Rice
cooker is a very useful appliance for people who need to cook rice frequently.
Rice cooker enables you to swiftly cook rice whenever you want to rustle up a
quick meal. Apart from rice, a rice cooker can also be used to cook cereals,
vegetables and soups and stews. There are many models of electric rice cookers
available in the market which free up the stove space in your kitchen and are
highly suited for small apartments and even for students living in hostels.
There
are some important features of a rice cooker which you consider when purchasing
one.
Cooking
method
Rice
cookers operate either by thermal convection or heat induction method. In a
thermal convection model, the electricity is used to heat the air outside the
cooking bowl which passes into the cooking bowl through thermal convection to
cook the rice. The cooking bowl is not itself heated up. This type of cooking
method is utilised by more than 90% of rice cookers in the market.
In
a heat induction model, the cooking bowl is heated by means of an
electromagnetic current generated by the cooker. Thus, rice is cooked by
heating the cooking bowl. This way, the rice is cooked at a much higher heat as
compared to thermal convection and the cooking process is also more even. Heat
induction rice cookers are more expensive as compared to thermal convection
rice cookers.
Size
and material of the cooking bowl
The
size of the cooking bowl of the rice cooker is measured in cups. The sizes
range from 2-4 to even 18 cups. You need to choose the size of the bowl as per
your specific requirements. There is no need to purchase a rice cooker with a
very large sized bowl if you stay alone or have a small family.
The
material of the cooking bowl is also important from the point of view of the
consumer. Top
Quality Rice cookers with steel cooking bowls are considered the best for
rice cooking. This is because steel bowl ensures that the rice grains are
cooked evenly and prevents burning of the rice grains. Aluminium cooking bowls
are considered to be of inferior quality because rice grains tend to cook
unevenly in an aluminium cooking bowl and can also burn due to overcooking.
Automatic
shutoff feature
Electronic
rice cookers are equipped with automatic shutoff feature. This means that when
the rice is cooked, the unit automatically switches off the cooking process and
turns over to warm feature. Warm feature keeps the rice warm, thereby allowing
you to eat whenever you want. Some models can keep the rice warm for even 12
hours.
Versatility
A
versatile rice cooker is suitable because it can cook all kinds of rice such as
brown rice, white, rice, etc. In addition, it can also cook vegetables,
cereals, soups, etc.
