I am thinking about buying a rice cooker but have no idea which ones are good, bad, etc~
Want a 3 cup one (I think) and do not want to pay an arm and a leg for it~

Any advice?

Thanks!

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Smile and the world smiles with you!

Tami ~*~

I just got a rival one at Target, wasn't too expensive, and it works great

Target


Rival 6-Cup Rice Cooker - Red (RC61)

4 stars (100 reviews)
$16.89

Prices, promotions, styles and availability may vary by store and online.

I have a microwaveable one. It works great and was pretty cheap from Walmart many years ago. Probably made in China though.

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-Kristi

We have one, forget how we came to have it. Used it a few times, it sits on the pantry shelf. I think if you are going to eat a lot of rice it would be worth it, but over the years, we've had different specific appliances and they end up sitting.

dl

I have a Black and Decker. It works well. It's certainly not upscale or fancy, but it does what I want it to do - cook rice quickly!

I like to put a little bit of oil in the bottom of it with some minced onion and garlic and put the lid on, and then turn it onto 'cook'. After it's been on for about five minutes, I add the rice, stirring it so that every grain is coated with oil. Then I add the water and don't stir - letting the oil sit on the grains of rice helps keep the rice from sticking.

That rice stir-fries well and is quite tasty.

I also like to add a can of Rotel when I add the water - that makes rice that is good to serve with Mexican food.

mmmmm I'll have to try the Rotel in there -- I usually make cilantro lime rice (like at chipotle) when I make mexican food

I got mine in a local korean grocery store - although we eat rice often so I got a 5-cup one. I usually make mine sticky-style which involves washing the rice until the water runs clear, letting it soak in the machine with the water to be used for cooking it for 30 minutes and then running the cycle. I often use coconut water to add a subtle sweetness and stir in things like chili-lime peanuts or bits of pineapple etc. If you add things like tomatoes make sure to take that into account when you measure in the water.

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Meddle ye not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crispy, and taste good with Ketchup!

can you please share how to make this one? I love Chipotle's rice!

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-Kristi

If I'm doing this in the steamer I take

1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
4 tsp vegetable oil

I put the rice, salt and 1 tsp oil in rice cooker (can also be done in a sauce pan on the stove top)

In a seperate bowl mix remaining oil, cilantro and lime juice, when rice is cooked mix in rice and serve

Thanks for posting! I am definitely going to try this!

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Kim

you're welcome -- but I should have said that you put the water in with the rice too!

My mother in law is Japanese. She washes her rice several times before she puts it in her rice cooker. I have switched to half brown rice and one half white rice for nutritional reasons. I also wash the rice until clear water then soak it for atleast 30 minutes.

For those without rice cookers, the microwave works really well, too. I wash the rice, soak it, then heat the water or bouillion water to boiling. Add boiling water to rice, cover loosely, put into microwave for 15 minutes on 70% power. After 15 minutes, stir, check to see if it is done or needs more fluid. It may possibly need up to 5 more minutes depending on how long it was pre-soaked. We eat a LOT of rice!

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Lyn Clarke

Can you do wild rice in a cooker as well? We eat Uncle Bens long grain wild rice. One of the few boxed items we do eat. I don't even buy white rice. No one here really likes it except in sushi (which I am not up to making). I am wondering if a cooker would cut my 25 min cooking time on the stove with wild rice.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I also rinse my rise until clear. The rice cooker I use and am happy with I got at CVS when it went on sale. It was really cheap and works great.

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I was never taught to rinse my rice. What are the benefits of doing so?

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-Kristi

I would also like to know if there is a benefit to rinsing rice before cooking. I was not taught to do this also and the packages of rice don't say to do it.
Judy

I only rinse my rice when using a rice cooker. I usually use store brand rice maybe it is starchier than most. When I would put it in the rice cooker it would almost overbubble with the starch (like when you boil some potatoes) and then be very gummy and sticky. I found that by rinsing the rice I got a less sticky and more fluffy result. My children went to Japan a couple of years ago and they had seen the people there rinsing until clear....that's where I got the idea.

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Target


Rival 6-Cup Rice Cooker - Red (RC61)

4 stars (100 reviews)
$16.89

Works great! We use it all the time!

Thanks yall for all the info and tips~ I am going to start looking for rice cookers at Target and CVS and what kinds of deals I can find~

__________________
Smile and the world smiles with you!

Tami ~*~