Rice cooker help?

Michael L Kankiewicz <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker really
cheap at a moving sale. Of course, no instructions with it. What I
need to know is:

1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?

2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"
Will I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

Thanks,
MK

Most if not all rice packages will tell you the ratio... for most white
long grain rices it is 2 cups liquid to 1 cup raw rice.

You might want to play with this a little, a tbsp more or less might make
rice the best tasting way for you, it varies with personal tastes. More
liquid means sticker rice.

No you won't ruin the rice if you peek, just do it fairly quickly.

The Machine selects keep warm by itself when rice is ready.

I like rice cookers because you can do the one pot meal type dishes in
them. Add veggies and meat to the rice and liquid to get a nice quick
meal. One of my favorites is 1 cup basmati rice, one can cream of chicken
soup + enough water/chicken broth to make the 2 cups liquid, some sliced
mushrooms, some sliced carrot, several chopped chicken thighs, a bit of
cumen, a bit of minced garlic and add some frozen peas when the machine
changes to keep warm. Stir, wait several minutes (to let the peas cook)
and serve.

Use only bamboo or plastic implements to ensure the non-stick coating
remains in good shape. A real pain to clean if you scratch up the non-
stick.

Basically the rice cooker monitors heat while cooking....when the liquid
is gone/absorbed it senses the rapid temp increase and switches to keep
warm then after a set time to off.

--
Starchless in Manitoba.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl

"Michael L Kankiewicz" wrote...

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker >
1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?
2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

Mike, my rice cooker uses 1/1 water/rice with a tight cover. And it
switches automatically to Keep Warm. The switch snaps indicating the
cooking water is gone there is a 10 minute wait and the rice is
perfect.

"Michael L Kankiewicz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker really cheap at a
moving sale. Of course, no instructions with it. What I need to know is:

1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?

1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cups water.

Quoted message said:

2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?" Will
I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

It will automatically switch to "warm" when it is done. DO NOT raise the lid
before then.

Jim

"james a. finley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Michael L Kankiewicz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker really cheap at

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

moving sale. Of course, no instructions with it. What I need to know

is:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?

1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cups water.

Quoted message said:

2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

It will automatically switch to "warm" when it is done. DO NOT raise the

lid

Quoted message said:

before then.

Jim

I vote for Jim, this is the correct information.

Elly

My wife used a rice cooker for years but since I took over most of the
cooking I just cook it on top of the stove; 1 measure of rice to 2
measures of liquid, bring to a boil then cover, turn down to simmer for
20 minutes. Perfect rice every time. Much easier. Rice cookers are a
waste of valuable space I feel.

CaptCook said:

"Michael L Kankiewicz" wrote...

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker >
1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?
2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

Mike, my rice cooker uses 1/1 water/rice with a tight cover. And it
switches automatically to Keep Warm. The switch snaps indicating the
cooking water is gone there is a 10 minute wait and the rice is
perfect.

Jim Davis said:

My wife used a rice cooker for years but since I took over most of the
cooking I just cook it on top of the stove; 1 measure of rice to 2
measures of liquid, bring to a boil then cover, turn down to simmer
for 20 minutes. Perfect rice every time. Much easier. Rice cookers
are a waste of valuable space I feel.

I have to agree. I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker. If you
can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without using Minute
Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice. Brown rice - that is, rice
without the bran removed, takes longer to cook - about 40 minutes as opposed
to 20.

Jill

Quoted message said:

CaptCook said:

"Michael L Kankiewicz" wrote...

Quoted message said:

Hello everyone. I picked up a 10C Panasonic rice cooker >
1. What ratio of rice to water to use? 1-2?
2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

Mike, my rice cooker uses 1/1 water/rice with a tight cover. And it
switches automatically to Keep Warm. The switch snaps indicating the
cooking water is gone there is a 10 minute wait and the rice is
perfect.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cups water.

Quoted message said:

2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

It will automatically switch to "warm" when it is done. DO NOT raise the

lid

Quoted message said:

before then.

Jim

I vote for Jim, this is the correct information.

Elly

I'll chime in a mee too.

It is exactly how the ratio is for mine too.
I'll also add that for 2 cups of rice it's 2 & 3/4 cups of water.
I can't remember the brand of mine, but I bought it at Target YEARS ago.

For those who are snobby about rice cookers, then Phththt to you.
I love cooking rice now & hated to before. I always ended up burning
it, under cooking it or overcooking it. I now just dump it all in, plug
it in & flip a switch. Voila.

Denise~* said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cups water.

> 2. How do I know when to switch it from "Rice Cook" to "Keep
> Warm?"

Will

Quoted message said:

> I ruin the rice if I open it to check for doneness too early?

It will automatically switch to "warm" when it is done. DO NOT
raise the

lid

Quoted message said:

before then.

Jim

I vote for Jim, this is the correct information.

Elly

I'll chime in a mee too.

It is exactly how the ratio is for mine too.
I'll also add that for 2 cups of rice it's 2 & 3/4 cups of water.
I can't remember the brand of mine, but I bought it at Target YEARS
ago.

For those who are snobby about rice cookers, then Phththt to you.
I love cooking rice now & hated to before. I always ended up burning
it, under cooking it or overcooking it. I now just dump it all in,
plug it in & flip a switch. Voila.

It's not "snobby" to know how to properly regulate the temperature on your
stove so as to simmer rice and not be tempted to remove the lid from the pan
and stir it. I'm glad you like your rice cooker; I just don't have a need
for one.

Jill

jmcquown said:

Quoted message said:

I have to agree. I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker. If you
can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without using Minute
Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice.

This kind of pompous arrogance is why I seldom post here.

FWIW, I make *great* rice on the stovetop. I bought the rice cooker
because I was curious and thought it would be fun. And because, now *pay
attention*, ALL THE STUDENTS FROM ASIA at my university use one. In fact,
I bought mine from an Asian student who is returning home. They had
*two.*

And I'm glad I did. I tried it last night for the first time and it was
simplicity and *perfection*, especially that it automatically keeps the
rice warm and moist long after it is done.

You've got a lot of nerve telling other people what they should and
shouldn't cook because you think your way is the only way.

Jerk.

MK

Quoted message said:

I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker.

On the other hand it seems like the first week they move to the
US they buy one and use it daily from then on.

Quoted message said:

If you can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without
using Minute Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice.

If you can't cook on an open fire, perhaps you shouldn't be
cooking. What does "stove" mean, civilized man? ;^)

If you've ever burned rice on a stove becuase you're too busy
doing other stuff, a rice cooker is th egadget for you. They turn
off before the rice burns.

Quoted message said:

Brown rice - that is, rice without the bran removed, takes
longer to cook - about 40 minutes as opposed to 20.

In my experience it also takes more water. 1.5-2.0/1 for
white rice, 2.0-3.0/1 for brown rice. Maybe corellated with the
longer cooking time.

jmcquown said:

Quoted message said:

For those who are snobby about rice cookers, then Phththt to you.
I love cooking rice now & hated to before. I always ended up burning
it, under cooking it or overcooking it. I now just dump it all in,
plug it in & flip a switch. Voila.

It's not "snobby" to know how to properly regulate the temperature on your
stove so as to simmer rice and not be tempted to remove the lid from the pan
and stir it. I'm glad you like your rice cooker; I just don't have a need
for one.

Jill

Sheesh touchy.

I said snobby about rice cookers, not knowing the method of cooking rice
with a pan.

Actually, I can cook rice on the stove, I just don't like to because
half the time I screw it up. It takes so long to cook, that I don't
like to mess it up & start over.

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 00:41:10 -0800, Denise~* <[email hidden]> wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

For those who are snobby about rice cookers, then Phththt to you.
I love cooking rice now & hated to before. I always ended up burning
it, under cooking it or overcooking it. I now just dump it all in, plug
it in & flip a switch. Voila.

Eh, I don't know that it's snobby to dismiss rice cookers, it
probably just has a lot to do with different cooking practices. If I
only made small batches of rice every once in a while, then maybe I'd
stick with cooking it on the stovetop, too. Well, maybe. Most likely
I'd just invest in a small 3 cup rice cooker like I had in college,
they're cheap and easy to use. 🙂

Currently, we eat rice at least 3-4 times a week (and when I
was a kid, we ate rice _every_ day). A rice cooker means I free up a
stove burner, there's no need to keep an eye on it, I can set the
timer to have it done by a certain time and keep it warm if dinner's
late, and it turns out great every time. I don't mind if people don't
have a need for a rice cooker, but it's silly to imply that having one
indicates you don't know how to make rice any other way. I've made
rice on the stove top plenty of times, and the cooker is just a better
solution for us.

Oh, and _all_ of my Chinese acquaintances have a rice cooker,
it's not even something they think twice about--and this includes all
my family in SE Asia, even the ones who don't cook their own meals
every day. Heck, my mother has two, and hers has a 12 cup capacity
mininum... she didn't think a smaller one would be adequate!

Ariane, proud owner of a Hitachi 10-cup ;D

Quoted message said:

Eh, I don't know that it's snobby to dismiss rice cookers, it

Well, maybe not if you are dismissing them for your own use, but to say
not to cook something if you cant do it the "proper" way IS being
snobby. That's like saying don't buy Hunts snack packs if you cant make
your own cooktop pudding, from scratch.

I like snack packs. They are easy to open, low in fat and taste good.

I like perfect rice every time I make it.

Quoted message said:

probably just has a lot to do with different cooking practices. If I
only made small batches of rice every once in a while, then maybe I'd
stick with cooking it on the stovetop, too. Well, maybe. Most likely
I'd just invest in a small 3 cup rice cooker like I had in college,
they're cheap and easy to use. 🙂

If I make sushi rice, I cook it on the stove. You can't really do
proper sticky rice in a cheapo steamer, IMHO.

Quoted message said:

Currently, we eat rice at least 3-4 times a week (and when I
was a kid, we ate rice _every_ day). A rice cooker means I free up a
stove burner, there's no need to keep an eye on it, I can set the
timer to have it done by a certain time and keep it warm if dinner's
late, and it turns out great every time. I don't mind if people don't
have a need for a rice cooker, but it's silly to imply that having one
indicates you don't know how to make rice any other way. I've made
rice on the stove top plenty of times, and the cooker is just a better
solution for us.

Oh, and _all_ of my Chinese acquaintances have a rice cooker,
it's not even something they think twice about--and this includes all
my family in SE Asia, even the ones who don't cook their own meals
every day. Heck, my mother has two, and hers has a 12 cup capacity
mininum... she didn't think a smaller one would be adequate!

Ariane, proud owner of a Hitachi 10-cup ;D

Denise~* said:

Quoted message said:

Eh, I don't know that it's snobby to dismiss rice cookers, it

Well, maybe not if you are dismissing them for your own use, but to say
not to cook something if you cant do it the "proper" way IS being
snobby. That's like saying don't buy Hunts snack packs if you cant make
your own cooktop pudding, from scratch.

Oh yeah, that would be rather silly. It's always possible to
take stuff like that too far, like, "You shouldn't eat fish if you
didn't catch it yourself," or "If you can't grow spinach properly, you
shouldn't buy it from the store". But thankfully, I'm fairly sure
most people know better that that!

Quoted message said:

I like snack packs. They are easy to open, low in fat and taste good.

And great for packing in lunches, too. Maybe I'll get around
to trying to make it from scratch sometime, but meanwhile, the snack
packs suit me fine.

Quoted message said:

I like perfect rice every time I make it.

So do I. Making it on the stovetop seemed too variable,
particularly when I needed to make large batches of it for a pot-luck
gathering. The rice cooker just does a better job when I'm making,
say... 4-5 cups uncooked at one time. It also does a much better job
of keeping it warm without drying the rice out.

Quoted message said:

If I make sushi rice, I cook it on the stove. You can't really do
proper sticky rice in a cheapo steamer, IMHO.

Well, I don't know... All the sushi bars I've seen seem to
use rice cookers for their rice. They may be using more expensive
models, however--they're certainly VERY large capacity cookers.

Ariane

jmcquown said:

Jim Davis said:

My wife used a rice cooker for years but since I took over most of the
cooking I just cook it on top of the stove; 1 measure of rice to 2
measures of liquid, bring to a boil then cover, turn down to simmer
for 20 minutes. Perfect rice every time. Much easier. Rice cookers
are a waste of valuable space I feel.

I have to agree. I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker. If you

You haven't looked very hard. I think I saw one in every home I visited
in the 3 SE Asian countries I am familiar with.

Quoted message said:

can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without using Minute
Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice. Brown rice - that is, rice
without the bran removed, takes longer to cook - about 40 minutes as opposed
to 20.

Jill

Doug Freyburger said:

Quoted message said:

I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker.

On the other hand it seems like the first week they move to the
US they buy one and use it daily from then on.

Or else they bring them to the US or UK from 'home'. My rice cooker was
a gift from a Singaporean student who didn't want to take it back home
again. She was amazed at how expensive rice cookers were in London,
compared with how cheap they are in Singapore and other places in Asia
where she'd lived.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without
using Minute Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice.

If you can't cook on an open fire, perhaps you shouldn't be
cooking. What does "stove" mean, civilized man? ;^)

If you've ever burned rice on a stove becuase you're too busy
doing other stuff, a rice cooker is th egadget for you. They turn
off before the rice burns.

Someone who doesn't eat much rice doesn't need a rice cooker. It frees
up a ring on the cooker which is very handy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Brown rice - that is, rice without the bran removed, takes
longer to cook - about 40 minutes as opposed to 20.

In my experience it also takes more water. 1.5-2.0/1 for
white rice, 2.0-3.0/1 for brown rice. Maybe corellated with the
longer cooking time.

Quoted message said:

If I make sushi rice, I cook it on the stove. You can't really do
proper sticky rice in a cheapo steamer, IMHO.

The instructions that came with my rice cooker say to use a little more
water than usual to make sticky rice for susi.

Jim

Michael L Kankiewicz said:

jmcquown said:

Quoted message said:

I have to agree. I never saw anyone in SE Asia use a rice cooker.
If you can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without
using Minute Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice.

This kind of pompous arrogance is why I seldom post here.

Give me a break. I was responding to being people being called "snobbish"
for not wanting to use a rice cooker. And I still say one does not need a
rice cooker to make a decent pot of rice.

Perhaps you have all the storage space in the world, or all the counter
space in the world. I don't. One less "gadget" or electrical cooking
device works better for me. It's not snobbish nor am I a "jerk" for not
wanting a rice cooker.

Jill

Doug Freyburger said:

Quoted message said:

If you can't make rice in a pan of water on the stove, or without
using Minute Rice, perhaps you shouldn't be making rice.

If you can't cook on an open fire, perhaps you shouldn't be
cooking. What does "stove" mean, civilized man? ;^)

I can cook on an open fire, thanks very much. Being without electricity and
gas does that to you 🙂

Quoted message said:

If you've ever burned rice on a stove becuase you're too busy
doing other stuff, a rice cooker is th egadget for you.

It's called a timer 🙂 One that doesn't run on electricity.

And I love brown rice. Also wild rice, which isn't rice at all. OB Food:

White/Wild Rice

1/4 c. uncooked wild rice
3/4 c. uncooked long grain white rice
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. bottled Kitchen Bouquet sauce
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. diced celery
1 small onion, minced
2-1/2 -3 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
4 oz. sliced button mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350F. In a saucepan, melt the butter and cook and stir the
wild rice, celery and onion until the vegetables are tender. Pour into
ungreased casserole dish. Heat broth to boiling. Pour over mixture in
casserole and stir in the parsley, Kitchen Bouquet, salt, pepper, sage and
mushrooms. Cover tightly and bake 45 minutes. Stir in while rice. Cover
and bake until all liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes longer. Stir well
before serving.

Jill