Cleaning Everest

Archive for October, 2009

Rice cookers can do a lot more than just cook rice. In fact, some rice cookers have numerous functions, they could become one of the handiest small appliances in your kitchen.

There are two types of rice cookers: basic and multifunction. In addition to their initial designed function, most models, including the basic ones, can also be used as a slow cooker to make stews, soups etc

Basic rice cookers

Basic rice cookers are the no-frills models, and they also are generally the cheapest. Depending on capacity, you can find one for under $30. As capacity increase, so does the price – up to around the $100 mark.

Basic rice cookers will cook your rice and automatically ensure that it stays warm once it’s cooked. As mentioned above, they can also be used to cook soups, stews and so on, and if they come built with a steaming basket or rack, you can use them to steam vegetables, some meats and even sweets such as puddings. However the automatic switch-off functionality won’t work when using the cooker to steam food, so you will need to it closely.

Multifunction rice cookers

Multifunction rice cookers are more expensive than basic ones but also offer more bang for your money. They can be used to cook rice, steam and as a slow cooker, all with automatic settings. For this reason they are also generally known as three-in-one rice cookers. Individual models may also have an array of additional features, for instance a porridge cooking preset, delayed start, alarm system, time clock, timer with LCD screen and much more.

Price ranges for multifunction rice cookers start from around $90 and can cost as much as $300 for a fuzzy logic rice cooker.

Fuzzy logic rice cookers

The highest price tagged multifunction rice cookers use a microprocessor and something called “fuzzy logic” technology. These cookers have presets to cook just perfectly any type of rice you can name. The cooker automatically adjusts the heat throughout cooking, depending on the type of rice.