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rice cooker or pressure cooker??

6K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  silva 
#1 ·
so im thinkin of buying one or the other(or both). what I was wondering was, does a pressure cooker do everything a rice cooker does? I mean can you cook dried rice in a pressure cooker? also how do pressure cookers work for legumes? I dont know much about pressure cookers but the idea I have of it is that its this amazing machine that can cook dried brown rice and other whole grains and beans and other legumes in minutes? is this right? haha sorry for my ignorance, and thanks in advance
 
#2 ·
You can cook just about anything you cook in a pot in a pressure cooker. I would go for one of those instead of a rice cooker unless you just eat a TON of rice.

You might get a "flame tamer" a ceramic ring that goes between your stove and your pressure cooker for things that might burn on the bottom (like brown rice). I don't own one since I usually do brown rice in the oven, but several cook books I have suggest them.
 
#3 ·
i love my rice cooker. partly because it frees up elements on the stove. i can make rice on the counter and have lots of room on the stove to make whatever's going wit it. hubby is omni so we usually have a couple different pans going at once, his meat, my protein, and veggies

for that i'd say go for a rice cooker or crockpot. you can do a lot of things in the rice cooker besides rice too. most of them double as steamers and you can make soups etc. mine automatically goes from 'cook' to 'warm' when the liquid's all gone, i'm not sure if the warm setting is hot enough to slow cook stuff like chili etc. it might, i haven't tried it yet
 
#4 ·
A rice cooker is basically a crockpot with either a timer or a heat sensor, it sits on the counter and plugs into the outlet. The one I have has a removable inner pot that goes inside the rice cooker, directly touching the heat. You put your grains and your water in the bottom, then press the button and wander away. You can steam food in a rice cooker, mine has an insert so I can steam veggies while I cook rice. My rice cooker is my favorite thing in the kitchen after my santoku knife and my chefs pan.

A pressure cooker is, apparently, a pot with a sealable top that goes on the stove like a normal pot. I've never used one so I googled it and found this.
 
#5 ·
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my rice cooker. Mainly because I was a complete FAILURE at cooking rice. Now I use it for all sorts of grains, cereal in the mornings and of course, rice, rice, rice. (We eat LOTS of rice, it's cheap and versatile). I would totally buy another one if something happened to this one.

Now, after THAT glowing endorsement for my rice cooker, let me add that I have a pressure cooker and absolutely LOVE it too. I don't know how I'd get along without both.

I don't cook rice in my pressure cooker though - mostly because it isn't all that much quicker or definitely NOT any better than in a rice cooker. I cook lots and lots of beans in the pressure cooker though, as well as potatoes, winter squash, artichokes, beets, etc... They all cook up a whole lot faster, (but, just so you know, still not as quick as opening a can or using instant) Some people are disappointed that it still takes 20 minutes to cook pinto beans (for example) in the pressure cooker, but that's a whole lot quicker, (and uses less electricity) than boiling a pot of beans half the day...

We live on a very tight budget. I buy rice and beans cheaply in bulk so having easy, fool-proof methods of cooking these foods is important to me.

Oh, I have never used the "flame tamer" gadget but some people say they're nice and keep things from scorching, I don't think I've ever scorched anything either though? which is maybe why...
 
#6 ·
I've never really had trouble with cooking rice on the stove top, so I never considered getting a rice cooker. I guess it does depend on whether you'd use it often or not.

On the other hand, I consider a pressure cooker essential for me, mainly because it makes cooking beans, lentils and grains so much easier and faster - and I eat a lot of those. I think that a pressure cooker is more versatile and allows you to cook more things, but that's just my perspective. I advice you to research both of them more, and see which one you'll be bound to use more.
 
#8 ·
Yes, get both. They are both extremely useful devices, and have some mutually exclusive applications. A pressure cooker will make quick work of legumes, and a rice cooker will cook grains perfectly every time. One caveat, thoughstay away from the cheap (read Aroma) rice cookers. Poorly designed rice cookers have a greater tendency to scorch on the bottom. If you can afford it, Zojirushi makes the Rolls Royce of rice cookers. Cuisinart makes a pretty good one too, but the plastic leaves a bit to be desired.
 
#10 ·
I have a zojirushi and it IS nice. I've struggled with friends' Aroma and Panasonic rice cookers and they probably aren't worth it.

I love mine tho, cause I set the timer in the morning, throw rice in, and beans in the crockpot... and come home to rice and beans cooked JUST right. You may make perfect rice on the stove but you still have to babysit the pot, turn it off on time, and watch that it doesn't burn. And I do cook a lot of other grains in it as well. Quinoa is TOTALLY different in a rice cooker for instance. Light, fluffy - I'd probably get the cooker again just because of how much I like the way quinoa turns out!

Eh, get what your kitchen and budget allow, everyone's needs and circumstances are different. I'm cooking with VERY little time around dinner time, I have three starving kids and an extremely limited food budget. This is what works for me.
 
#13 ·
Zojirushi IS the best.

They do have three cup ones. (Though rice freezes really well).

They take about the same amount of time but zojirushi does have a "time cook" which is nice for coming home to.

Also you just put the stuff in, turn it on and walk away, no checking, no under-cooked or over-cooked. They also take less energy if your stove is electric.
 
#14 ·
it's just 2 of us here too and i always make at least 3 cups of rice. whatever we cook we make enough for leftovers for the next day.

i would never leave my rice cooker on all day though it always scorches the bottom
 
#15 ·
I honestly don't get the point of rice cookers. I use a saucepan. Cooks rice perfectly ever time and very much cheaper.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamW View Post

so zojirushi is the brand to go with? do they make smaller ones? I really dont need more then two servings of rice at a time. It's just my girlfriend and I
If you can afford it, yes. Any Zojirushi device in your kitchen will rock your cooking world.

Always buy the size suited to your needs. Rice cookers work best at an optimum fill rangethey dont cook as well if the level is too low or too high. Theyll still work just fine, but you wont get perfection. For this reason, Asian families usually have two or three rice cookers of various sizes. Just off the top of my head, Id say multiply the number of people youre cooking for by two and use a cooker with that cup capacity.
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiz View Post

I honestly don't get the point of rice cookers. I use a saucepan. Cooks rice perfectly ever time and very much cheaper.
I tried for 40+ years and NEVER ONCE cooked rice "perfectly every (or ANY) time" until I got my rice cooker. Some of us have different talents evidently.

It turns itself on, cooks the rice and turns itself off without my having to be there watching.

And it uses way less energy than my electric stove. If I used gas that might be different.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tofu-N-Sprouts View Post

And it uses way less energy than my electric stove. If I used gas that might be different.
I never sat down to work it out but gas always seems more expensive than electricity. For example, we'd only use the stove or oven a few times a week and the monthly bill would equal the electricity that we used every day, lights, computers, tv, and microwave.

I'm going to ask my father about it when he get back from his business trip, he'd know.
 
#20 ·
Since this thread has been resurrected I'll add my two cents-- Instant Pot for the win!
I got mine last black friday for $60--the 6 quart with the yogurt function (not that I've have success yet...)
It's the best appliance I've ever had. Once I've figured out the timing so I can use manual pressure release and have perfectly cooked beans, soups, pasta casseroles, rice, seitan, I use this all the time.
It's both high and low pressure, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker
 
#23 ·
While I'd never think to use a top of stove pressure cooker for rice, the Instant Pot, or other updated electric pressure cookers, make perfect rice every time.
I use the rack, water in pot, and rice and water in a pyrex on top of rack. White is 1 to 1, 6 minutes high pressure. Brown is 1 to 1 1/2 22 minutes high pressure. I let it naturally release and have perfect rice every time no fuss. Already in container to put away

Of course it does just about every thing else as well!
 
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