Anonymous
10/22/2014 12:18
Subject: Re:rice cooker and food processor recommendation
I lived in Japan, DH is Asian, as is our au pair, so I make a metric ton of rice.
Get either a Zoujirushi or Sanyo fuzzy logic cooker. I have the Sanyo 10-cup and you can use it to make porridge (oatmeal, rice porridge, grits, etc -- all things my babies loved!) and as a slow cooker, too. You can also program it to cook the rice so it's freshly done at dinner. It's awesome.
Store your extra rice in the freezer in plastic bags in individual portions and then pop it in the microwave to reheat it. You can make a lot and then have easy ready-to-eat rice throughout the week this way. DO NOT store in the fridge, as it gets hard and dries out (only store in the fridge if you are planning to make fried rice, since slightly dry rice is best for fried rice). It will last in the freezer for a few weeks.
No need to worry about food poisoning unless you keep the rice at room temp for 8+ hours.
I agree that a stick blender will be cleaner and easier than a food processor. But, if you really don't like stick blenders, consider getting a Vitamix (or a cheaper Ninja) as those are basically blender/food processor combos and easier to clean -- and work better for liquidy foods -- than a processor.
Get either a Zoujirushi or Sanyo fuzzy logic cooker. I have the Sanyo 10-cup and you can use it to make porridge (oatmeal, rice porridge, grits, etc -- all things my babies loved!) and as a slow cooker, too. You can also program it to cook the rice so it's freshly done at dinner. It's awesome.
Store your extra rice in the freezer in plastic bags in individual portions and then pop it in the microwave to reheat it. You can make a lot and then have easy ready-to-eat rice throughout the week this way. DO NOT store in the fridge, as it gets hard and dries out (only store in the fridge if you are planning to make fried rice, since slightly dry rice is best for fried rice). It will last in the freezer for a few weeks.
No need to worry about food poisoning unless you keep the rice at room temp for 8+ hours.
I agree that a stick blender will be cleaner and easier than a food processor. But, if you really don't like stick blenders, consider getting a Vitamix (or a cheaper Ninja) as those are basically blender/food processor combos and easier to clean -- and work better for liquidy foods -- than a processor.
Anonymous
10/22/2014 12:07
Subject: rice cooker and food processor recommendation
I've owned a variety of rice cookers, from super cheap to fancy. I absolutely love my Zojirushi fuzzy logic cooker and it was totally worth the extra expense (purchased at Costco years ago). I use it to make brown rice once/week and it is always perfect. However, the best use is that I use it to make steel cut oatmeal a couple of times per week. I put 1 1/4 cup oats and 3 cups of water in the cooker at night. Set to the porridge cycle and set the timer for the morning. Makes enough for a few days for us.
Anonymous
10/22/2014 11:43
Subject: Re:rice cooker and food processor recommendation
Get a simple Panasonic like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SR-3NA-Automatic-Uncooked-Cooker/dp/B0001ZPOLE/ref=sr_1_24?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1413992330&sr=1-24
It's cheap and reliable. As long you keep the pot insert part dry when you start cooking, it will last for a decade or more. If the pot's bottom is wet when it cooks, it will die fairly quickly.
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SR-3NA-Automatic-Uncooked-Cooker/dp/B0001ZPOLE/ref=sr_1_24?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1413992330&sr=1-24
It's cheap and reliable. As long you keep the pot insert part dry when you start cooking, it will last for a decade or more. If the pot's bottom is wet when it cooks, it will die fairly quickly.