this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
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I'd say an InstantPot. Stainless steel pot, very easy to clean, versatile, built like a tank, and a fraction of the cost of a Zojirushi.
We've had an 8 quart model that gets used more than once a day on average, and we paid under $100 Canadian back in 20217. Never had a problem with making rice in it.
This is a silly but ...
I had planned on using the instant pot as a rice cooker, but 90% of the time I want rice, it is to go with the thing cooking in the instant pot , so I end up making rice on the stove.
Had nothing but problems making rice in my instant pot. Either it’s too hard, or too soft.
Tried different salt amounts, different water ratios, rinsing, draining, using the rice mode, using the manual mode.
Never had perfect rice from it.
That's because the rice setting is a bit of a sham. The rice mode just sets a timer for the rice to cook, assuming you are just using cheap, commodity-level white rice, but any other type of rice, you have to adjust. You can make good rice in an instant pot, it just takes more work. You need to know the right amount of time and pressure for that specific type of rice.
Rice cookers have one or more sensors that detect when the rice is done (e.g., when the pot gets hotter than the boiling temp of water, so it knows all the water is absorbed). That makes purpose built rice cookers more foolproof.
That's a shame. I've made all kinds of rice in ours, from delicate Jasmine rice to parboiled, and even wild rice. We just use the rice setting and let it cook.
We do have a small rice cooker for 1 or 2 servings, too. It has a nonstick pot and I wouldn't consider it a BIFL product because of that. It's also not as versatile as the IP.
But, really. Use whatever gets the results you want. I'm not a fan of wasted/ruined food 😖
Instant Pots aren't a fad anymore, either, so you can probably pick one up used cheap or on a buy nothing group.
I don't use my instant pot for rice because a saucepan is simpler and easier to clean, but I'm happy with it and I'm sure it would work just fine for rice.
I use mine for rice, and it works well. No issues with cleaning, just throw it in the dishwasher.
I use mine for rice but it also gets used as a slow cooker and steamer (also, soft boiled eggs are super easy) when necessary