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(More customer reviews)I love my rice cooker :) It's cute, it cooks rice wonderfully, it makes soup AND it comes with a food steamer insert. I haven't tried steaming yet but i can say that the rice & soups are fantastic!
I was doing so much research on rice cookers prior to buying this. I really wanted a great quality machine & was going to shell out big bucks for a zojirushi w/fuzzy logic. It seems everyone thinks they are the best. I noticed that their machines look VERY similar to Sanyo models. and i found some really good reviews for various sanyo rice cookers. This particular one wasn't rated but this machine essentially looks identical to one that was (only difference i could see was that this one has the cute design on it) So i figured i'd give this one a try. I am VERY happy with this machine.
I've made both white & brown rice Both came out perfect. With this rice cooker i have never had the problem of the burned/gummy layer on the bottom like the cheap-o rice cookers are prone to. The cook time has been accurate so I don't need to check on the rice although i like to anyway. Even though i know by now to trust the machine (i'm sure the rice won't overcook) i still like to check on it & stir it up a bit. Makes me feel like i'm actually cooking ;)
Tonight i made soup for the first time. (chicken & vegetable soup) it was delicious. i didn't even follow a recipe, i just winged it & threw in some cut up pre-cooked chicken, 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 medium diced potatos, a cup of cut up baby carrots, some celery, an onion, a little salt n pepper & a bay leaf, a small bit of ground rosemary & thyme. It came out so good i couldn't believe it. The broth will cook down as it simmers over the hours. You will need to add some extra broth after a couple hours or your soup will turn into a thick stew. (Right after the soup is done it is REALLY REALLY hot so let it cool down a little before serving or switch the machine over to keep warm for a little bit first)
The "keep-warm" function works very well, it keeps the rice nice & hot. I've cooked rice & then had it sitting for about 30 minutes on keep warm. It stayed hot but didn't ruin the rice. No unwanted sogginess or overcooking. As for the soup, on keep warm it stayed hot enough to eat but not TOO hot. Oh, i've also used the keep-warm function to reheat leftover chicken & rice & it worked great. the food was moist & tender & nice & hot.
This machine comes with an instruction booklet, a plastic stirrer, a measure cup, & a food steaming insert. With the measure cup provided a full cup will make 2 decent size portions of rice. (I always use the measure cup provided. Not sure if it is actually a dry cup or not, i have't checked.) I wouldn't suggest cooking less than a full cup of rice at a time. If you do, expect a little extra clean up. I tried this one day when i wanted a small serving of rice just for myself. The rice actually tasted fine, but while cooking it crackled & pinged, rice ended up splattered & crusted onto the inside lid. This created unwanted extra clean up. Plus it's probably not great for the machine.
The inside compartment is removable & cleans very easily. It is non-stick, just rinse & gently wipe it out. I wouldn't scout it, you might ruin the finish. but you shouldn't need to, at least i never have needed to. The inside of the lid will probably need to be wiped clean as well. It gets dirty too, more so when making soup than the rice. but either way it wipes clean easily.
I really like that when i am checking on the rice during cooking I haven't gotten burned. (this i mention because i have a black & decker flavor scenter food steamer. I often get burned taking the lid off. it seems no matter how careful i try to be i still get burned once in a while by that thing.) There's a steam vent on top of the lid of the rice cooker which has a little cap over it. So it's not blowing scalding steam straight out in a geyser, and whenever i pass my hand over the vent i don't end up yelling & yanking my hand back from the pain. (unlike the darn black & decker steamer which seems designed to burn you)
The instruction booklet has the typical safety/product care information & some basic cooking instructions. There are some porridge/soup recipes. I wish it had more recipes or information on different things to cook, like steel cut oats. I plan on one day trying oats in this rice cooker. It might take some trial & error to get it right so i'm putting it off. but if i try it one day & find a formula that works well then i'll update my review with it. As i will about the veggie steaming if i ever try that out.
1/23/08 UPDATE: Still thrilled! I recently cooked quinoa & it came out perfect. And i've had no problems at all with my rice cooker, it works perfectly. :)
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Sanyo ECJ-N55F 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker, White with Green Accents and Flower DesignEnjoy a variety of healthy dishes with quick and easy preparation in this Sanyo multi-function appliance. The sealed jar style cooker holds in flavor and nutrients to make your meal as tasty as you expect. Prepare your favorite rice (up to 11-cup cooked rice), make soup or steam vegetables with one touch of the switch. The two menu switch controls the heating elements for cooking rice meals or making foods such as porridge, soup or risotto. A specially designed lid eliminates boiling over of porridge or soup. Steam your favorite veggies with the included steaming tray. Foods are prepared in the easy to clean non-stick inner pot. After initial cooking, the keep warm function automatically keeps your food warm and delicious for hours. The steam vent and dew collector are removable and easy to clean. Convenient carrying handle allows you to bring your food directly to the table to enjoy. Included in the carton are a measuring cup, non stick spatula, steaming tray, porridge lid and multi-language instruction manual (English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese). White with green accents and yellow flower design.
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