by Rick Goldman
Brown rice can be a lot more complicated to work with than yellow or white rice.
This is because brown rice uses grains that are a little more "sensitive" than their yellow or white counterparts, meaning there is a smaller window for brown rice to have a texture that is comparable to yellow and white rice.
One of the most common mistakes that most people make when preparing brown rice is thinking that they can use the same cooker that they use for yellow and white rice.
This usually results in brown rice being very mushy in their texture, even though it was cooked perfectly in terms of timing and other general execution.
Remember, because brown rice uses different kinds of grains, it needs to be cooked differently. That is why you need a rice cooker that specializes in cooking brown rice.
Contents
Just buying the first brown rice cooker you can find is not the best thing to do. Even though you are essentially buying something that specializes in cooking brown rice, you still should consider a few things.
Compatibility with yellow and white rice is the first thing you should consider. If you are the type who uses different types of rice when cooking, possessing two different rice cookers (one for white/yellow and one for brown) will be troublesome.
For this reason, you need to see if the brown rice cooker can also make white and yellow rice, especially if you plan to use all three types of rice in your recipes. You really do not want two separate rice cookers.
Capacity is another issue. Whether you like to store the rice you make for later or not, you'll need to know how much rice you want to make at a time. Knowing the capacity of the brown rice cooker you want will guide you through how much rice you can make.
If you do not consider this, then prepare to be very frustrated if you want to make a lot of brown rice, only to find that your cooker can only make so much. Prepare for similar frustrations if you only want to make a bit of rice and need to clean the massive cooker you made it in every time.
Did you want your rice cooker to double as a storage unit for the brown rice you make? Most rice cookers are able to both cook rice as well as store it, and brown rice cookers are no exception.
This is important because most rice cookers have steel interiors, which are much more optimal for storing than plastic containers. But it can also be risky to keep rice in them, as it is more difficult to clean a cooker that has had rice in it for days.
Do you want a brown rice cooker that is more compact, or one that may be a little larger, but also has more settings? This consideration depends on if you want to bring the rice cooker with you or not. It also depends on your experience in using rice cookers.
Some people don't need a rice cooker that has a lot of fancy settings. They can get away with a rice cooker that only has a couple of settings. If you are not experienced in using rice cookers, however, you will need to go the extra mile and choose a rice cooker with more user friendly settings.
Anybody who is interested in cooking not just brown rice, but white rice for all kinds of dishes will get a lot out of Zojirushi's rice cooker.
It not only has settings for brown rice, but it also has settings for classic jasmine rice, rice that is used in sushi dishes, rice that is designed to be used in a porridge, and even a "quick" mode where you can throw white rice inside to be cooked in a much shorter time than usual.
Another really effective feature of Zojirushi's rice cooker is the fact that it can cook brown rice with GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) properties. This gives brown rice qualities that are even more healthful than original brown rice. While this mode takes a little longer, it activates GABA levels in brown rice by 1.5 times, making it a fantastic rice cooker for anybody who wants to improve the already supremely healthful qualities of brown rice.
There are two things that hold Zojirushi's rice cooker from back from being perfect. The first of these is the fact that it will take a very long time to cook even a small amount of rice. If you put one cup of rice in it, expect it to be finished in right around 50 minutes. This is a good amount longer than the average rice cooker.
If you want a rice cooker that will make a lot of rice, you will need to look elsewhere. Zojirushi's rice cooker only has a capacity of three cups, which is not really suitable for anybody who is cooking rice for a large population.
The majority of rice cookers look really boring. Most of them are usually one color and do not really complement any kitchen.
This is especially true if the kitchen has a certain theme in its walls and counters. A solid color design rice cooker will stand out in kitchens that look like these, and in a bad way.
Fortunately, Tiger's rice cooker has a floral design that will complement any kitchen that has a similar design. It will also stand out in a good way when it comes to kitchens that have a more plain design.
Tiger's rice cooker is perfect for people who want to cook a lot of rice for a lot of people. It's capacity is 10 cups, nearly three times the capacity of some other rice cookers. It also has a steam basket, so it is possible to steam vegetables as well as cook rice in it. This makes Tiger's rice cooker preferable if you are cooking for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, Tiger's rice cooker suffers from one major drawback. And that is the fact that it is not really specialized for brown rice. Most of the smaller 3 cup capacity rice cookers contain lots of nice features that will allow you to cook brown rice more effectively. This is not the case with Tiger's rice cooker. If you intend to cook brown rice in it, you will need to know exactly what you are doing..
Anybody who plans to not only cook a lot of rice for a large crowd but also wants to cook a lot of food in general for a large crowd needs to consider getting Aroma Housewares' rice cooker with vegetable steamer.
It has a massive capacity of 12 cups. This is plenty for anybody who is cooking for large crowds. Aroma Housewares' rice cooker can also cook other things besides rice, and can do so while cooking rice.
If you have meat or vegetables that you need to steam cook, all you need to do is separate the rice from everything else. The food on the top will easily cook while whatever rice you are cooking stays on the bottom. Aroma Housewares' rice cooker has three settings for rice: White, brown, and quick. This gives you some general options for rice while you cook other things in it.
Again, this is perfect for anybody who needs to cook a lot of food for a lot of people. Aroma Housewares' cooker will do this much better than other rice cookers.
The settings of Aroma Housewares' rice cooker can get very overwhelming, and if all you want is a smaller rice cooker for yourself or your family, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. While it is not impossible to cook just a small amount of rice in it, the amount of cleaning you'll need to do afterward won't really warrant having it if you want to use it for a small crowd.
It is not very common that a rice cooker that has a capacity as large as 10 cups has as many settings as Zojirushi's 10 cup cooker has. It has the same settings as many of its 3 cup capacity counterparts have, containing settings for brown rice as well as brown rice with higher GABA levels.
This makes Zojirushi's 10 cup rice cooker ideal for anybody who specializes in cook rice and wants to use a rice cooker for multiple dishes that entail rice. It has not only all the settings you need, but it also has a capacity that will make sure you can cook as much rice as you need.
Most other 10 cup capacity rice cookers also make it possible to steam vegetables and even certain meats. Unfortunately, this is not possible with Zojirushi's 10 cup rice cooker. It can cook rice and only rice. You'll need to select another 10 cup capacity cooker if you want to cook things other than rice.
All things considered, there is nothing that really stands out with Zojirushi's 10 cup rice cooker. It is nothing more than the common 10 cup capacity rice cooker with the settings of Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker.
Most rice cookers with only a 3 cup capacity specialize in cooking all kinds of rice. Being able to cook rice in 8 kinds of ways, Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker does not disappoint in this area. It is able to cook almost any kind of rice without a lot of effort. Whether you need to cook white rice, brown rice, or even long grain rice, Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker and food warmer more than likely has you covered.
Another thing that sets Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker apart from most other rice cookers is the way it generates heat. It has a triple heater system circulates heat from the bottom, the sides and the lid of the cooker, which will ensure that any kind of rice that is cooked in it will come out perfectly balanced in its temperature.
It is also possible to make oatmeal in Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker, as it has a steel cut oatmeal setting. This is something that not even multicookers are not capable of. With steel cut oatmeal traditionally not being the easiest thing to cook, it is very nice that Zojirushi's 3 cup rice cooker has this feature.
There are only so many things that you can do with only 3 cups of rice to work with, however. With a capacity this low, you'll need to look elsewhere if you want to use this rice cooker to cook for large crowds. Even when it comes to cooking rice on its own, 3 cups is not a suitable amount to work with.
Zojirushi NS-YAC18 Umami Micom 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer, Pearl White - Walmart Link
Instant Pot Zest 8 Cup Rice Cooker, Steamer, Cooks Rice, Grains, Quinoa and Oatmeal, No - Walmart Link
Aroma Housewares 8-Cup (cooked)/ 2 Quart Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker & Food Steamer - Walmart Link
Aroma Housewares ARC-6106 Aroma Professional 6 Cups Uncooked Rice, Slow Cooker, Food - Walmart Link
Tiger JKT-S10U-K IH Rice Cooker with Slow Cooking and Bread Making Function Stainless - Walmart Link
Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C Professional Digital Rice Cooker & Multicooker with Ceramic - Walmart Link
Zojirushi NS-ZCC18 Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer, 10 Cup, Premium White - Walmart Link
Tiger JAZ-A18U-FH 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer with Steam Basket, Floral White - Walmart Link
Breville BRC600XL The Risotto Plus Sauteing Slow Rice Cooker and Steamer - Walmart Link
Cuckoo CR-0351F Electric Heating Rice Cooker (Red), 7.80 x 8.90 x 11.50 - Walmart Link
Tianji Electric Rice Cooker FD30D with Ceramic Inner Pot, 6-cup(uncooked) Makes Rice, - Walmart Link
TIGER JBV-A10U 5.5-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker with Food Steamer Basket, White - Walmart Link
Rival 6-Cup Rice Cooker with Steamer Basket, Red (RC61) - Walmart Link
Toshiba Rice Cooker 6 Cups Uncooked (3L) with Fuzzy Logic and One-Touch Cooking, White - Walmart Link
Zojirushi NS-YAC18 Umami Micom 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer, Pearl White - eBay Link
Instant Pot Zest 8 Cup Rice Cooker, Steamer, Cooks Rice, Grains, Quinoa and Oatmeal, No - eBay Link
Aroma Housewares 8-Cup (cooked)/ 2 Quart Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker & Food Steamer - eBay Link
Aroma Housewares ARC-6106 Aroma Professional 6 Cups Uncooked Rice, Slow Cooker, Food - eBay Link
Tiger JKT-S10U-K IH Rice Cooker with Slow Cooking and Bread Making Function Stainless - eBay Link
Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C Professional Digital Rice Cooker & Multicooker with Ceramic - eBay Link
Zojirushi NS-ZCC18 Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer, 10 Cup, Premium White - eBay Link
Tiger JAZ-A18U-FH 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer with Steam Basket, Floral White - eBay Link
Breville BRC600XL The Risotto Plus Sauteing Slow Rice Cooker and Steamer - eBay Link
Cuckoo CR-0351F Electric Heating Rice Cooker (Red), 7.80 x 8.90 x 11.50 - eBay Link
Tianji Electric Rice Cooker FD30D with Ceramic Inner Pot, 6-cup(uncooked) Makes Rice, - eBay Link
TIGER JBV-A10U 5.5-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker with Food Steamer Basket, White - eBay Link
Rival 6-Cup Rice Cooker with Steamer Basket, Red (RC61) - eBay Link
Toshiba Rice Cooker 6 Cups Uncooked (3L) with Fuzzy Logic and One-Touch Cooking, White - eBay Link
There is not just one "all purpose" rice cooker, and different rice cookers exist for different situations.
Most rice cookers are able to cook brown rice. Some of them are able to cook not just rice, but all kinds of things. Some of them have small capacities which makes them a little easier to clean. Some rice cookers have large capacities while will allow you to cook a lot of rice and other things and are designed for cooking for large crowds.
It is up to you to decide what you need a rice cooker for and how much rice (or other kinds of foods) that you need to cook with it.
Do not be afraid to take some time to analyze exactly what you need a rice cooker for, and how many people you need to cook for when using the rice cooker of your choosing.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
About Rick Goldman
Rick Goldman's grandpa was a captain of a California coast cruise. This afforded Rick the luxury of traveling to exciting places along the Pacific Coast as a young boy. He got to try different, exotic foods on these journeys - something he really enjoys blogging about from his grandpa's beautiful garden home today.
Be With Rick: 
Kitchen Goodness
