Ever wondered why it is that the rice you cook at home is never the same as the rice you are served in a Chinese or Japanese restaurant? You know the stuff, you can pick it up in lumps with chopsticks without all the grains falling everywhere. It has been cooked in a rice cooker and will most likely have been kept warm in the cooker as well. The rice that is produced is beautifully tender and sticky. This is the best way to cook rice, especially if you are going to cook for a crowd – with a quality rice cooker you can impress all your friends with your great culinary skills!
Rice and Japan
In Japan rice is not only a staple food but something of a national expression. In making sushi it is artfully rolled around ingredients in round tubes often wrapped in a seaweed wrap. The Japanese word for rice – gohan – is also the general word for meal and the word for breakfast – asagohan – means morning rice. It is no surprise that some of the best rice steamers come from Japan.
Zojirushi
Zojirushi is a company that sells an excellent range of rice cookers and steamers and warmers in various prices. It also uses some great technology to ensure you get the best results. At the top of its range their rice cookers use fuzzy logic – this is a way of programming electric items to work more efficiently and accurately.
They are very simple to use – simply add rice with the cups provided and then add water according to the graduated marks in the inner cooking receptacle. There are marks for you to cook white, brown and sushi rice. Some models will keep your rice soft and warm all day allowing you to cook enough rice for more than one meal.
Reviewers have noted that it is easy to use and has great longevity with no loss in functionality. People have said how easy to use and most importantly how great the rice has tasted. The cookers are all non stick and so are easy to clean.
Sticky rice tip
And another pointer to achieving rice that you can pick up with chopsticks is that long grain rice will not stick together – it is best to use short grained rice which will naturally clump together.