Thanks Surfah

[Jeff Lebowski]

At Surfah's suggestion, I finally broke down and purchased a new rice cooker: the Zojirushi 10-cup, fuzzy logic, induction model. Cost a small fortune, but we are in rice heaven. Each kernel is perfect. Not too tough, not too mushy. Just perfect.

We are now officially rice snobs.

[il Padrino Ute]

At Surfah's suggestion, I finally broke down and purchased a new rice cooker: the Zojirushi 10-cup, fuzzy logic, induction model. Cost a small fortune, but we are in rice heaven. Each kernel is perfect. Not too tough, not too mushy. Just perfect.

We are now officially rice snobs.

Awesome.

Now you can make some killer arancini. Rice done right is the key.

[RobinFinderson]

Zojirushi makes some nice things. We have their five cup rice maker, which is fine for us. Sometimes I wish we got the version with the vegetable steamer on the top. As you say, it makes perfect rice, every time, with the push of a button.

To be a real rice snob you have to have an opinion on what is the best rice. What do you think?

[BigFatMeanie]

Zojirushi makes some nice things. We have their five cup rice maker, which is fine for us. Sometimes I wish we got the version with the vegetable steamer on the top. As you say, it makes perfect rice, every time, with the push of a button.

To be a real rice snob you have to have an opinion on what is the best rice. What do you think?

Thai Jasmine Rice. It's not even close.

Granted there are specialty rices like sticky rice and the short-grained rice you need for Sushi but for long-grain rice it's Thai Jasmine.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thai Jasmine Rice. It's not even close.

Granted there are specialty rices like sticky rice and the short-grained rice you need for Sushi but for long-grain rice it's Thai Jasmine.

Given my time in Japan, I will always be fond of good quality white short-grained rice. But we have been eating a lot of brown short-grained lately. It is difficult to cook properly (typically it is dry on top and mushy on the bottom) but the Zojirushi does it beautifully. It has a GABA brown setting that supposedly makes it more nutritious. From their website:

This is not a new variety of brown rice, but a newly discovered way of cooking brown rice to “activate” it and increase naturally occurring gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid in brown rice believed to have health giving properties such as lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function and relieving stress. The brown rice is “activated” by soaking the rice at 104°F for 2 hours before the actual cooking begins.

And as BFM says, Thai Jasmine is also very good. I can't wait to try it in the cooker.

There is a Persian restuarant in the gaslamp district in S.D. that makes a rice mixed with lentils, current raisins, dates, and saffron. It is awesome. I need to figure that one out.

[RobinFinderson]

We get mostly high quality Japanese or Californian white short grain rice. Faith served her mission in Japan and used to insist that she could cook rice as well as any machine. The Zojirushi fixed her thinking. But I like the sweet popcorn smell of good Basmati as well.

[ERCougar]

"increase naturally occurring gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid in brown rice"

Amino acids created from energy and water.

Maybe life began in a Zojirushi rice cooker.

[Surfah]

I don't know how I missed this thread. Glad you like it. Worth the investment if you eat a ton of rice.

As far as best rice, I've never been a huge fan of jasmine rice. I prefer any calrose short to medium grain rice. My favorite would be Botan Calrose Rice. I like rice white and sticky. I don't eat it any other way. Unless fried. But even then most times I'll shy away from it because it's just the old white rice that never was eaten in restaurants.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I don't know how I missed this thread. Glad you like it. Worth the investment if you eat a ton of rice.

As far as best rice, I've never been a huge fan of jasmine rice. I prefer any calrose short to medium grain rice. My favorite would be Botan Calrose Rice. I like rice white and sticky. I don't eat it any other way. Unless fried. But even then most times I'll shy away from it because it's just the old white rice that never was eaten in restaurants.

Yup. We always buy Botan Calrose.

[TripletDaddy]

Yup. We always buy Botan Calrose.

I guess I got lucky. I know nothing about rice and that is what we buy.

I started buying it because it was in the asian aisle and the packaging looked cool.

[ERCougar]

I guess I got lucky. I know nothing about rice and that is what we buy.

I started buying it because it was in the asian aisle and the packaging looked cool.

That's funny, because that's exactly why we buy it--it sort of looked like the kind my Japanese missionary roommate used to buy (probably was the same, now that the rice-ophiles have spoken). We use jasmine rice for Thai food and this for everything else.

[Jeff Lebowski]

We had Indian curry tonight so we cooked up a batch of basmati rice in the Zojirushi. It was exquisite. I have never had better basmati rice in my life.

I enjoyed it so much that my daughter said that I reminded her of Bill Murray in What About Bob? when he has dinner with the shrink's family.

[YardTime]

I like rice white and sticky. I don't eat it any other way.

A man after my own heart.

[Surfah]

Kokuho Rose is another great rice, much like Botan Calrose.

[Jeff Lebowski]

(bump)

The Zojirushi also does steel-cut oatmeal to perfection. Drop it in the night before, set the timer, push the button and go to sleep. Then wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Throw on some fresh banana slices, crushed almonds or pecans, and buttermilk syrup or honey. Heavenly.

Thanks again, Surfah.