002 4 I just got this today and made my first batch of rice . I think the cooker did a pretty good job . However , if you don't stir it towards the end of the cooking time or when most of the water has evaporated , the rice will brown on the bottom . So it's not a set it and forget it operation . But I like the cooker since I can saute onions and garlic in the bowl before adding the rice . I made a modified version of the chicken and spinach risotto recipe that comes with the cooker , and it turned out really good . I used regular long grain rice , a handful of frozen cut spinach , and added steamed shrimp which I steamed in the basket while the rice was cooking . The cooker automatically switches to warm once the water has evaporated but more water can be added and the cycle restarted if necessary . I think I will find this very useful for making quick one pot meals .
To help keep the starch from bubbling up and spraying out of the vent hole , rinse the rice thoroughly and drain . Heat a small amount of olive oil in the rice bowl , once the oil is heated , carefully add the rice and saute it for 3 to 4 minutes . Add the water and continue cooking . Rinsing alone will not prevent the starch from accumulating . I'm not a food scientist and I can't offer a scientific explanation , but something happens to the starch when the rice is sauteed or lightly toasted before steaming and it won't bubble up and out of the vent hole . For a change of pace , I saute onions and garlic in the bowl first and then just put the rice in and saute it along with the other ingredients before adding the water . To jazz it up a bit , I may add a pinch or two of turmeric ( to make the rice yellow ) to the water and a handful of peas . The possibilities are endless with this little cooker .
001 4 Several hours of my life were wasted pondering what rice cooker to purchase . There are dozen options available and I too was originally getting sucked into the though larger price tag = better rice , how wrong I was . Simple , easy to use , affordable and perfect brown rice on the first try ( no easy task ) . Save your money for Vegas , this is all you need .
003 4 I have eyed rice cookers for years but have bought one because I did not want to find a place to store it in the kitchen . When I saw this little red one Target , I picked it up on a whim . I love it ! . I've had it for a few months and probably use it at least 3 times a week . My favorite is to make Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley with vegtable or chicken broth and then steam some vegtables and salmon or fish the last 10 minutes or so . Season differently every time . Makes enough for dinner for 2 and at least one lunch for work the next day . Nothing special but always hits the spot , is easy and requires no thought or planning - - a good default meal . This cooker is easy clean-up , no mess , can't over-cook . I'm anxious to try new recipes .
004 4 Rice has always been something I liked , white rice that is . Now that I'm on southbeach diet white rice is out but brown and wild rice is in for phase two and three . If you've ever tried to cook wild rice from scratch you know it takes a loooooonnnnggg time to cook properly . I like a mix of rices with the wild rice so what I do is put the wild in here first cook it for a half hour then put the brown rice in the same pot with it , add more water ( one to one according to book directions but note that one mark in the cooker is more like a cup and a half in the measuring cup ) and cook for the full 45 minutes recommended for the brown rice , I've made several batches this way always comes out great . I like a splash of olive oil and salt in with mine too , makes it taste even better . I love this cooker , rice on the stove or in the microwave cookers can be a little hit and miss sometimes , this toy is worth the sixteen bucks and comes with a veggie steamer basket too . . . don't know if I'll ever use it but it's nice to know it's there .
005 4 I was looking for something to keep queso dip warm at a party . I saw this and it works great . I just throw in the ingredients and it is ready in a few minutes and keeps it warm for as long as I need it to . I have also used this several times for rice . It is great because I can leave part of the rice in there once done cooking to stay warm while I take the rest out to make fried rice . They are both warm and ready to serve at the same time . I got the rice cooker out of the cupboard the other day and dropped the lid . It is tempered glass so it shattered in tiny pieces . I am just glad that this is such an inexpensive item and will be getting a new one the next time I go to the store . My only regret is that I can't seem to find a replacement lid , it seems a shame to throw away a perfectly good appliance just because the lid broke .
006 4 I'm surprised at how poorly this rice cooker works , considering all of the great reviews posted here . I followed the instructions provided , filling up the cooker with the appropriate amount of water & rice , and after about six uses , it hasn't cooked properly even one time . I always have to add about twice as much water . The manual also states that brown rice takes longer to cook , it should also say to add a lot more water . The cover doesn't seem to fit very well and inevitably , water collects on the outside of the lid while cooking .
Finally , rice always burns on the bottom because the unit gets so hot - it doesn't burn so that it's not still edible , but it becomes brown and a bit rubbery .
Overall , I'm not impressed with this unit at all and I would not recommend it to anyone .
007 4 The instructions for this rice cooker make it sound like a chemistry set - - you're supposed to put rice in the special cup up to a certain number ( like up to the 2 marker ) , then put the rice in the cooker , then add water up to the 2 line on the inside of the cooker . This gets frustrating if you lose the instruction book or the special cup . I'm here to say that it works just fine if you just put in twice as much water as rice ( e.g . 1 cup rice , 2 cups water ) . I don't know why they bother with the special measuring cup and markings . So there's an easy work-around for those who are frustrated with that aspect of the cooker .
008 4 This review is from :
Rival RC61 3 - Cup Rice Cooker , Red ( Kitchen )
I would have to say I had no problems cooking rice with this unit . It cooks rice allmost flawlessly everytime . You cant leave the warmer on too long though . For the Price you cant argue , but it is cheap . At around $14 you could replace it every year easy enough which is about what it needs . After 8 months of use the non-stick pan is flaking bad . Trust me a metal spoon as never touched this pan , we only use soft plastic spoons on it . Cleaning it , never been in the dishwasher , mild soap and sponge everytime . We use it quite often , everyday . The plastic hosing on the switch has cracked for no apparent reason . Again for the price its a great rice cooker , however next time I think I will try something better since we eat rice so much .
009 4 I would have to say I had no problems cooking rice with this unit . It cooks rice allmost flawlessly everytime . You cant leave the warmer on too long though . For the Price you cant argue , but it is cheap . At around $14 you could replace it every year easy enough which is about what it needs . After 8 months of use the non-stick pan is flaking bad . Trust me a metal spoon as never touched this pan , we only use soft plastic spoons on it . Cleaning it , never been in the dishwasher , mild soap and sponge everytime . We use it quite often , everyday . The plastic hosing on the switch has cracked for no apparent reason . Again for the price its a great rice cooker , however next time I think I will try something better since we eat rice so much .
010 4 I got this rice cooker as a wedding gift . I loved it . It was just the right size for my husband and I . However , we've used it maybe 6 or 7 times and now it just won't work . For no reason whatsoever , the heating unit stopped heating . Still not a bad cooker for so little money , but beware .
011 4 When the rice cooks , it bubbles the water up and out of the hole on the lid . . . which then sprays everywhere . I need to look back at other reviews because I think someone had a suggestion on how to fix that . Anyway , the rice taste great , but unless I can figure out how to prevent the spraying mess , I wouldn't buy again .
012 4 I hesitated for years to buy a rice cooker because they are usually so big . . but this little dynamo is great . Doesn't take much counter or storage room BUT delivers great rice . I make brown rice most of the time and find that it requires just a little more water than the instructions would have you measure . Highly recommend this cute red appliance .
013 4 This little Rice cooker is fantastic . . . for $15 bucks you just cant beat it . I make white rice with it and it comes out perfect . Yes , it makes some noise , spatters and spits just a little , but hey . . it only costs $15 dollars . Cleanup is a breeze , and it's non-stick . If you want state of the art , buy Zojirushi , but the rice comes out basically the exact same . This little guy looks great , is very compact , and cooks rice quickly . Being a single male living alone , this can help make simple and quick healthy meals .
014 4 This is a very simple device that does its job very well : cooking rice for people who don't want or need to cook several cups at once . Do read the description and realize that its limit is six cups of COOKED rice , so you aren't going to get large capacity . However , it is perfect for two or three people .
Rival did a disservice to its customers by writing the instruction book in such a way that it makes you think you MUST use its squirrelly measuring cup and internal markings for the nonstick basket . You don't . All you need to do is put in a 2 : 1 ratio of water to rice . For two people , I cook 1 1 / 2 cups of dry rice to 3 cups of cooked rice , and get about 6 servings ' of side dishes , or 1 night of side rice and 1 night of fried rice for 2 .
That's all . Just put in rice and double the amount of water .
I wouldn't want to try to cook a lot more than 1 1 / 2 cups of dry rice , as at the top of the cooking cycle it was bubbling through the vent hole in the cover and probably would have made a mess on my counter if I'd done much more than that .
But it does what it does : throw in 1 1 / 2 cups brown rice , 3 cups water , turn to Cook , come back in 1 hour , and you have a pot of perfectly cooked rice . It spends 45 minutes on the Cook cycle , and 15 minutes on the Warm cycle , which yields rice that isn't too dry or too gloppy .
It's not fancy , and I probably would never use their included recipes . I don't intend to use it for steaming . But given how easy it is to cook rice in it without having to monitor it or turn down the burner or worry about boiling over , I'll probably make rice a lot more often .
015 4 My previous rice cooker lasted 20 years and then died one day . I replaced it with this hot , red , little number ! ! ! It works much faster than the previous one and comes with a steamer basket and rice paddle . Rice is always done quickly and texture is perfect . . . every time . Wash up is easy and cool down is fast . Doesn't take up a lot of space on your counter and it brightens up a dark corner ! ! ! Highly recommended ! !
016 4 Bought mine today at Target in Panama City , got home , rinsed the rice til it was clear , put 2 tsp of olive oil on bottom to keep it from spitting out drops of hot water ( it worked ! ) , and set it on . For 1 cup dry , took only 7 mintues to cook great ! Never burned and rice tasted great . Still amazed at how this bad boy is only $15 . Rival should be proud
017 4 After only about 6 months of use ( maybe 10 to 15 uses ) my cooker is dead . I'm on the hunt for something a bit more reliable . This cooker may be inexpensive , and it did a decent job when it did work , but it should have lasted longer . Like another reviewer pointed out , this cooker actually boils the rice , and steam and water bubble out of the small vent hole in the lid . Not that big of a deal , but I always had to place a paper towel on the counter to keep it clean .
018 4 I've had it for almost 1 year now .
It is my first rice cooker .
It has worked without any problems so far .
I like the rice it cooks very much .
But keep in mind that I've only cooked 1 cup of rice in it at a time .
It is possible that if you cook more ( 3 cups ) it will make some mess .
I will test it and see .
I also tried to use it to steam some vegetables .
For this , however , it lacks the power and it will take some time .
It does not have an off button , so you just have to unplug it when done .
Very easy to clean , too .
The price is great .
019 4 This is a great little six-cup rice cooker . I have one at work because it makes it so easy to have fresh rice with whatever you bring to compliment it . There is a steamer attachment which allows you to cook fresh vegetables while the rice cooks .
I even bought one of these for my daughter in he college dorm . She loves it !
I used to cook rice on the stove and that was not half as convenient . Just add rice with some chicken broth and about 20 minutes later your rice is ready to go . The non-stick surface makes for easy cleanup but don't use metal utensils . The enclosed rice paddle is just fine . This unit is very good for up to 3 people .
020 4 I have a large rice cooker that I hate to use . It leaks rice water everywhere and requires quite a bit of time to clean properly . This one is easy to use and clean . The rice came out perfect . I haven't had it for long , so this is not a long term satisfaction review , but I am quite pleased with this product so far . The instructions say whole grains such as barley may be used as well .
021 4 I've tried several different varieties of rice . I've tried adhering to the instructions and I've tried altering them . No matter what I do the rice never comes out right . Its sticky , or its mushy , or its brown , or underdone . I would have given it only one star , but for the price I can't complain too much . I mean , the rice is at least edible , sort of . I really wanted to like this cooker ! It's so cute ! But honestly , I would recommend spending a little more to avoid disappointment .
022 4 This cute little rice cooker is well-priced and made tasty rice . . . maybe six or seven times . Even when I rinsed the rice extensively before cooking , it did bubble up and create a mess as some other reviewers have indicated , but the end product was fine . However , after just a couple of months of use , the cooker simply stopped heating . Now I'm in the market for a new rice cooker .
024 4 This little red cooker is great ! I was a little worried by some of the reviews i read , but i found the measuring of rice and water to be a cinch . I would defiantly recommend this product if you love rice , are on budget and don't want to be hassled or bother with messy clean up .
025 4 I just wanted a little rice cooker and I found it . It saves me energy and time from putting rice on the stove , and is very easy to clean . The rice is nice and hot when it is done , while the warmer just slows down the cooling process , it doesn't keep it warm for very long . But it's great since you can choose to make only one cup of rice !
026 4 My family and I have been impressed with this attractive and inexpensive rice cooker . Very easy to use . . . simply put the rice and water in and press cook . The cooker pops off cook cycle and keeps rice on warm cycle until ready to serve . The unit also comes with a steamer you can opt to place on top to steam veggies while the rice is cooking . Perfect rice every time ( add a little extra water when making brown rice ) . Easy to clean the non-stick pan . Occupies little room to store in cabinet . . . and can highly recommend as a small kitchen applicance that will be used often .
027 4 I generally do not like to give poor reviews but in hopes that this might help someone else , here goes . . . .
This rice cooker does not have the bells and whistles others do . That was a plus in my book .
However , it is very small and if you try to cook the full 3 cups you will find that you have a mess . There is a little hole on the top that is for the steam to come out of and what happens is the liquid comes out of that hole too . It spatters out and the lid gets very dirty . I have to put a small towel under it to make rice because it makes a mess .
I have followed the directions and it still makes a mess .
I have owned other rice cookers and have never seen one as messy as this one .
Once you get the hang of it , and if you over look the mess , this makes a fine pot of rice . It doesn't make too much so you don't have to worry about left overs . It makes enough for my family of 2 adults and 3 children to eat at a meal with a little bit for my husband's lunch .
028 4 I agree with the other reviewers that this little cooker does a great job for the price . . . until it goes kaput !
I've now had two of these just stop working after only a few months of use . Granted , we use the rice cooker 3 - 4 times a week , but still !
I think we're going to try the Panasonic this time around .
029 4 I can cook very good rice with it !
It is very useful !
The only drawback is the volume is so small . If I want to make it for the whole family , I need to cook twice !
030 4 I've only tried this a couple of times and I was disappointed . Instead of steaming like I expected it to do , it insteads boils to where it splatters out of the lid and the steamer hole and created a huge mess . Even when cleaning the rice it still boils over to where I have to leave the lid on part way to keep it from doing that . To me that is a burn hazard to anyone who would want to use it or get near it . The machine itself tends to get too hot and the grill the dish sits on gets burn stains on it . The rice takes a long time to cook and when it is it is too overdone and soggy to eat , and sometimes gummy and has that filmy stuff on the bottom of the pan . I was hoping for some nice steamed rice like you'd find in one of those good rice cookers .
031 4 We have used this rice cooker for about the past year to make white and brown rice a few times per week . It was not our first cooker , and replaced one I had previously used for several years . Nothing about this cooker works well . The non-stick coating has become quite scratched , despite using only the plastic paddle included . Rice is unevenly cooked , and always overly browned and stuck to the bottom , making a large portion of the rice cooked inedible . This is particularly a problem with brown rice . Water sprays out of the hole in the lid , dirtying the counter ( and anything we've mistakenly left nearby ) . Save your money and cook your rice on the stove top instead of buying this model .
032 4 This product was a bit disappointing . I was really looking forward to using a rice cooker , but it just never seems to come out right with this one . I find it always sticks together in a clump on the bottom and gets that papery stuff stuck to it - - not very appetizing . I have tried following the directions exactly and even adding extra water , neither really worked any better . I think I would opt for another model .
033 4 I bought this rice cooker for $12 from Target store on sale . There are only two modes , warm and cook , which is acceptable for the money . It comes with steam tray to steam veggies and a plastic spoon . The quality is great for a cheap appliance and if you follow the directions how to cook the rice , you will never have burnt / sticky rice again . I'm using this to cook buckwheat which is also is grain similar to rice and it comes out great.There is only one small problem . The cooker spits rice goo from lid vent so you have to keep it close to the sink . Some more costly rice cookers have a trap to catch the goo , but since this is a budget rice cooker , it does not have the goo catcher . Check your local stores for this model might be cheaper than online .
034 4 I figured out how to use it : throw out the manual and use the amounts of rice and water written on your rice box . Once the water is cooked out , it flips to warm mode with no buzzer or warning . If you don't let it sit there , the rice comes out really well . ( It'll become sticky and even hard if you keep it on warm for any length of time . )
035 4 I've had this rice cooker for about a year and a half and it's held up great . It's perfect for a single meal or for when guests come over ( it easily makes enough rice for up to 8 people ) . I really like the red design and the price can't be beat !
036 4 I purchased this at target and I love it . I have had it for a week and have used it everyday . Its perfect for a single person , apartment living , small family or to make sushi , I made 5 sushi rolls with the 6 cups . The rice comes out perfect everytime . I use less water than the instruction manual says to use , just enough to cover the rice . If you are making japanese or sushi rice make sure you rinse the rice several times and then let it soak . I would recommend this to anyone . It is small so it is easy to store .
* * * * * * * * UPDATE * * * * * * * * * *
I have now had this rice maker for 3 months and still use it very often . I absolutely love it still ! ! As already stated , this only makes 6 cups of COOKED rice so if you need more purchase there 16 cup rice cooker . But for me and my family this is perfect . I use less water for white sushi rice than the booklet says too , I basically just put in enough water to cover the rice , otherwise it comes out soggy .
037 4 If you need to make rice for one or two people , and if you don't mind a rice cooker without all the extra features - this is a good one . The larger and better rice cookers have a lid that can be sealed and locked shut while the rice is cooking . This cooker will steam and spit and spray because it doesn't have a locking lid . I overcome most of that by placing the cooker by the sink and let most of the spray go over the sink .
How does it cook ? I love sticky rice and it does a good job on it . Pretty good for something less than $15.00 !
038 4 I always wanted a rice cooker . My boyfriend bought this particular brand for me a couple weeks ago . This thing is fantastic ! Cooks rice perfectly . Although , I did keep an eye on it the first couple times of use , I really didn't have to as it cooks perfectly every time . After it's done cooking it switches to warm . To shut it off it must be unplugged . I plan to purchase a rice cooker cookbook and another rice cooker like this one for my daughter . She'll be living oncampus next year and this would be great for her . She loves using this . It's so easy . . . and if she doesn't want to eat all of the food cooked in the rice cooker , but wants some for later , she can put it in the fridge and put it on warm to heat for later . It also steams veggies perfectly . I've found so many cool recipes for this rice cooker .
039 4 This review is from :
Rival RC61 3 - Cup Rice Cooker , Red ( Kitchen )
I LOVE this little rice cooker ! It was shipped immediately and arrived 3 days later , in perfect condition . Though it was advertised in the used section , it was clearly brand new . Rice comes out perfect every time . Ideal for 1 to 3 people . I love red kitchen appliances so it fits right in , to further brighten my kitchen . I always leave it out , whether it's in use or not .
040 4 I LOVE this little rice cooker ! It was shipped immediately and arrived 3 days later , in perfect condition . Though it was advertised in the used section , it was clearly brand new . Rice comes out perfect every time . Ideal for 1 to 3 people . I love red kitchen appliances so it fits right in , to further brighten my kitchen . I always leave it out , whether it's in use or not .
041 4 This review is from :
Rival RC61 3 - Cup Rice Cooker , Red ( Kitchen )
This was my first rice cooker . It worked beautifully for 2 weeks then quit unexpectedly and never worked again . I am so upset , I used this almost everyday .
042 4 This was my first rice cooker . It worked beautifully for 2 weeks then quit unexpectedly and never worked again . I am so upset , I used this almost everyday .
043 4 I guess I shouldn't have gone cheap . It broke after about 4 - 5 moderately successful uses and wouldn't heat again . It always seemed to make Basmati rice rather underdone .
