Mastodawn

IDK about different settings on the cooker having an effect (mine is super simple and has only two settings: on and off) but if I tried making brown rice with the ssme ratio of water as white, I would end up with uncooked rice.

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Jose A Lerma Mar 5

Ethan Chlebowski did a video on rice in youtu.be/IjjdAheuNKs where he cooks rice sous vide to determine water ratios and cook times. There are more details in the companion blog post at cookwell.com/…/rice-cooking-fundamentals-4-method…

For brown rice in an on/off rice cooker, try doing 1:1 + 0.5 cups of water for evaporation.

TL;DR/W: When cooking different types of rice sous vide, they all absorb water in a 1:1 ratio. The only difference is how long it took to cook through (white long grain is less than brown or wild, for example).

So, the deciding factor is how much the cooking method evaporates water in that time. Sous vide can’t evaporate water, so it’s still 1:1 but other methods need more water. Rice cookers are pretty consistent, so it’s easier to calculate the additional water for evaporation. For white rice, it’s about 0.25 cups for evaporation while brown rice needs about 0.5 cups for evaporation because it cooks longer.

There are more details in the video/blog post about other methods, like boiling rice similar to pasta

This 37 minute video will change the how you think about Rice.

YouTube

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chippydingo Mar 5

This is really interesting regarding the extra water and I suppose it makes sense with the more basic models that have a vent hole. I have been using an Instant Pot for a bunch of years now and have a custom pressure cooking setting that gives me fluffy and perfect brown rice using water at a 1:1 ratio. I believe the cook time must be slightly longer than the white rice setting(default button). 21 mins and about 10 mins to cooldown before venting gets perfect results 100% of the time.
I have been tempted to invest in a more traditional cooker like a Zojirushi thanks in large part to “Uncle Roger” but paid $45 for the Instant Pot and I don’t really use it for anything else.

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Jose A Lerma

Ethan mentions it in the video with the stove top method since it varies based on the saucepan, but if you have a method that consistently makes rice the way you like it, then stick with that.

Zojirushi is designed for households that have rice for each meal, 3x a day. Even then, Pailin’s Kitchen noted in youtu.be/j9tvO5XNGkU that replacement parts are expensive, so a more entry-level rice cooker can be more worth it. Washing rice in a separate bowl might help reduce wear and drying the gasket might help it last longer, but I digress.

IMO, an Instant Pot is more versatile since it’s designed as an all-in-one appliance. However, I have an oven, stove top, and enamel cast iron, so I’d rather make use of them. Rice is challenging in cast iron because of heat retention; it’s actually easier to cook it in the oven.

For me, a rice cooker frees up the oven and is very set-it-and-forget-it, so it was an easy choice

If I didn’t already have the above, I’d probably have a rice cooker and crock pot, for which I understand the Instant Pot is a good replacement

I Ditched my $230 Rice Cooker for a $35 One - Zojirushi Review Update

YouTube

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chippydingo Mar 6

You bring up another important positive for the instant pot: when I wash the rice, I tend to scrub hand-fulls between my fingers under running water and swirl it around as the bowl fills. Since the inner pot is stainless steel, I am not worried about damaging a non-stick coating like you tend to see on other rice cookers. Additionally, once the cooking cycle is complete, I have learned that letting the pressure drop over a period of about 10 mins before venting helps release the rice from the bottom of the inner bowl so sticking isn’t really a problem and I never get any burnt rice either.

The one thing I am not sure about is how well the rice would keep if it is left on warm all day like you describe for households that make a large batch for multiple meals. I typically make just enough for the meal at hand and some leftovers for fried rice later so I suppose the instant pot serves it purpose well but it may not be the solution for everyone.

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Jose A Lerma Mar 6

The stainless steel inner pot was the main reason Pailin’s Kitchen switched, but it sounds like the Instant Pot is easier to clean since it doesn’t burn the rice.

I personally don’t recommend keeping the same batch of rice on keep warm mode all day for food safety, which was mentioned in the comments of the Pailin’s Kitchen video, but if it works out then it works out.

I don’t mind reheating rice in the microwave. There are many pre-made rice options that do the same

Regardless, there are plenty of ways for people to get their rice fix 😂 so it’s just a matter of finding one that works for one’s needs