Rice. Such a versatile food. So many varieties to enjoy: sweet white rice, fiber-packed healthy brown rice, fragrant basmati rice from India. However, my stovetop rice was never very good. Too sticky or overcooked. A burnt pot. Plus, I could never time it right with the rest of the meal. My rice cooker, purchased a couple years ago, solved my problem. Now I make perfect rice every time.
The Rival RC101 Rice Cooker makes up to ten cups of (cooked) rice at a time, then keeps it warm until you are ready to eat. A steaming basket is also included, so one could make rice and steamed vegetables (or steamed fish) at the same time.
From the instruction booklet:
Congratulations on the purchase of your new RICE COOKER! You are now the proud owner of an extremely versatile appliance. You can expect perfect rice every time as well as prepare great soups and stews, steam vegetables and even bake a cake!
…Did they say “bake a cake????”
What is the rice cooker like?
The rice cooker is round, around 8 inches in diameter (9 with the handles) and 7 inches tall. As such, it does not take up much counter space. It is white with black trim. Add another two inches in height if the steamer basket is used. The inner pot has a nonstick surface. Also included are a steamer basket, a white, flexible ladle, a measuring cup, and an instruction booklet. The electric cord is around three feet long.
The palm-sized instruction booklet has only 15 pages, and another 15 pages in Spanish. The Spanish pages are printed upside down, so you will need to stand on your head to read them, amigos.
How do you use it?
First, measure out the quantity of rice desired, keeping in mind that the provided measuring cup (which isn’t actually a standard “cup” in volume) will yield 2 1/4 cups of cooked rice. Pour the rice into the inner pot. Add water to the pot, using the rice-cup markings on the inside of the inner pot. In other words, if one is cooking 2 measuring cups worth of rice, add water to the number 2 line in the pot. Then, simply place the inner pot inside the rice cooker, place the lid on top and plug in the appliance. Automatically, the “cook” light will light up, and your rice will begin to cook. The rice cooker knows when your rice is perfectly cooked (don’t ask me how it knows. It just knows!) and will automatically switch itself to “keep warm” mode at that time. The orange “keep warm” light will let you know that this has happened.
How long does it take the rice to cook?
Surprisingly, the instruction manual does not mention this at all, except to mention that brown rice takes longer than white rice. I am estimating that a pot of white rice seems to take about 20 minutes to cook; brown rice took substantially longer, perhaps 35-40 minutes.
Tell us about the accessories:
The steamer basket is very lightweight and seems to be made of thin aluminum. It fits between the rice pot and the lid to allow for steaming vegetables (or other foods) while the rice is cooking. The ladle is a wide, rounded spatula device that makes quick work out of serving the rice, without scratching the nonstick surface of the cooker. The rice measuring “cup” really holds 3/4 standard cups of rice. It is a thin, translucent plastic, very similar to the plastic dispenser/lids on the tops of my laundry detergents. It is marked off in quarter “rice-cups”. It is important to remember that the markings in the rice cooker refer to the “rice-cup” measurements from the included measuring cup, and not standard 8 oz. cups. Forgetting that important detail would cause an error in the rice to water ratio. You really don’t want to lose that included measuring cup, although if you did, just remember that it holds 6 oz of rice (3/4 cup).
What about cleaning?
The inner pot, containing the rice, has a nonstick surface that is a breeze to clean, with a quick wipe with some soapy water. After two years of sporadic use, the nonstick surface is still in pristine shape, and there has never been anything close to burning or difficulty in cleaning. Wipe down the outside of the appliance with soapy water, also, as needed. The clear lid sometimes requires a bit more light scrubbing, but it is not difficult at all. The items are not dishwasher safe.
What about the all important safety warnings:
Yes, rest assured, they are all there, for your reading enjoyment! Do not use the unit on a gas or electric burner or in the oven. Unplug the cord when the appliance is not in use. Keep away from children, pets and clumsy spouses. You know the drill.
Recipes and more information:
The instruction manual lists 8 recipes, including: Grits with Ham and Cheddar, Salmon with Citrus Marinade with Coconut Rice and Warm Cinnamon Applesauce. A table lists steaming times for various vegetables. Mushrooms win the race at 3-4 minutes, while cabbage wedges come in last, at 14-16 minutes.
I note that the recipe for “Spicy Spanish Saffron Rice”, described as “a lively vegetarian medley of vegetables and spices” calls for chicken broth. Oops!
More information, and additional recipes are available at www.rivalproducts.com.
How much does it cost:
Check out the links below this review. Current prices seem to be in the $21-25 range.
My experience with this rice cooker:
This is my first rice cooker, and I am very happy with it. I recently made a dinner for guests from out of town. It was very unclear what time they would arrive. By preparing rice in this rice cooker, I knew I could serve them perfectly warm and perfectly textured rice, no matter when they arrived. I also love being able to toss in the rice and the water, plug in the rice cooker, and go do something else. It’s easy, mindless cooking, just the thing for a busy, working Mom like myself. No need to worry about turning off the burner at a certain time; no worries about the rice burning or sticking. And clean up is SO EASY. It also seems to fill my house with a great aroma. I especially love the smell of basmati rice.
The handles on the unit stay cool to the touch. The outside of the unit becomes warm, but not dangerously hot. The lid does become hot, although the lid handle stays cool.
Sometimes, I add a little too much water. This results in a stickier rice. It also can result in some steamy rice-water condensing out of the lid’s vent hole. When this happens, I simply place a folded paper towel on the countertop below the vent hole, to catch the watery condensate. It is not a big deal.
After two years of occasional use, my rice cooker looks and functions as if it were still brand new. I’m a happy camper …er … cooker.
Any negatives?
Yes, I do have a few quibbles:
My biggest complaint is the cheap measuring cup. The markings are just translucent engravings in the cup, and are difficult for my aging eyeballs to read. Also, the measuring cup seems like it could break easily, although mine remains intact so far. I also wish there were an on/off switch instead of having to plug and unplug the unit each time to turn it on and off, but that seems to be a common complaint with these devices. Finally, I wish healthy, brown rice tasted as good as the nutritionally poorer white rice, but I can’t really blame the cooker for that.
So, did you use the unit to bake a cake?
No, but a quick Google search really did reveal several references to rice cooker cake and bread recipes. Who knew?
