Some of the bigger rice cookers come with a steam rack so you can steam veggies/dumplings when cooking your rice.
If you are lonely, there's a talking one from korea called Cuckoo. It tells you when your rice is ready.
Another fantastic use of rice cooker: japanese cotton cheesecake.
As everyone pointed out, there are a host of options to choose from and every one of them has merits and demerits catering to specific outputs. However, having used at least 10 different types in 3 continents over the last decade, nothing comes close to this one, if you are into normal quality boiled rice.
P.S: You can have rice cooked in either 60 minutes or 40 minutes (quick rice) which may not be everyone's cup of tea.
I am a major rice eater. I went from "cant live without rice cooker" to v-zug/miele in built steamer in the kitchen to cooking rice on the hob, after a method taught by an Austrian woman (!) who learnt it from her Iranian ex-bf. As I use 4-5 different kinds of rice depending on what I feel on a particular day (basmati/sushi rice/arborio/purple rice berry/jasmine/red jasmine/red sri-lankan/glutinous) the stove top works better and the rice is less dry compared to cooking in a rice cooker. Only the glutinous gets steamed in the steamer.
If you are that much into rice should you really invest into a good rice cooker with different programs for different rice types...
Why? I make perfectly awesome rice on the hob!
There is nothing easier to cook than rice. If you can't even do that without a special gadget, I wonder if you even know how to make ice cubes.
In a pot, 2 parts water to 1 part rinsed rice, by volume. Bring to boil, put on lid, switch to lowest setting (or off if small amount of rice). Wait 20 minutes, done.
Make a big batch and freeze it in portions, it microwaves beautifully.
Yes, making rice is easy, however I find that a rice cooker is a versatile piece of kit. And I can have the rice warm all day if I want without it burning.
I am fully aware of how to cook rice. But do you by any chance cook anything else than rice? Its absolutely brilliant to switch on the rice cooker before you start cooking. No matter how long it takes, the machine will do it for you and keep the rice perfectly warm till your done. On top of that do you have the cook top free for more important work than the side dish. For people who eat rice regularly is it not some gadget but quite an essential piece in their kitchen.
For most rice, it's true that a good rice cooker can replicate that done on the stove more efficiently & consistently. However, for making Persian rice, you simply cannot replicate it in a rice cooker yet is not a simple process on the stove. There are many videos online on how to get the best results but it can take a long time to perfect it
My best friend is Iranian and introduced me to Persian cuisine years ago and it's something even my wife has learned to make - the rice is not easy to get perfect but when you get the process down, it's unlike any other. We just had it a few nights ago, Zeresht pollo with barberries
If you have ever burnt rice in a pot on the stove? I did accidentally and what a mess.
So I bought a simple rice cooker. Then I got a Japanese rice cooker as a gift so I no longer use the other one. I thought to keep it as a spare in case we have a large gathering but I have decided to sell it. I think it is from Trisa.
Most hobs have four rings. Being truthful, how many times do you use three rings when cooking a rice dish?
I've found rice stay warm for at least half-an-hour in a heavy-bottomed stainless-steel pan (and of course the last fifteen minutes of cooking is done with the pan off the heat).
So yes, a rice cooker might be easier but doing it conventionally is not exactly a big deal either.
(I don't cook it the way Karl does!)
Truth is: fairly often as we don't cook "a rice dish", we cook Asian food and the rice is a side... thats probably why rice cookers are an Asian thing.
Even if we dont use all four hobs is that the main working space, so having your rice cooking somewhere out of the way is still more convenient. And most importantly do you simply not have to think about the rice, it wont burn... but yeah, keep doing your thing. I dont have to understand it - a bit like in the way both old people and hipsters think that drip filter coffee is the best.
Only really possible if you're cooking using the absorption method, then forgetting about it for too long. I've done it once or twice, when doing "Mexican" rice (lightly heated in oil until coloured/translucent, before adding exact amount of stock, onions, chilli and coriander) but never to the extent of ruining the pan, just getting some stuck on the bottom, needing you to carefully remove all the top stuff without disturbing it, then soak it off with water.
But I can't get over how complicated people seem to think it is to produce plain boiled rice - just boil the raw rice (unwashed, even) in a ton of salted water until it's cooked, then rinse with more boiling water in a sieve. Rocket science it ain't.
I don't understand that either.
Most of the rice dishes I cook are Asian too and rice is a side - unless it's fried rice, in which it's not a problem as the rice is cooked before hand and left to cool before using), or sushi when it's not a problem either.
I ought to add that I'm not really a kitchen gadget person and I probably only cook once a day (perhaps twice at weekends), and only for five people so really don't need things to be ultra-convenient.
Ok, simply put: A Chinese meal is not one dish and some rice. Its a table full of dishes to share and bowl of rice. Even for two persons do we typically cook at least four dishes... and yes, you can only do this on the weekends. Can it be done on a camping cooker with a single wok? probably yes. But a four flame cooktop is a whole lot more convenient. And so is a rice cooker.
Look, I am not saying everyone needs one. But if somebody posts that they eat a lot of rice is it really a very convenient tool. Just like my mum uses her bread slicing machine probably daily. I really have no use for one in our household... I find all the posts along the line of "how can you be too stupid to boil rice in a pot" rather ignorant. But thats hardly an EF first. Things have to be opinionated around here. So: If you use anything else than the absorption method are you doing the Asian equivalent of putting pineapple on pizza.
Lots of cuisines have many dishes to share - Lebanese, Indian, Spanish Tapas and so on. I'm quite aware that a Chinese meal is more than a dish and rice (I'm also aware that it can be rice and another dish - if it's street food, for example).
Thank god I use the absorption method then!
exactly how my mom cooked when I grew up. Though she sometimes forgets to cook the rice because the rice cooker was somewhere out of the way and she didn't think about it. My dad flipped a few times having sat down ready to eat and then realizing she forgot to cook the rice!
I thought in some parts of Asia, rice is the main dish, and the other stuff are on the side. Eg. in europe people would say they eat beef with potatoes, but in Asia they would say rice with chicken.
I highly recommend the brand Russell Hobbs (can be found in Interdiscount). Most of my friends have it and use it for parties
I decided to cut down on rice so I got the WMF kitchen mini rice cooker. It does the job and has extra accessories (lunch box, to go accessory, steaming)