Growing up, our familys rice cooker was a staple, like the refrigerator or the kitchen sink.
It never occurred to me tonothave one.
As an adult, I noticed friends cooked rice in a pot on the stovetop.
Theres nothing wrong with that, but lets see which approach gets you the easiest and consistently best rice.
The Contenders
Okay, so cooking rice isnt exactly difficult.
Cookersrange quite a bit in priceand utility.
I fill the pot with rice and water, press a button, and walk away.
Stovetop Method:The stovetop method is pretty standard.
Proponents argue, whats so hard about cooking rice on the stove?
You dont need a stinkin cooker, they say.
To put these two methods to the test, we made a standard bowl of rice.
Why bother with a toaster when it’s possible for you to just toast bread in the oven?
Why use a juicer when you might squeeze fruit with your bare hands?
Because itseasier.And, perhaps more importantly, its foolproof.
Twenty minutes later, I had perfectly cooked rice.
The main draw of a rice cooker is the fact that it cooks perfect riceevery single time.
Were all capable of screwing up even simple tasks every now and then, and rice is no exception.
And your stove is a mess.
It stops cooking when its time to stop cooking.
At least in my experience, a rice cooker is easier to clean, too.
You should wipe down the lid, but thats relatively easy to do.
Im not sure thats entirely true.
It was fluffy, slightly sticky, and just moist enough.
Maybe its just my unrefined palate, but both bowls tasted the same.
I spent the same amount of time waiting for rice with the stovetop method.
So while the rice cooker makes things easier, time is a toss up.
You still have to wait for the rice to cook, after all.
And the difference in taste is negligible, too.
At least I didnt.
Last time I moved, I actually ditched my cheap $15 rice cooker because I wanted to downsize.
When I ditched it, though, I actually cooked rice a lot less often.
It makes cooking rice so easy, you actuallywantto cook rice more.
Rice is a great, versatile staple and therice cooker is a versatile tool.
you might use it for other things, too, like steaming vegetables.
Of course, you might use a regular pot for lots of other foods, too.
Its by no means a unitasker.
The Aroma is a good, cheap compromise, though.
Who needs more junk lying around the house?
