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"Fuzzy" rice cookers have been around for decades, I (and my parents, and pretty much everyone I know) have always regarded it as a marketing slogan. That's no
by yutopia 6y ago
"Fuzzy" rice cookers have been around for decades, I (and my parents, and pretty much everyone I know) have always regarded it as a marketing slogan.
That's not to say high-end rice cookers aren't worth it, there's a world of difference between a $100 and $500 rice cooker. Not sure how best to explain this, but rice from a cheap cooker looks and feels like a dense, gooey chunk, whereas rice from a high-end cooker forms a complex, airy 3D structure with a distinctive sheen; individual grains still retain their shape, and there's ample space between them resulting in a well-defined but light texture.
- tangjurine 6y agoUmmm that just sounds like the wash wasn't washed a lot before cooking in the first case, right?
- xnx 6y agoAre there $100 or $500 commercial units? The best reviewed rice cooker by America's Test Kitchen is $30.
- yutopia 6y agoYes! Just checked, and the most popular model on kakaku.com (Japanese price comparison site) right now is around $300. Ours was around $400, maybe not the best but we're pretty satisfied with it.
- selimthegrim 6y agoI'm pretty happy with the rice from my $140 Aroma multicooker. I can even get away with only one cup min if I need to instead of two but quality suffers a little
- eps 6y agoThere are even $1000 models, pressure-cooking claypot models whereby the pot has a layer of metal sandwiched in clay and is heated up by induction. Good stuff. Luckily, not sold where I am, so it's not even an option :)
- vorpalhex 6y agoI have a $200 consumer unit, an upgrade from a $30 unit and it is so much better as to be almost uncomparable. We went from eating rice maybe twice a year to eating it twice a week, just plain old bulk calrose rice and our Zojirushi.
- fomine3 6y agoHuge differences between $100 vs $300 (in Japan market) is IH heater and pressure feature, not just controlling. $200 supports IH heater for efficient heating (Efficiency is important because japanese outlet is max 1500W). $300 supports IH and pressuring.
- porknubbins 6y agoWhat are the differences? I have an old Zojirushi without those features and haven’t really been sure what an upgrade could improve.
- fomine3 6y agoIH = high power and uniform heating, pressuring = makes rices softer and viscous, but still remains somewhat tough. Generally high power is considered to important for Japanese people to make delicious rice, I highly recommend it if it's affordable. Pressuring is a bit controversial because some people not like softer rice, so some maker (Mitsubishi) still make high-end rice cooker without pressuring.