Rice cookers are essential to every household that enjoys rice with every meal. In fact, they can be some of the most versatile kitchen appliances. They key is to buy the best rice cooker that can help you fulfill many different cooking requirements. Some would come with a steamer attachment, and a versatile bowl that can let you cook stews and soups, too. Learn how to choose the best rice cooker to buy online by exploring the following tips:
- Think about what you are planning to do with the rice cooker – Buy a basic rice cooker with a steamer and basic settings if you plan to cook only rice and simple recipes with it.
- Mind the size – Rice cookers typically measure the capacity by cup size, and they range from three to 10 cups. Avoid buying a large unit than what you really need, since it is designed to work with a specific amount of water and rice. A small rice cooker can typically make three to four cups, a medium is equivalent to five to six cups, large is eight to 10 cups, and larger to jumbo sizes can yield 14 cups of rice or more.
- The manufacturer matters – The size of Japanese rice cookers is different than the ones made in the US. One Japanese cup is equivalent to 200ml, and an American cup is about 240ml. Be sure to keep the plastic measuring cup that will come with a rice cooker, so you can use it when a recipe requires it. Otherwise, you may need to modify the recipe.
- Look for the following features – Make sure the rice cooker can automatically shut off once the rice is cooked, or at least switch to ‘keep warm’ to keep the cooked rice warm, in case you do not intend to eat soon.
