449825 Thu Oct 11 08:53:56 -0700 2007 14 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 3024877 I currently use the stove top method but thought it is worth trying a rice cooker. Any idea which stores in the Toronto area have a decent selection? Thanks, Thu Oct 11 08:53:56 -0700 2007 133864 mamaseto 1 3024952 I noticed Tap Phong has a lot of rice cookers, at I assume a good price. Not familar with brands and rice cookers in general though. Thu Oct 11 09:12:46 -0700 2007 3024877 12840 Mila 1 3025076 Neo home on Spadina north of queen, T&T but i'm not sure about who has the best prices. for the past 3 yrs i have a 5 cup panasonic with fuzzy logic that's been great. i got mine on sale and with a manufacturer's coupon from neo home. Thu Oct 11 09:45:19 -0700 2007 3024877 96253 chocabot 1 3025559 We've had a mid-sized Tiger for over 15 years, use it a couple of times a month and it still performs like new. We have cooked many types of rice and once we learned how to adjust the liquid for each type of rice, it makes perfect rice every time. (ok, sometimes when we use stock there will be a bit of sediment-only a bit-at the bottom). So obviously my first choice would be Tiger. Actually don't know how we'd get along without it now. Thu Oct 11 11:35:56 -0700 2007 3024877 50167 Scary Bill 1 3026076 I have had a National brand rice cooked for nearly 25 years. Use it 2 or 3 times a week and have never had a problem with it. That's nearly 3000 batches of rice folks.Don 't know if they still make them. Very simple operation--on/off switch that automatically shuts off when rice is cooked and holds warm for up to 3 hours Thu Oct 11 13:39:27 -0700 2007 3024877 53134 ishmael 2 3026922 I have a national as well - it has served me well. I haven't had it that long - about 7 years. It's so very reliable. Although I secretly hope it breaks down so I can upgrade to a Zojirushi Thu Oct 11 17:22:49 -0700 2007 3026076 11551 Apple 1 3026494 Go with the elephant if you can afford it. Panasonic/National is also good. Go to your larger Asian supermarkets such as T&T. Thu Oct 11 15:13:34 -0700 2007 3024877 10739 Negaduck 1 3026753 I'd say it's not so much the brand that makes the difference (as long as they are not B- or C- grade brands. Zojirushi, Tiger, National... they are all good brands and have been making rice cookers for ages), but more the specific product line that you must look at when selecting the right cooker for you. Here's a mini-lecture on: How to choose/What to look for in a rice cooker. First off, how much rice will you be cooking at a time? We are a Japanese family and we eat a lot of rice everyday, and we use 'issho-daki' or a 10-cup cooker. This type is of course not recommended for a single person or a couple who may eat a mere 1-cup per meal (1 cup of rice gives approximately 2 bowls of cooked rice). If you are only cooking for yourself, maybe 1-2 cups at a time, go for a 3-cup cooker, but if you have 2 adults and 3 children all eating 2 or more servings of rice, then consider a bigger size cooker. Usually a cooker performs well when cooking 60-80% of its rice capacity. Sounds too obvious? The key here is, if you are buying a small rice cooker, you must buy a cooker that is specifically designed for cooking a small amount of rice, and not a cooker that uses the same method as the traditional issho-daki, only downsized. That makes the whole difference! Secondly, are you cooking strictly white rice, or are you cooking brown rice (genmai), mixed rice (takikomi-gohan), and so on? There are cookers that are specifically designed to cook different types of mixed rice well, and others that focus and concentrate on cooking the best white rice. Thirdly,look for 'inverter circuit' (I think that's what it's called) that regulates the heat conduction of a cooker. I think most recent models are equipped with it, but just to make sure. If the power is instable during the cooking (this can happen from using multiple appliances at home at once, for example), you might as well use a clay pot (donabe) and cook over fire (in fact, a simple donabe cooks wonderful rice!). Lastly, choose a cooker that has the big, thick, and heavy inner bowl. It may take longer to heat up and cost more, but the finished product is sooooo much better. The thin inner bowl cooker is similar to putting rice in a casserole and boiling it over fire, nothing wrong with cooking rice with a casserole but not the way to cook Japanese rice... whereas the thick inner bowl cooker encloses all the heat and 'cooks' rice inside, by the heat of the cooker itself, and not by the 'fire' outside (i.e. heating element outside the bowl). I've also heard that cookers with 'vacuum' type inner bowl (like the thermos) are great, though I have not tried them myself, and I don't know if these types are available in Canada at all. On the same note, a cooker that heats from all sides of the bowl (e.g. Induction Heating, or IH cooker) performs better than a cooker that heats only from the bottom of the bowl. Rice needs to be enclosed and cooked, heat and steam and everything kept inside. We Japanese use the verb 'taku' for cooking rice exclusively and there is a reason! On a side note, the taste of rice also depends much on the quality of the rice itself (do not buy in bulk and store forever! Rice is fresh produce, and should be consumed within two weeks, or one month at the most. Store unused rice in a fridge, tightly sealed), its preparation (washing, or 'togi' should be done with ice cold water, in less than 30 seconds but washed thoroughly), and in its keeping (do not rely the warming function of the cooker, no matter how good the warming method, the quality drops after the first 2 hours or so and it's also not economical to keep rice heated for a prolonged period anyways. If you want to cook enough rice for, say, the next day, then freeze it while it's still fresh, and heat as necessary. Microwave heats rice well, steamer does a better job). Thu Oct 11 16:24:25 -0700 2007 3024877 116270 lilith 1 3027009 Well it's tough to follow such an amazing post by lilith. But I will simply comment that we have a Salton purchased from Canadian Tire for perhaps $25 and we've used it 2 or 3 times per week for about 10 years without problem. Perfect rice every time. Thu Oct 11 18:08:57 -0700 2007 3024877 117830 Jean Georges 1 3027146 The hi-end Zojirushi models, especially the Neuro Fuzzy line, are among the best on the market for build quality, induction cooking, and ability to cook rice of all types to perfection.The old-school National type(Tiger and Zojirushi make similar bottom-element models) do just fine for smaller quantities--I have a small Zoj that's great. But for larger quantities or different rice types, the feature-laden big Zoj is great.The timer feature is perfect for nights(most nights) when I'm back late and hungry. I got mine from an interesting little shop in Mississauga the carries a range of Zojirushi appliances along with their rice cookers--Mika's Japanese Gifts. Thu Oct 11 19:14:03 -0700 2007 3024877 16382 Kagemusha 1 3027432 any of the PAT stores around toronto would carry a range of rice cookers....I personally use a rice cooker most times (Zojirushi) but I prefer to cook rice on stove top (when I have the time & patience): the flavour can't be beat. it's even better when you cook the rice in a stone bowl/pot which is what a lot of my friends/family are doing these days, ie. going back to the old w/days and buying a stone pot (which are also available at the PAT korean stores, btw) Thu Oct 11 21:42:29 -0700 2007 3024877 19661 berbere 1 3030323 The houseware shops in Pacific Mall all have many models to choose from. Fri Oct 12 17:03:47 -0700 2007 3024877 16280 cecilia 1 3030612 I've owned National, Tiger and Zojirushi, and I find Zojirushi (elephant brand) to be the best by far. Very durable (and stylish!) :) Fri Oct 12 19:39:58 -0700 2007 3024877 29673 foodserviceprofessional 1 3031006 I received a Tiger for my wedding present, and it's amazing. The new digitally controlled ones have settings for almost endless combinations of rice and preparation methods (ie. white, brown, wild rice, hard, soft, congee). Plus, the cooking pot inside is idiot-proof, and tells you exactly how much water to put for what kind of rice. Personally, I've used the simple ones (on off switch, with warmer setting) for years before owning this one, and I'd say if you have the money, it's definitely worth spending on a digital one. Sat Oct 13 04:25:13 -0700 2007 3024877 91150 chiujason 1 3031172 Not on your list, but I picked up a cheap SunPenTown 6 cup rice cooker in chinatown a few years ago. Like everyone else, we use it a few times a week and makes excellent rice everytime. Not fancy, no fuzzy logic, but it was only $60. Only advice I would have is be sure to get one that seals, and not one with a lid that simply rests on top: I'm told that the latter is not as good. Sat Oct 13 06:53:58 -0700 2007 3024877 12074 bluedog