Remember back in October when I opened "The Great Rice Debate"? That post garnered a lot of comments from rice aficionados of all stripes…die-hard pot boilers and converted rice cooker-lovers and everyone in between. And our Kitchen Party sponsor, Cuisinart, took note. They believe so strongly in their rice cooker, that they offered to send them to two urbanmoms.ca Research & Testing Panel members who’d never tried one before to see if they could convert them.
And did they? Well, let’s just hear from our testers, shall we?
"It makes dinner and I have time to play with my girls rather than watch a pot…it makes cooking rice a no-brainer"
–Sarah, urbanmoms.ca member and mom of 2.
"It makes great rice, it’s easy to use [and] takes some of the fear out of making rice."
–Michelle, urbanmoms.ca member and mom of 1 (with 5 additional daycare children daily!)
Our testers agree, the Cuisinart rice cooker is a hit. Both said they would buy this product again, and it was good enough that they would feel comfortable recommending it to a friend. Some of the highlights for our testers were the design features; its stainless finish, retractable cord and dishwasher safe insert. The square shape (so it fits well on the counter) was also a hit with both moms.
"The recipes provided were versatile and delicious," says Sarah. Some particularly yummy ones that our testers recommend are jambalaya and risotto (stay tuned to Kitchen Party next week for downloadable copies of these recipes). Both moms really appreciated the versatility of this small kitchen appliance; it’s not just for cooking rice!
"I loved it; I made black and white rice in it…and we steamed some snow peas and asparagus in it," says Michelle, and Sarah agrees; "all the different types of rice we tried turned out well. We’ve used chicken stock, spices, soy sauce, etc. It was all very tasty."
Both testers had a few tips on the operation of this appliance. Sarah experienced a boil-over the first time she used it, but found that spraying the insert with olive oil spray prevented any further messes. Michelle left it on "warm" a little too long her first time using it and browned the bottom of her rice, and she also reminds us to ensure the cord is properly plugged in (it’s retractable) or the appliance will stop working.
Overall, as I’m sure you can tell from their comments, our testers loved the Cuisinart rice cooker. If you like rice – and also if you enjoy any kind of steamed foods – you should consider trying one in your kitchen, too.
And remember, you could win a Kitchen Party of your very own from urbanmoms.ca and Cuisinart with Chef Ezra Title of Chez Vous! Click here for more details on how you can win.