Kitchen

[Madisson]

We're looking into purchasing either a rice cooker or pressure cooker, and I am wondering which you would choose if given your choice?

We eat a lot of rice, beans, lentils, etc. so that makes me think rice cooker. Friends tell us to get a pressure cooker though because you can cook rice in it and also meat. Truthfully, we are not big meat eaters...sort of semi-vegetarians. We usually BBQ on the grill on the rare occasion that we eat meat.

I'm kind of leaning toward the rice cooker, but am interested in hearing your pros and cons of both cookers. Also, if we got a rice cooker, would Zojirushi be your preference? And...I don't understand the difference between the neuro and the micom. I saw that book called "Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann advertised and have requested it from the library as a reference.

Thanks for your input!

[Tigriss]

Pressure cooker because you can do rice, but you can do plenty of veggies and beans very quickly and easily. The flavor is really infused into them and super for those winter stews and soups too!

[Campion]

Who says you can't have both in one unit? There are some pressure-cooker-seven-in-one units that do rice, pressure, saute, slow cooking and I have tried it on rice and it is actually better than a rice cooker for brown rice.

The Insta-pot is one that really does a good job. It even works as a yogurt maker.

[jaxs mom]

Well I have both, I love my zojirushi rice cooker, I love that I keep rice ready to eat for 24 hours in it. We eat a lot of rice at my house. I have a 8 qt stove top pressure cooker and a 23 qt pressure canner and I'm thinking about the insta-pot.

[Sammijo10]

I just received the Cook's Essentials Pressure Cooker that was the TSV a couple of weeks ago and I'm having fun experimenting with it. The first thing I made was a pot roast which was the best I've ever made. Yesterday I made risotto with butternut squash and it was perfect. And no standing over a pot on the stove for nearly 45 minutes and stirring continually, it was 'set it and forget it' kind of meal. A rice cooker is sort of a one trick pony, but with a pressure cooker you get more versatility, IMO. And it does rice and beans superbly as well. Next week it will be lentil soup and probably mac and cheese. My very limited experience is that the pressure makes good food fast and makes the texture/taste better. It uses real ingredients and it's a safe cooking method - nothing processed or microwaved. I'm a new fan!

[chickenbutt]

They are two completely different things, so I guess I don't get the 'either or' deal.

Rice is super simple to cook in a pot with a lid.

So I guess I'd go for the pressure cooker.

[HonnyBrown]

I had an Oster rice cooker a few years ago.

My rice either came out hard on the bottom, and mushy on the top, burned on the bottom and perfect above, but with the burnt rice taste, undercooked on top and perfect on the bottom.

After a few months of that, I went back to baking my rice. It comes out perfect every time.

I would get the pressure cooker.

[Carmie]

I have both. I use the rice cooker for rice and it has a steamer basket to cook veggies too. I use it often.

I used to have a Cook Essentials Electric Pressure Cooker. I used it a maybe 2 times a month. After about a year, it broke down while I was cooking something in it. I had to finish my meal on the stove top. I e-mailed QVC customer service and they told me they would send me a replacement ASAP and a box and label to return the broken one. After 3 weeks, I heard nothing from them, so I e-mailed them again. I was told the guarantee only covered the inside coating and not the electronics, so I was stuck with a broken pressure cooker. I was shocked that I didn't receive a message from CS telling me this while I waited for 3 weeks.

I now use my Presto stove top pressure cooker that I have had for about 40 years....about 2 times a month.

If you eat rice everyday or a few times a week, I'd go with the rice cooker. The pressure cooker is great for cooking frozen items or meat or soupy food, but I would think that the rice would get too sticky and overdone in one. Truthfully, I've never tried to cook just rice in mine.

[BichonEmma]

I love my zujiroshi rice cooker. I got one with a steamer basket too you can make so much more than just rice in it. I love that you can set a time and have oatmeal ready when we get up or prep the rice for dinner before I leave for work. I steam veggies right over the rice for dinner. I also make pudding in it. It's the most useful appliance in my kitchen.

[BichonEmma]

Oh forgot to add that the ultimate rice cooker cookbook is awesome! I ended up buying a copy after taking it out at the library. It really helps you to get a lot out of the rice cooker. It is a little dated that it says the fuzzy logic cookers do not have steamer baskets. Several models do now. I do recommend one with a steamer basket if you get the rice cooker so you can make your whole meal in the rice cooker