it was bought when it was on sale

beertons

I've loads of stuff. A steamer, big food processor, hand held food processor, deep fat fryer, toasted sandwich thing, slow cooker. Also, the salt and pepper mills are battery powered.

_Dara_

Clareman wrote: »

I don't know to be honest, I've never used it, I thought it would be handy for the kids to get them to eat their veg but I forgot they love their veg so it's not needed. I've a soup maker as well in a press as well as a mini food processor for baby food.

Ok, the soup-maker is really making my mind boggle.

Chopping board, knife, peeler, saucepan and, if blending, me auld stick blender.

Clareman

_Dara_ wrote: »

Ok, the soup-maker is really making my mind boggle.

Chopping board, knife, peeler, saucepan and, if blending, me auld stick blender.

I know, I f**king know.

I used to have a steamer until Mrs. Clareman put it on the hob and turned on the hob (no I'm not making it up)

LirW

I'm more of the old school of doing anything by hand. I have a microwave and a slowcooker, that I only use to cook in bulk and I honestly am not the biggest fan of most dishes, it's not saving me much work. I find that most dishes come out alright but would be better cooked conventionally. For example when I'm doing a batch of Bolognese sauce I'd usually put the ingredients together on the stove and then dump it into the slow cooker for the hour long simmer. So I call it my simmer machine.
I especially hate when you put raw onions in, I love onions but I'd rather saute them to get the sharp taste out. Nothing worse than a dish with this sharp onion-y taste.

Anyway I have a food processor too, a cheapish Lidl one, it does the job but I don't have in on my counter and it only comes out at occasion because I'm too lazy to clean it.

Toying with the idea of getting a rice-cooker because we eat a lot of rice here and I would get a lot of use out of it.
Also my man wants a waffle maker, but that again is a thing that you'd need for making waffles, otherwise no waffles.

Maybe not a gadget but gonna buy a fancy wok soon, we switched to induction recently so my old one is useless. 99% set on the Lotus wok, it comes with a steamer insert!

Lady Haywire

I might eat rice maybe once every few months so it'd be a bit useless for me!
Have a smoothie maker, stick blender, toasted sandwich/panini press, microwave and food processor. I used to use the smoothie make for blending soups but it was so cumbersome getting in and out of the press that I got the stick blender and that's pretty much what I use all the time now, do make smoothies in summer though.
Microwave is so handy for reheating or cooking veg/noodles quickly, could do without it but I would use it a few times a week. Food processor is mainly for making pastry because i'm lazy :P

We do have the solid fuel cooker which is on almost every day except really hot days in summer so have that as my slow cooker. I'd honestly be lost without it, can't imagine not having one to cook on or keep things warm!!

Oh I've a spiralizer as well, though it's one of the handheld ones. I use it maybe once a week too

elperello

Rice cooker does it's job while you do other prep/cooking etc.
If you have room for one it's a good investment.

dudara

I’m kinda anti-gadgets, I don’t want to waste money and kitchen space. Plus experience has taught me that most gadgets require extra cleaning.

I have a stick hand blender, Kenwood chef stand mixer but I consider them basics. The Nutri Ninja has actually turned out to be extremely useful for sauces & soups. The other item I find very helpful is my old school pressure cooker.

Thargor

The Philips Airfryer is the best gadget released in the last 10 years imo, you can easily replace an oven with one, its so fast and clean.

em_cat

InstantPot electric pressure cooker, used 4-5 times per week & my very old beloved Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Asked hubby if the kitchen was on fire what would he grab to save? him: panini toaster & coffee machine (percolator). me: Stand Mixer without a doubt & micrplanes....couldn’t live without them...

_Dara_

I have two of these yokes and use them a lot. They remove the need for a separate steamer of course but another use I've found for them is as frying pan splatter guards. I hate the conventional ones, they're too cumbersome and get manky fast. The steamers work well because they cover the pan but allow steam to escape so that the pan contents fry instead of stew. They also get cleaned perfectly in the dishwasher and store neatly. Between the two uses I have for them, they each get used a few times a week. A fiver each.

kylith

I need a new steamer. I had a stove top one but the pot gave up after about 10 years. I've considered getting one of the inserts, but it's too handy to be able to cook potatoes/pasta in the pot while you steam the veg in the baskets above. I'll have to keep an eye out for a good one.

rubadub

em_cat wrote: »

Asked hubby if the kitchen was on fire what would he grab to save? him: panini toaster & coffee machine (percolator). me

I read that first as your husband would save the toaster, coffee machine and then, once they were safe, go back to get you!

dxhound2005

kylith wrote: »

I need a new steamer. I had a stove top one but the pot gave up after about 10 years. I've considered getting one of the inserts, but it's too handy to be able to cook potatoes/pasta in the pot while you steam the veg in the baskets above. I'll have to keep an eye out for a good one.

I have a 24 cm one with a couple of extra inserts. The steam works with four inserts, probably more.

This one is a good price in Woodies. There are some very expensive ones, but I don't think they would be any better. And if you have other saucepans, you can use them as the base instead.

https://www.woodies.ie/kitchen-classics-24cm-3-tier-steamer-1105342

Outkast_IRE

With regards to the rice steamer, for a long time i just used to do it in a pot and once you got the time, rice and water quanitity correct and let it cool for 5 mins at the end it would come out nice. But last year i got a Sistema microwave rice steamer, i must say its a great way to do rice and works really well, takes up very little space, well worth the investment.