Rice Cookers Steamers

This my my first ever rice cooker and I’m wondering if all rice cookers produce the same result. . . . very disappointing and sticky rice? The first day I tried the cooker, I put everything in and set it to go, gave it it’s stir at 15 minutes and my rice still came out crunchy on bottom, EXTREMELY sticky, and a little dry. Today was the second try. I added a little extra water to compensate for the dryness. After the 15 minutes I stirred continuously, and the rice still came out all funky. Still crunchy on the bottom, REALLY sticky, but not burned. As others have mentioned it’s messy, the steam hole actually works like a whales spout and spits bits of rice and tons of water. I have to keep a towel under the cooker while it’s running to prevent my cabinets from getting soaked in rice water.
Rating: 2 / 5

I just used my rice cooker yesterday and was very pleased with the results. It makes just enough for my family size (there’s only two of use) and the clean up is easy.

I was concerned about the sputtering that I have read that other rice cookers make. I didn’t encounter that problem at all. I used jasmine rice in mine and decreased the amount of water in by a 1/4 of a cup. I also rinsed it quite a few times and since I don’t have a proper strainer (I believe I read that a mesh strainer would be good for this) I still had some water left over. That was the reason for the water decrease, although it wouldn’t have been more than a few tablespoons at best.

It cooked a lot quicker than I thought it would. The instructions say to stir at the 15 minute mark, which I did. About a minute later, the light switched to the warming function.

I haven’t used the steamer tray yet since I usually just stir fry mine but I will give it a try with some green beans. Not sure how it will work but I’ll give an update on its success or failure.

All in all, I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this product.
Rating: 5 / 5

This has been a huge disappointment. Food sticks to the pot; it’s a waste and more work to clean up. It asks you to stir after 15 minutes, but I’m resisting because not requiring any interference is what I love about rice makers, and I think my other rice makers explicitly forbad any stirring. Also, the rice isn’t coming out the consistency I like, too wet on top and too stuck-to-the-pan on the bottom.

My last rice maker was the same brand, inexpensive, and looked just like this but larger and it had a great nonstick pot, made great rice and other steamed foods from day one, even when cooking small amounts. I love the crunchy rice at the bottom and aimed for it, and it always slid right out. With this pot, there is scraping, and even though the pot is smaller, when I’m making a small portion it feels like a lot is wasted stuck to. . .

Go for a non-stick, no-stirring-required rice maker. Non-nonstick ones are a bear to clean up and hardly any cheaper. Don’t buy too small a capacity if you have the counterspace; I think 5 cups is too small for me, given my bigger one could make very small portions, and steam larger things like tamales, bao, broccoli, while this there’s the wasted food stickage.
Rating: 2 / 5

I’ve owned a few of these kind of cheap rice cookers over the years and they are usually pretty durable and get the job done for a great price. This one, however, is broken after only a few months of use, lights don’t work and it won’t heat up. Total disappointment. I do not recommend this brand.
Rating: 1 / 5

It’s not the fanciest, greatest rice cooker ever, but it certainly could be worse. For dorm life–considering the price–it’s quite lovely. The only downside (that I’ve seen so far) is that it tends to sputter a bit with rice that creates bubbles (i. e. basmati). I’d recommend it for any low budget, but if you’ve got the money to spend, I’d try and get something a little nicer. It really just depends on how much you want to use it.
Rating: 3 / 5