Mistakes when cooking with a rice cooker

The mistakes when cooking with a rice cooker listed below are very common, not only causing the rice to lose its taste but can also reduce the life of the cooker.

The rice cooker originated in Japan and is called Suihanki – an automatic household appliance designed to cook rice by steaming it. The rice cooker includes a heat source, a cooking pot and a heat sensor (which helps measure the temperature of the cooking pot and control the heat).

Modern rice cookers, in addition to cooking rice, can also be used to prepare many other dishes.

Mistakes when cooking with a rice cooker

With many utilities, this device is present in most families. However, everyone still makes many mistakes when cooking with a rice cooker. Everyone owns at least one rice cooker.

Cooking rice too early 

Many families, especially families with older people, often have the habit of preparing rice early, up to several hours before meals because they think that the longer the rice is cooked, the longer it will be delicious and sticky. However, this both wastes electricity and reduces the life of the rice cooker. Rice cooked too early is also less delicious.

You just need to plug in the rice about 30 – 45 minutes before the meal and the rice will be cooked, fragrant, hot, and will not waste electricity consumption.

Wash rice directly in the pot

This is a very common mistake when cooking with a rice cooker. For convenience in the cooking process, many people often wash rice directly in the pot. Whether the inner pot has a non-stick layer or not, the manufacturer also coats the surface with a protective layer to ensure safe cooking. Washing rice directly in the pot can easily cause scratches on the surface.

The best way is to wash the rice in a basket/colander or a small bowl, then pour the rice into the rice cooker and add water to cook.

Do not dry the rice cooker before cooking 

If you wash rice directly with a rice cooker, the process of draining water can easily cause water to splash around the pot. If you don’t dry it, it will cause the heating plate below to be affected, leak electricity, and quickly damage the rice cooker. To be safest for yourself and the rice cooker, you need to use a towel to dry the cooker before cooking.

Press the “cook” button several times

If you want to continuously reheat rice or create scorched rice, people often press the “cook” button continuously. This is a very common mistake when cooking with a rice cooker. Over time, it can cause the rice cooking button to jump too early, making the rice raw, or too slow, causing the rice to crackle. Therefore, you should minimize pressing the “cook” button over and over again every time you use the rice cooker.

Open the lid continuously

Continuously opening the lid interrupts the operation of the rice cooker, causing the rice to lose its steam and characteristic aroma, and even take a long time to cook, making it not delicious. If you really want to check your rice cooker, you should only open the lid when it signals the rice is done, then gently stir to loosen the rice grains and close the lid to let it brew for a while or press the keep warm button to keep the rice hot and fresh. more delicious.

You should avoid mistakes when using a rice cooker. (Illustration photo: Istock)

Wash vigorously or use a dishwasher

Rice left in the pot for too long can easily become sticky and hard to clean, so many people often use metal iron balls to scrub vigorously. Many people use metal spoons to stir rice. As a result, the non-stick layer on the rice cooker easily peels off. If not rinsed thoroughly, it can stick to the rice, which is not good for the health of the eater.

Putting the rice cooker in the dishwasher subjecting it to the pressure of strong cleaning sprays and detergents also causes the non-stick layer to fly off quickly, making the pot more susceptible to damage.

Ideally, after using the rice cooker, you should soak it in warm water for about 10-15 minutes and then gently rub it with a soft cloth to easily clean the rice cooker.

In addition, you should not use the rice cooker to ferment yogurt, make cakes or scorched rice… often because it will reduce the durability of the pot. You should plug the rice into a separate power outlet, do not plug it in with high-power devices such as refrigerators or microwaves because it can easily cause electrical overload, leading to short circuits and fires.

Avoid the mistakes when cooking with a rice cooker mentioned above, you will always have a delicious rice cooker, and at the same time protect the device for long-term use.