Best Bread machine and Rice Cooker WITHOUT Teflon lined pans?

[The Dairy Queen]

All, I'm looking to replace my rice cooker and bread machines because the ones I have are a) crappy, b) 500 years old, and c) have Teflon coated pans. I'm trying to ditch all the Teflon in my kitchen for health reasons.

I found this thread on rice cookers, but if you have any more recommendations to add, I'd love to hear them. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7759...

Any recommendations for a bread machine without a Teflon lined pan? I don't know what they could use instead. Silicone?

Thank you!

~TDQ

[smfan]

Have you tried Tatung rice cooker? Made in Taiwan.

[skyline]

That one is interesting. Do you have the "indirect heating" one?
http://www.amazon.com/TAC-10G-SF-Indi...

[smfan]

I have Zoji teflon and National "aluminum" rice cooker. But the idea of "steaming" is very interesting and the brand is very popular in Taiwan.

[ninrn]

Has anyone tried the Vita Clay Rice Cooker? It's programmable and has an unglazed fired clay insert:
http://www.amazon.com/VitaClay-VF7900...

[The Dairy Queen]

Oooh, that's an interesting option!

~TDQ

[skyline]

Reading the reviews there seems to be a bit of a quality-control issue with these. Also I did some googling and this same unit seems to have been rebranded multiple times, which also makes my "antennae" go up as far as quality issues. The same unit is being or has recently been sold under the following brand names:

VitaClay, as per Amazon link above

Sitoa VitaClay http://www.nextag.com/Sitoa-Corporation-VitaClay-VF7900-549031917/reviews-html

Essenergy Chef Gourmet Rice N'Slow Cooker http://www.nextag.com/Essenergy-Chef-Gourmet-Rice-530687404/specs-html

Alfred Publishing VitaClay http://www.nextag.com/Alfred-Publishing-VitaClay-VM7900-624662422/specs-html

Electrolux http://wize.com/rice-cookers-and-stea...

When I see the exact same appliance has been rebranded that many times it makes me suspicious of about quality issues.

[skyline]

This is very interesting because although we love our Zoji rice cooker and use it every day for making breakfast steel-cut oatmeal, the fact that it does have a nonstick insert does bother me. It's the one and ONLY thing we own that is not stainless. As a former cancer patient I am super-paranoid about chemicals, coatings, etc.

We do have 2 bowls and alternate their use daily so as to minimize any 'normal usage wear and tear' on the inner surface coating.

I looked at the Amazon links for the Miracle cooker but it isn't programmable which eliminates it from consideration because the overnight-programmed-oatmeal function is an absolute must-have. It doesn't look like any of the stainless ones have the programmable/delayed start capability though. Too bad.

[ninrn]

Perhaps this warrants another thread, but I'd be interested in knowing of any electric ice cream makers with known good performance that have stainless steel (as opposed to aluminum or coated) vessels, too. Anyone have suggestions?

[The Dairy Queen]

ooohhh! Good question. I am interested in the answer, too. I do think it would be worthy of a new thread since people are often attracted to the title of a thread. In the meantime, I am going to look into that breadmaker you recommended!

Thank you!

~TDQ

[goodhealthgourmet]

i know the freezer bowls for the Cuisinart 2- and 3-qt models (i think the ICE-20 and ICE-30) are stainless.

[ninrn]

You know, I thought that, too, but the bowls that come with those ice cream makers are aluminum. You can buy a replacement bowl that's stainless, but it costs almost as much as the machine. Sneaky.

[goodhealthgourmet]

ugh, it pisses me off when companies pull that crap. i *assumed* the "replacement" bowl was made of the same material as the original one that comes with the machine. silly me.

[ninrn]

Just an update -- every summer I think of getting my Mom an ice cream maker for her birthday, and resume the quest for one that does not have a coated or aluminum bowl and does not cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I thought maybe this year I'd bite the bullet, overcome my horror of waste, get the Cuisinart, ditch the original bowl, and buy the stainless replacement to use instead. To be on the safe side I contacted Cuisinart/Conair to make sure that bowl really is stainless (I was a little wary even though they call it their stainless steel replacement bowl), and, guess what? This was their reply:

"The ice cream maker bowl is aluminum coated with Xylan (polypropylene) non-stick. The ICE-RFB is the same bowl made with the same material."

So even the stainless steel replacement bowl is not stainless steel. Apparently it's just the name of the color! Goodhealthgoourmet, what's this world coming to?

I'm starting a thread looking for an ice cream maker with a stainless steel (or porcelain or ceramic-coated) bowl. If anybody who reads this thread knows of any such model, please post there. Thank you, ninrn

[Rella]

http://www.amazon.com/Lello-4091-Replacement-Bowl/dp/B0007QCQOA/ref=pd_sim_hg_2

Interestingly, looking more closely at my replacement bowl, I don't doubt that it is an aluminum coated non-stick.

The replacement bowl is for this ice cream maker:

http://www.amazon.com/Lello-4090-Gela...

I've seen this type of material before; in fact, I've a cake pan I use (aluminum) for cheesecake that has high side and is a recognizable name brand, which I suspect is a coated product. I try not to even buy aluminum, but it was perfect for a cheesecake that is not baked in a bath of water.

I just can't understand why an ice cream maker needs a coated bowl. Do you recognize this type of look of your bowl?

[ninrn]

Luckily, I didn't buy the machine or the bowl. I wrote to Cuisinart first.

Rella, are you thinking the Lello replacement will fit in the Cuisinart machine? It actually looks like it might... I'm going to write to Lello, get the dimensions, and make sure theirs is stainless and not just that color.

No reason whatsoever for an ice cream maker bowl to be coated. If anything, it makes the bowl less cold.

[Rella]

I used to have a Cuisinart, but I don't have it any longer since I bought the Lello, so I can't compare.

On the Lello insert that came with it I just took the measurement, and the bottom is in diameter 5"; and from the bottom to the top of the insert is 6". The insert I have looks like the replacement picture online.

[ninrn]

Beem, a German company, makes bread machines with ceramic-coated pans. Don't know if you can order them here, but here's the website: http://shop.beem.de/item/10002/1003/0/2797/multiback-topclass-3-in-1--b7.001--bread-maker.html

Goldmine Natural Foods sells NutriWare rice cookers with high grade surgical steel inserts. (I find sometimes cheaper stainless gives food a metallic taste.) It also works as a slow cooker. http://shop.goldminenaturalfoods.com/...

[Rella]

I have often wondered why the cheaper stainless steel gives off a metallic taste; but not necessarily when cooking in it, but when using it, just the odor that eminates from the water that a certain vegetable or grain might be soaking in it. Very strange indeed.

In addition to my posting this date about the Miracle Rice cooker, I had been afraid that the stainless steel insert pot might be of that quality, but indeed it seems to be heavier, to my delight.

[skyline]

I've noticed that too (the faint metallic 'odor') and used to assume it was because the item wasn't 18/10 stainless but I have purchased 18/10 stockpots that both had and didn't have that odor, and from the same manufacturer too -- just different sizes.

My Farberware 8-qt stockpot is fine, gives off no "metallic", but my 12-qt stockpot of the same brand and line (Classic, 18/10) does, to some extent. I can only assume that it depends on the actual factory an item comes from or maybe even the production run, when the type of stainless is the same?

I've noticed the same about the black residue that comes off when cleaning the interiors with BonAmi. Some pots will produce that for the first few cleanings and then they are fine. Others will continue to produce it apparantly forever.

On the other hand, the interior of my 18/10 stainless Kuhn RIkon pressure cooker never gave off any metallic "essence" or black residue ever. (and I would hope not, considering what that puppy cost and what it weighs, LOL)

[Candy]

Zoji makes good bread machines and rice cookers. I would not bother with a rice cooker, most are 1 trick ponies. I'd put the money into a 6 qt. pressure cooker, A Fagor in that size runs about $100.00. Rice cooks incredibly fast and you can use it for much much more. Check into Lorna Sass' pressure cooker books and missvickie.com. A risotto takes 7.5 minutes, split pea soup prep to finish about 15 mins and no need to soak the peas. Bread pudding comes out light and fluffy, not stodgy. You can even make a small cheese cake. I also have a 10 qt for making stocks quickly. If you get one and start using it you'll wonder what you did without it.

[Rella]

I have a Fagor with the two different size pots (and love them), and use Lorna Sass and Miss Vickie's books.
Would you be kind enough to recommend the page(s) in either of these two books that you use for rice cooking that you are satisified with.
Thanks.

[rasputina]

I've had a pressure cooker for 20 years, I'm still not giving up my Zo rice cooker. Last I checked my pressure cooker doesn't keep the rice the perfect temp to be ready to eat for hours on end without burning it.

[Rella]

I don't see how I would ever use anything but a rice cooker (or on the stove top) to cook rice, although I have never used a pressure cooker to make rice.

For a rice cooker, push the little knob, or whatever, and walk away. I have a Zojirushi now and have had many others in 37 years since my first one.

I've used enough a pressure cooker to feel the "wait" for it to come up to pressure, and the " weight of cleaning it up."

I know that there are many substitutes for appliances, but for me there is no substitute for the rice cooker, as a stand-alone appliance. But DH said that he might give a pressure cooker rice recipe a try. I think this is a bit ironic, as my first rice cooker was a 'gift' from him when he returned from a trip to Japan. As I had not eaten rice, it was not the gift I expected :-))

[goodhealthgourmet]

I don't know what they could use instead. Silicone?
~~~~~~
ceramic.

[The Dairy Queen]

Excellent point. You wouldn't happen to know any bread machines that have ceramic pans?

~TDQ

[goodhealthgourmet]

actually i don't think anyone has done it yet. but you could just bake bread in a slow cooker with a ceramic insert...

[Rella]

Here is a pannetone (made with yeast) I made some years back - scroll down to "pannetone" - in a crock pot. It looks like I made two recipes in a crock pot.

http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ance...

I haven't done that ever again (that I can recall), but as you can see, it worked wonderfully well.

[ninrn]

That's great. What was the texture like?

[Rella]

Smiling - as you can see by the date, it's been a long, long time. But in my memory, it was similar to the ready-made boxed pannetones.

As I recall, using the crock pot for a pannetone was spurred on by my need for a store-bought pannetone that didn't give me GERD. I went on a search for unsulfured citron and other unsulfured fruits for it, but never found any unsulfured after KingArthur stopped carrying them. Hence, no more crockpot baking.

I did go through a period of thinking of candy-ed some fruit myself, but it's just not something I would do.

[goodhealthgourmet]

it's ALL beautiful. moments like this really make me hate having Celiac ;)

[rasputina]

As much as I hate teflon I'm not giving up my zojirushi rice cooker

[Rella]

I won't give up my Zojirushi either. I'll keep it around, but I wonder why at this point, because if the Miracle works out for me, I'll probably never use it again.

[barb2007]

I really like them both. The Miracle rice cooker is larger and very easy to clean. FYI I really do not cook much brown rice - prefer white and the cooker does a great job. The Oyama is smaller and has a small plastic thing on the outside back that you have to remove, empty out and clean after each use. No big deal - but different. Also, attached to the lid (on the inside) is a removable disc that also need cleaning after each use. The Miracle cooker only has the interior pot to clean and a glass lid which allows you to see the rice cooking. Have attached a link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...

[will47]

I don't use non-stick much, but I would suggest making an exception for rice cookers. Rice cookers are unlikely to be heated past the point where you'd normally see a problem, and the alternatives (uncoated stainless, earthenware) aren't really that convenient. There have also been some safety scandals with slow cookers using the type of clay used by most of the rice cookers with clay / earthenware pots, which is probably your main alternative. I usually rinse my rice in the rice cooker pot, but if you're really concerned about safety, rinsing the rice separately would be one good place to start (rinsing the rice in the pot can wear down the coating over time).

As far as bread machines, maybe not a helpful response, but would you consider just making bread in the oven?

[The Dairy Queen]

The problem with making bread in the oven is that it's really an energy hog. And I wouldn't dare heat up my house like that in summer. No way. Heating up the oven in winter is no problem, though.

I might consider baking bread in the toaster oven in small loaves, though. I wonder if I could get my toaster oven to the right temp and a consistent temp?

Can you please tell me a little more about the safety scandals with slow cookers? I use my slow cooker quite a bit...

~TDQ

[will47]

I mean specifically some things made out of a specific type of earthenware. I don't think it would affect any slow-cookers commonly sold in the US. The only articles I know of about it are in Chinese.

[barb2007]

Check out Amazon. They have the Miracle and the Oyama rice cookers. Both have the stainless steel inserts. I have one of each because I wanted different sizes. The Oyama is smaller. I probably did not need the larger Miracle one but I do like both of them.

[The Dairy Queen]

barb, aside from size, are there any features of one you prefer over the other?

~TDQ

[Rella]

FWIW, I just ordered the Miracle rice cooker.

[The Dairy Queen]

I can't wait to hear how you like it. I'm still sitting on the fence, and now you've given me a reason to sit a little longer. Please report back!

~TDQ

[Rella]

I cooked only brown basmati Tilda brand so far. Reason: I believe brown basmati is the most difficult rice to get done to one's liking.
Many times with brown basmati, or white basmati, I will soak it for one-half hour, and then drain for one-half hour. But this trial/test, I just rinsed it and put it in water. My safeguard was that I put a tablespoon of butter (1-1/2 cups rice) because I'd rather have burnt buttered rice than stuck-to-the-pan rice.

I'm glad I bought it. And I'm glad I saved my un-opened bag of brown basmati for its initiation. Absolutely dee-lish.

[barb2007]

Re: Rella

I was interested in your response about the Miracle rice cooker. It is nice to get feedback when someone takes a chance and purchases a recommendation from a member - good or bad.

[Rella]

Another feedback: I finally made a white basmati in the Miracle Rice Cooker. This time I decided NOT to use butter, and to use the same amount of water:rice ratio that I've used for decades, but no where else have I seen this ratio used; but it always works for me.

2 cups (not soaked) white basmati

2-1/2 cups distilled water

1/3 tsp sea salt

I had no sticking on the bottom of the pan. No crust. I could have let the pan soak a few minutes before washing, or not.

[Rella]

I can't recall the toaster oven I bought that was large enough to make a loaf of bread the size of the pyrex bread loaf pan. BUT, it did not make adequate bread for my tastes. However, I don't know about even smaller loaves.

I bought the toaster oven for the reason: energy hog.
However, now I 'always' combine the heating of the oven on my baking day with other oven-related menus.

[Chowrin]

use your convection oven (the one that doubles as a microwave)

[The Dairy Queen]

I'm giving up on looking for a breadmaker with a stainless steel insert. :).

~TDQ

[Rella]

Let us/me know if you ever do find one.
I would think a breadmaker used for dough or pizza dough would not stick in a stainless steel insert.

[qianning]

Can't say if its the "best" or not, but I like my 1+ yr old Aroma rice cooker very well, and they do have a line of rice cookers with stainless steel pots. http://www.aroma-housewares.com/
In the past I've had Zojirushi and way back a Tatong rice cooker, the Aroma has proven to be at least as reliable.

[Kagemusha]

Funny but I don't see many--if any--ss inserts among the Aroma cookers. I'm not a fan of low-end rice cookers. Uncertain you'll be able to eliminate teflon but you can reduce it--not sure, though, that rice cookers are the easiest place to start.

[The Dairy Queen]

Yeah, I know it might not be the best place to start (actually, it appears the very worst place to start is bread machines...) , but I just feel very committed to getting rid of teflon.

The Aroma ss rice cooker is apparently part of a line called NutriWare: http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitch...

~TDQ

[ckshen]

does the rice stick to the pot at the bottom? my concern with stainless is the difficulty of clean up afterwards.