I am in the market for an automatic rice cooker/veggie steamer. I have done some research and have managed to make myself more confused then ever. I was hoping someone here would have some recommendations.
I have recently started to introduce all sorts of whole grains to my family and am excited to say they are loving most everything - that is when I do not burn/overcook it. I thought a rice cooker might be just what we needed. I was hoping to find one that also will steam veggies at the same time. I see quite a few on the market. What does Dr. Weil feel about using a rice cooker that cooks the rice in plastic? Is that safe? Some of the them have non-stick coatings on them - I'm not so sure about the safety of those either?? Do they all stop cooking automatically when the rice is done?
Does anyone have any suggestions for the "perfect" rice cooker that will not leach toxins into my family?
I have a similar question. I currently have a rice cooker but it takes about 45 mintues to make a pot of rice. I have heard there are faster ones on the market.
Delynne - Have you tried cooking your rice in the oven? I do that if I am already baking meat or chicken. I use the same ratio of rice and water and bake until the water is absorbed; this takes close to a hour. My mom told me about this method several years ago. Then I can just put it in the oven and not worry about it. I use a covered glass baking dish. I noticed with my rice cooker that the grains are not as tender as well I cook rice on the stove or in the oven. It's a matter of preference.
If you can afford it use a small Le Creuset (or similar) cast iron enameled pot. Just follow the cooking time for the particular grain but turn off the heat about 5-10 minutes short of the final time. These type pots retain even heat extremely well and will finish cooking the grain with the burner turned off, therby preventing burning the grain.
Like you, I became concerned about cooking rice in plastic and I long ago banned non-stick surfaces from my kitchen- why risk it? I did an extensive search of the internet for a rice cooker with a stainless steel bowl. Not the easiest thing to find! I did succeed, however. I bought a Miracle Rice Cooker for $64.95 from LivingRight.com. A small company but reliable and the best price going. I've had my cooker about 6 months now and love it. It will cook rice for 4 in about 15 minutes. I just flip it on while I'm sauteeing veggies and when I'm done, the rice is ready and waiting. Without the (toxic!) non-stick interior, I've found the rice does stick to the bottom of the bowl. To clean it, I fill it with water and leave it in the sink for a few hours or overnight and it cleans up in seconds. This cooker is very basic (two modes: Cook and Warm), but it does what I want and I feel good about the fact that my rice did not get heated up in contact with plastic or chemical coatings. Hope this helps!
P.S. Just in case I'm not the only person on the planet who did not know this already, be sure to wash the rice before cooking it. My Japanese friend taught me to put the rice in the stainless bowl, fill with water and very gently agitate the rice with your fingertips, a delicate and pleasurable process. The water will become milky looking as the coating on the rice washes off. Drain and repeat a couple morel times, until the water is more clear. Washing prevents some very yucky foam from bubbling up while the rice is cooking.
Are you aware that Dr. Weil has a rice cooker under the new Healthy Kitchen label by Spring Switzerland. It is endorsed by Dr. Weil and all the profits go back into his foundation to promote research on integrative medicine. It is on this website. The original rice cooker was teflon coated as Dr. Weil believes teflon is safe under 300 deg. However, the new, smaller one is not teflon coated and all future units will be anodized aluminum instead of teflon. The insert to steam vegetables is made of stainless steel. You can cook beans and other grains in addition to rice. it works extremely well. You can get it on line or see the finder for other retailers.
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I viewed the rice/veggie/soup cooker and would buy it in a minute but I am wary of anodized aluminum. Make it stainless steel or some other non-reactive material and I think many more people would purchase this unit, including myself. The features look great.
Years ago I started cooking rice in my pressure cooker. Liked it so well I purchased a stainless steel one, more expensive but definitely worth it. I worked out a recipe that works for us: cook for 7 minutes after pressure comes up. If I want the rice a bit softer I stir it and let it sit briefly before straining it. Most delicious!! doesn't stick to the pot because it cooks in lots of water. Try it, you will like it. Pressure cookers are great to use, quick and easy!!
I am trying to move from a pressure cooker (stainless steel) which I have used for years. Pressure cooking by far is the tastiest but has it's downside as well. BTW I believe by draining the water out, you are removing some of the nutrients
If you use Uncle Ben's Rice, don't rinse - it has added nutrients in the coating. Any other rice, rinse. I had a Taiwanese roommate in college - she told me that in her native cuisine, all rice is cooked in lots of water, then the water (also known as rice milk) is drunk, because it has nutrients that would otherwise be lost. I tried it, it tastes good ,especially brown rice, which is all I eat now. I also would not buy a rice cooker made with anodized aluminum. I'd rather cook it the old fashioned way in my stainless steel pots.
I'm with sings2high. Use a stainless steel sauce pan It takes 20 minutes and many sauce pans can go in the dishwasher. I usually use Uncle Ben's but even when I don't I never rinse my rice. Interestingly, I once worked with a woman from Hawaii, of Japanese background. She told me that EVERYONE in Japan uses a rice cooker, no one cooks rice on a stove top. Boy, did that surprise me. Then again, rice is such a staple in Asian cultures as it is eaten with almost every meal.
Just double checking on the water rice ratio, before baking. If I use 1 cup of rice, then would I use only 1 cup of water? and do you bake it at 350 degrees? Thanks
Rice is eaten with almost every meal in Asian cultures. Cooking process: Before cooking fill your cookware with water and very gently agitate the rice with your fingertips. The water will become milky looking as the coating on the rice washes off. Then put equal amount of water like four cups of water in four cups of rice. Cook it at medium heat until all the water steam away. Lower the heat setting to low for around10 minutes until it?s done. You can do this on stove top
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Regarding safety against Toxins from elements leaching from the materials used where we cook in, you can test them if they are safe by doing this: Boil a tablespoonful of Baking soda in a glass of water for 5 minutes. Any cookware if they are leaching the elements to your food the salty baking soda will turn bitter or taste differently bad. With surgical grade stainless steel cookware it will remain salty.
I have always used 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water. I don't know if the temp is a big deal. I usually have my oven set at 375 to 400 depending on what else I am baking with the rice.
Maybe it's safe maybe it's not. I'm not that familiar with it. I do know that Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Ceramic (properly glazed) and most glass, e.g Pyrex are relatively safe. Maybe someone on the list can enlighten us.
I was referring to the rinsing the person was doing after the rice was cooked., but you are right about not initially rinsing par-boiled riced as it is already partially cooked.
Regular rice, brown or white, should be rinsed initially and then cooked. Some even call for soaking brown rice for a few hours to a day to deactivate a certain enzyme, before cooking. Once cooked, the cooking water should not be discarded. Too much water in the rice; consider it rice soup, an ideal breakfast. Use less water next time. Bon appetite!
All white rice that has been grown & processed in the U.S.A. have been sprayed with thamine and niacine + other nutrients, because these vitamins have been stripped away from the hull to make them white rice. Therefore, no washing or rinsing is required. In fact, if you read the label on the rice, you will see that they say NOT to wash or rinse the rice. The cloudy water you see, is the nutrients.
Asians from Asia, rinse and wash their rice because the rice from Asia is actually not very clean. That cloudy water is actually dirt. Most Asians continue that practice in the US, not knowing about the fact, that they are rinsing away the nutrients.
So don't rinse if you have rice from North America.
Brown rice is not treated at all, so yes, do rinse.
After cooking and your rice is runny, it means you've added too much water to the rice, and now you have rice porridge.
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