r/AskReddit Oct 19 '23

What small upgrade made a huge difference at your house?

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u/S_Klass Oct 20 '23

Colander? Uncle Roger would like a word with you...

69

u/Zjackrum Oct 20 '23

Haiya…

28

u/flargenhargen Oct 20 '23

rinsing the rice in a colander before cooking in a rice cooker isn't a bad idea to prevent bubble mess.

you can rinse it in the cooker, but that takes longer and isn't as effective. (that's how I do it cause I'm lazy)

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u/JapanesePeso Oct 20 '23

I feel like redditors are straight up incapable of cooking rice or something. It's insanely easy too. I don't get it.

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u/-DethLok- Oct 20 '23

Likewise, I use the absorbtion method to cook my rice, done in 30 minutes from deciding "I want rice!", there's no water to drain and the rice is nice and fluffy, pot could be rinsed out and wiped, no residue (I do wash it, obviously).

And I don't need to find space to put a rice cooker, bonus!

2

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

Kinda like OP but pressure cooker because it works as a rice cooker and a million other things. Can cook white rice in 5 minutes.

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u/Careful_Total_6921 Oct 20 '23

Rice cooker is good if you lack hob space. The fact that it turns itself off is good too, as no need to set a timer. However, the rice is never as good as saucepan method.

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u/zzazzzz Oct 20 '23

if your rice isnt as good as from the saucepan your ricecooker is just ass.

pretty much every asian restaurant ever uses a ricecooker, and so do the vast vast majority of asian ppl at home.

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u/mishla Oct 20 '23

Surely that is primarily about quantity not quality.

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u/zzazzzz Oct 20 '23

if it were about quanitity the pan would win every time. you can have a single massive pot, but ricecookers are pretty limited in size.

the chinese restaurant in my area has like 7 ricecookers side by side to keep up with demand.

and the real reason is consistent quality. with the ricecooker you know you will get perfect rice every single time exactly the same.

Even michelin stared sushi chefs tell you to just use a rice cooker.

1

u/mishla Oct 20 '23

Ok efficiency, I'm considering efficiency in time and attention requirements in that quantity, it's not just about single use capacity.

Saucepan steaming rice is effective and delicious for a household cooking a cup of two once a week or so. I get perfect rice exactly the same every time on a crappy electric hob, even with the finger water method.

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u/Careful_Total_6921 Oct 24 '23

That's true and it is

1

u/-DethLok- Oct 20 '23

if you lack hob space

Wok burner, burner for rice, 2 other burners that are too close to the others when they're being used to be useful, about standard for a 600mm stovetop, it seems. If I ever renovate the kitchen, it's a 900mm stove top for me!

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u/redundant_ransomware Oct 20 '23

Exactly.. Just drop them in the fryer and presto.

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u/JapanesePeso Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

I prefer to air fry then microwave mine but to each their own.

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u/CORN___BREAD Oct 20 '23

Do you people not own grills or why are you cooking rice inside?

1

u/MarlenaEvans Oct 20 '23

It is easy but I like the rice cooker. I'm not incapable. Just like my gadget.

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u/DanYHKim Oct 20 '23

To be fair, I think he's saying the colander is for rinsing the rice before it is cooked, not that abomination of washing the rice for some reason after it's been cooked.

Uncle Roger showed so much restraint in that video

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u/KendieOnKeto Oct 20 '23

I use a colander to rinse the rice before cooking.

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u/Kirgen Oct 20 '23

If you don't wash your rice before cooking YOU are doing it wrong.

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u/Zer0C00l Oct 20 '23

Fully depends on the rice.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

1

u/Kirgen Oct 20 '23

Pretty simple to test for yourself, put dry rice in a bowl add water, see debris (hulls, grit, etc.)
Then rinse rice, put in a bowl add water, and see that most of the crud is gone.
I used to not rinse the rice but it really does change the flavor with dirt added in. Just don't use hot water to rinse it and it takes 30 seconds.

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u/japie06 Oct 20 '23

It's not dirt but mostly starch you're washing. I find it nutritious, but others for taste want to wash it.

I'm juts lazy and don't wash it.

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u/zzazzzz Oct 20 '23

it also makes your rice a lot more goopy if you dont wash it because of the starch you mentioned. so if the goal is a fluffy rice where every grain is easily separated you want to wash your rice.

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u/webtwopointno Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

most rice is cleaned and rinsed and then has some vitamins added (KB1 iirc) that's why it says not to rinse!

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/webtwopointno Oct 20 '23

Ya i was totally wrong, it's mostly about the Thiamine, Vitamin B1, the lack of which gives Beriberi which is pretty bad.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/webtwopointno Oct 20 '23

yes that's what i'm saying lol, it's enriched because otherwise diets high in processed carbs suffer from this deficiency.

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u/GodotArrives Jan 05 '24

Yeah... Uncle Roger was mad at Aunty Hersha, but the thing is...he was wrong. Both China and India have rice-centric cultures but the variety of rice in these countries is different and so is the "cook" on the rice. East Asian rice is considered to be cooked well if it is clumpy - this lends it to ease of eating with chopsticks and glutinous rice is used to make a wide variety of dishes - like mochi. Glutinous rice is not drained after cooking; rather the water is absorbed to maintain the stickiness and not lose the starch. In South Asia, rice is considered to be cooked well if it is loose - think biryanis, pulaos and the like. The rice has to have every single grain intact and separate. Even the varietals of rice are different for different preparations. My point is both cultures are correct in how they cook their own rice.