What rice cookers do you guys use?
All the fancy Japanese ones online seem to be 110v which won't work in NZ.
There's some good 220v ones, but selection is limited.
The ones available in NZ seem to be like "multicookers" and most have no reviews.
Anyone had good experiences with them?
Or can anyone chime in with good ones from maybe Korea or China?
Being a cheapie, I always buy the cheapest small appliances available in Kmart. I don't need the bells and whistles…haha
Got this special for around $100 a while ago https://www.mideashop.co.nz/products/copy-of-midea-3l-rice-c…
Purchased in store @ Newmarket
I was gifted this Tiger brand rice cooker: https://onlineshop.japanmart.co.nz/categories/electric-produ…
It doesn’t need an adaptor or anything to work as it’s made for AUS/NZ. Coming up to 7 years now and still use it multiple times a week, no issues. I do actually use the other functions as well to make congee, sticky rice etc, and have used the “slow cook” function a lot in the past.
Another one I’d recommend is the Panasonic, this is the 5.5 cup one: https://onlineshop.japanmart.co.nz/cg10044.html (they also do a 10 cup one but out of stock atm)
My mum has this one (older version) and I know a few people with it and they say it’s good too. If you eat rice quite a bit or like to eat different varieties of rice it’s definitely handy to have those other options.
Been eyeing that Panasonic one to go on sale, haha. MightyApe had them at $130 and instead of going down it went out of stock.
Good to know that it performs well though :)
I now seldom use my rice cooker (simple one) to cook rice. I use pressure cooker instead. Use slightly less water than doing in rice cooker. Let the pressure release naturally. Save a bit electricity.
Any pressure cooker will do. If you want to buy high-end Japanese-brand rice cooker, you may want to invest this on pressure cooker instead. It's versatile. Mine is Warehouse brand, and have used it for 4 years now without any problem. Kmart one is also good value.
Would highly recommend a pressure multi cooker instead. Pressure makes rice cook a lot more faster. I have the Russel Hobbs one. Got it for just over $100 or $110. Just a way better product type in general, although they do tend to be a bit bigger so I'm not sure about small options.
I have used CrockPot multi cooker. Been using it for more than 2 years now. Works good and I mostly use it for rice and one pot dishes. Never had any problems so far and still going good.
IMO, I don't know if an appliance with one function is the best option. I wouldn't buy an oven that could only cook chicken for example.
After using an Instant Pot I wouldn't go back but I hear good things about the Ninja Foodi as well.
My pair of pennies.
I have an instant pot as well (8L) but I don’t use it to cook rice. Probably a personal preference. Guess it’s nice to have something that does everything and helps save on space. But I prefer to use the instant pot for other dishes that is often served with rice. Too much of a hassle to take out the IP every time for rice. Rice cooker for better results, ease of use, easy clean up.
Am doing the same thing, got the CPE300 on special last year at NL and just use a Panasonic rice cooker for cooking rice.
I have a Xiaomi rice cooker for 4+ years, no issues with daily use.
If you want a rice cooker that is good buy Cuckoo, you can ask any korean the brand because every single household in korea has them. Depending on your budget you can get a multi-cooker or just a rice cooker. Ive had this for almost 7 yrs now and yes i eat rice 3 times a day.(Im asian). https://cuckoonz.co.nz/product/6-cups-rice-cooker-cr-0632/
As a daily ricer my experience is that there are 2 types of cookers:
Type 1: cook the rice ASAP (<30min) resulting mushy, watery and inconsistent rice:
$17 https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/7-cup-rice-cooker/2523302
$19 https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/living-co-rice-cooker-7-cup…
Type 2: "intelligent" ones that cook the rice at an optimum level (~1 hour) resulting in better texture, consistency and stickiness that is essential in certain Asian cuisines.
$132.5 https://www.catch.co.nz/product/panasonic-5-cup-rice-cooker-…
$164.5 (Auckland council code) https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/COOPAN1010/Panasonic-SR-CN1…
Some type 2 can usually can do what type 1 can do (i.e. fast mode) and produce better rice than type 1.
If you can justify the 7-8x price difference, type 2 is the way to go. Why?
You will enjoy this type of food more; it's only about 20-25c to make a cup of cooked rice so great value.
The high-end ones tend to last a long time, so getting a second-hand type 2 may also be a good option.
I get great results out of my kmart rice cooker using sunrice medium grain brown rice. No mush, very tasty :)
What's your rice to water ratio?
1:2 cups, rice to water
Compare prices of the korean rice cookers sold at korean supermarkets or here https://www.himart.co.nz/product-category/rice-cooker/electr… , rice tastes so much better with a pot/pan or a cheap $20 rice cooker. i currently use $539 one and it's worth it
Haven't used one, but I know Xiaomi does some pretty fancy and affordable rice cookers.