There are three criteria for a bowl of delicious rice: sweetness, fullness and gelatinization, which respectively represent the flavor, bulkiness and hardness of rice.
An easy-to-use rice cooker The moment you put rice, add water and press the start button, the rest of the work will be handed over to the rice cooker.
The whole cooking process seems simple. In fact, to make a pot of delicious rice, the rice cooker needs a series of operations such as rapid heating, constant temperature soaking, high temperature cooking, high temperature water absorption, high temperature gelatinization, braised rice, automatic heat preservation, etc., among which the heating mode, temperature control mode, liner material and other factors are the key to determine whether the rice is delicious or not.
Let's talk about it
The key point of purchasing high-end rice cookers is 1, depending on the heating method.
Many people will be curious. The same rice is made with a rice cooker. Why is the taste so different?
This situation is mainly caused by the different heating methods used by rice cookers. At present, there are two main heating methods for rice cookers in the market: chassis heating and IH electromagnetic heating.
Chassis heating
Traditional rice cookers usually have a heating plate at the bottom. By heating the heating plate and then conducting heat to the inner container, the process of boiling rice and water in the inner container into rice is completed.
Chassis heating is relatively simple to realize and low in cost, and is widely used in middle and low-grade rice cookers;
The heating of the chassis is mainly aimed at the bottom of the pot, so it is difficult to accurately control the temperature, which easily leads to uneven heating of the bottom of the pot, and it is easy to cause the bottom to stick to the pot and the top to be immature.
? IH electromagnetic heating
IH electromagnetic heating is a heating technology originated from Matsushita Corporation of Japan. Like the induction cooker, it directly heats the inner container of the rice cooker by electromagnetic effect, and the fire is scattered throughout the inner container instead of the bottom of the pot. Compared with the traditional cabinet heating, it is more balanced and faster, and it can also realize accurate temperature control, which is more energy-saving and electricity-saving.
The rice cooker using IH electromagnetic heating technology has the advantages of fast heating, high temperature, accurate temperature control and uniform heating. Good liner and sealed cooking environment can better lock the moisture and aroma in rice, and the cooked rice has fuller grains, higher gelatinization degree, higher reducing sugar content and sweeter taste, which is also the reason why IH rice cooker cooks better.
In addition to the above two basic heating methods, some high-end rice cookers also adopt some unique means in heating technology, such as far infrared heating technology, variable pressure technology, vacuum pressure technology and so on. To improve the taste of rice, which is one of the reasons for the big price difference between high-end rice cookers and ordinary rice cookers.
far infrared heating
Far infrared ray is an invisible ray in the sun's rays. The far infrared ray with the wavelength of 4μm- 1000μm and the wavelength of 8μm- 14μm is also called life ray, which can be converted into the internal energy of an object through the * * * vibration effect generated by penetrating power.
In the field of high-end rice cookers, far-infrared heating devices are generally installed on the upper cover of rice cookers, and far-infrared rays from the upper cover directly penetrate and heat rice grains, so that rice grains and water are self-heated from the inside out. This all-round covering heating method can shorten the cooking time and make the rice more elastic, full and sweet.
At present, this technology of far-infrared penetrating heating on the upper cover and IH electromagnetic heating on the bottom is widely used in Supor high-end rice cookers, and the taste of rice made by far-infrared heating technology is obviously improved, which can rival Japanese high-end rice cookers.
Variable pressure technology
Variable pressure technology is to repeatedly adjust the pressure in the rice cooker through the pressure regulating valve. Instantaneous pressure change can make rice and water roll quickly in the liner and be heated more evenly, thus making the rice taste better.
Vacuum pressure technology
Vacuum pressure technology makes rice grains fully absorb water in a short time by pumping air out of the rice cooker, which makes cooking more sweet and delicious.
summary
Because the chassis is unevenly heated, the cooked rice usually tastes bad; If you want to eat rice with better taste, you can choose a rice cooker with three-dimensional IH electromagnetic heating technology. Supor far-infrared rice cookers are cost-effective, and the cooked rice is comparable to Japanese high-end rice cookers.
2. Look at this liner
The inner container of rice cooker is also a key factor affecting the taste of rice. A good liner has higher heating efficiency and more uniform heating, and the cooked rice tastes better, is easier to clean and has a longer service life.
lining
At present, the main materials of rice cookers on the market are aluminum alloy, stainless steel, ceramics and composite multilayer materials, among which composite multilayer materials are most recommended.
Aluminum alloy lining
Aluminum alloy liner has the characteristics of light weight, good thermal conductivity, easy molding and beautiful appearance. Because aluminum products can't directly contact food, non-stick coating is usually used to protect the surface of the liner. But the coating will fall off after a long time. It is recommended to replace the coating immediately after it falls off.
Stainless steel lining
Stainless steel is not easy to rust, corrosion resistance and other characteristics, and it is also a popular liner material. A good stainless steel liner is generally made of 304 stainless steel, which has good thermal conductivity and will not rust after long-term use. Without coating, it is easy to stick to the pan when cooking, which is not convenient for cleaning.
ceramic liner
Ceramic liner is very safe, with the advantages of corrosion resistance, good heat preservation, no coating and so on, and also contains trace elements beneficial to human body; The food made of ceramic liner tastes better, but it is more expensive and fragile, so it is rarely used in rice cookers.
Composite multilayer lining
The composite multi-layer material liner is generally made of more than five layers of composite materials, which will include a non-stick layer and a heat conductive layer. This kind of liner has the characteristics of uniform heating, corrosion resistance, fast heat conduction, safety, durability and easy cleaning. Generally, the more layers of the composite multilayer gasket, the better.
Lining coating
The coating on the top of the inner container is mainly used to prevent the pot from sticking to the bottom. At present, there are three common non-stick coatings on the market: PTFE (Teflon), PFA and PEEK.
PTFE coating is cheap and common in daily life. The temperature resistance is between-200℃ and 250℃, the service life is 3-5 years, the anti-sticking effect is good, and it is easy to be scratched in use. It is suggested to shovel rice with plastic or silica gel when using.
The anti-sticking performance of PFA coating is similar to that of PTFE. In addition, PFA has good wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and its temperature resistance is between -200℃ and 260℃.
PEEK coating performance is better than PTFE and PFA, it can be used for 8- 10 years, and it is also used in some high-end rice cookers.
Many people worry that the non-stick coating will be harmful to their health after falling off or decomposing at high temperature. In fact, this kind of worry is unnecessary. When we cook rice, the temperature is usually around 1 10℃, while PTFE and PFA coatings will only decompose when the temperature reaches above 260℃, so they can be used safely.
In life, we will also see medical stone and carbon coating.
On the basis of Teflon coating, medical stone coating is made into medical stone texture or directly added with medical stone material, which makes the coating look more beautiful and the overall wear resistance can be improved a lot, but the manufacturing process is more complicated, so the price is more expensive.
Long carbon coating is made by adding long carbon to PTFE material. This kind of coating can improve the overall heat storage performance, the wear resistance has not changed, it is easy to be scratched in use, the manufacturing process is complicated and the cost is expensive.
Inner container shape
The shape of the liner mainly includes two types: flat bottom liner and spherical liner. When the spherical liner cooks rice, the contact area between the liner and rice grains is larger and the heating is more uniform. Rice and water can form a circular flow in the liner, so that each rice grain can absorb enough water, and the cooked rice tastes fuller and more chewy.
The manufacturing process of spherical liner is more complicated, and the price will be higher than that of ordinary flat-bottomed liner; It is also a spherical liner, and the design effect will be different with different thickness and angle. Usually, the thicker the liner, the more uniform the heating will be, so try to choose a rice cooker with a heavier weight and a thickness of more than 2 mm
summary
When choosing a rice cooker, we suggest giving priority to the composite multi-layer material liner and the rice cooker using IH electromagnetic heating technology, and the spherical liner is also a plus item when choosing. Compared with small brands or miscellaneous brands, big brands of rice cookers have better quality assurance in materials and coatings.
3. Multifunctional
The rice cooker is a model of "one thing for multiple purposes" in household appliances. From the original cooking function, people have been forced to develop functions such as cooking noodles, cooking hot pot and steaming cakes. Now, due to the IH electromagnetic heating technology, the temperature of the rice cooker can be accurately controlled, which integrates cooking, steaming, stewing and baking, and the utilization rate is very high.
4. Capacity size
The capacity of rice cookers will also affect the price. When we choose, we usually calculate according to the number of people who eat in our family. If we have guests at home at ordinary times, it will be more practical to slightly increase the size. Too much capacity will affect the taste of rice.
5, cleaning difficulty
When we cook, rice soup will overflow to the top cover of the rice cooker with steam. If it is inconvenient to clean, it will cause the rice cooker to breed bacteria and odor for a long time, and it will also block the exhaust hole, which will bring security risks. A good rice cooker will be more convenient in cleaning, not only cleaning the inner container, but also cleaning the upper cover and exhaust holes.
6. Other functions
Nowadays, the design of rice cookers is more humanized, and high-end rice cookers are generally controlled by touch screens that young people prefer; It will also have a 24-hour reservation function; Some rice cookers can also cook rice with better taste at different temperatures and times according to the selected rice species; Some domestic high-end rice cookers will also have the functions of rice, clay pot rice and crispy rice, which is more in line with our living habits and tastes.
It is concluded that whether the rice cooked by the rice cooker is delicious or not is usually related to the heating mode, the material and shape of the inner container. When purchasing rice cookers, it is suggested that IH electromagnetic heating technology should be the first choice, and the inner container should be made of composite multi-layer materials. The spherical liner usually has a larger heating area and is heated more evenly, which is also one of the bonus items; The more functions a rice cooker has, the higher its utilization rate will be.
To sum up, rice cookers with good materials and high prices are generally in place, and the cooked rice is delicious.
I made a comparison with three high-end rice cookers. Although the fairy fight is slightly different, it is really difficult to tell the winner.
Well, the taste of the rice is high enough and the budget is sufficient. Close your eyes and go straight to the high-end rice cooker. Comparing the above shopping spots, you will never be disappointed.