PrintIs there a Rice Cooker without an Aluminum Insert?
I have a confession to make... I can't make rice without a rice cooker. I have tried many times, but it just won't come out right. For years, I have been cooking mostly on stainless steel and avoiding the use of aluminum cookware. However, my trusted rice cooker is the only appliance/cookware I still own that has aluminum . I feel like I am cooking wrong everytime I use it.
Do you know if there are any rice cookers without an aluminum insert? When I search on the internet they do not specify. Please help.
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17 Comments:
Zojirushi makes very high-quality rice cookers. All their cookers have a non-stick inner pan. The rice comes out amazingly. They make several models, including induction. You could try e-mailing them through their website.
beth1 at 12:13AM on 01/08/08
Funny you should ask this now. I was thinking earlier to day about posting about my new Zojirushi Rice Cooker!
I bought it -- not for rice but for cooking oatmeal. My husband loves his steel cut oats. But they take 30 minutes to cook. Not a 5:30 AM breakfast! Until the rice cooker.
It is a fuzzy logic model -- non-stick insert, timers, multiple cooking modes. I can set it up in "Porridge" mode the night before, set the timer for the time I want the oats done, and press cook. That's it. At 5:30 AM the oats are done. It kicks into keep-warm mode and if husband isn't ready till 6:00, his oats are warm and waiting.
And, did I mention, it makes great rice too! Brown or white.
See here for details on the one I have.
kjgibson at 12:50AM on 01/08/08
Can you please specify what are your concerns with an aluminum pot?
renzata at 2:34AM on 01/08/08
All the non-stick ones are still aluminum.
I've never seen one that isn't aluminum.
peekpoke at 4:15AM on 01/08/08
Why the bias against aluminum?
jasonbrink at 8:24AM on 01/08/08
renzata and jasonbrink:
Not sure if this is the submitter's problem or not, but many people mistakenly believe cooking with aluminum is a health hazard.
Personally, I stay away from it if possible because I just don't like the way it heats, etc. and prefer cast iron or carbon steel.
deeoh1 at 8:33AM on 01/08/08
I agree. As far as cookware goes aluminum is a terrible heat conductor. But my trusty rice steamer has an aluminum insert and has worked wonderfully for years!
RichardCrystal at 9:48AM on 01/08/08
The data on aluminum is pretty conclusive, although if you look on the 'net, it seems scary. Doesn't contribute to Alzheimers or vascular disease.
lemons at 10:05AM on 01/08/08
"I have a confession to make... I can't make rice without a rice cooker."
Oh, sistergirl, can I get an AMEN??? This is safe haven for such confessions as rice is one of the foods that just escapes me. Even my non foodie friends can make rice!
My brother sent me a rice cooker (he is a rice MAVEN) but I'll confess I haven't opened it yet. I'm going to check the lining because now you've got me curious.
I've read the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's has been debunked.
chiff0nade at 1:36PM on 01/08/08
I don't know if I'd like those non-stick rice cookers. Do they produce that wonderful crusty brown layer at the bottom of the pot? I no longer have a cooker, but when I did, that browned bit was my favorite treat!
Also, I must disagree with the idea that aluminum is a terrible heat conductor. It's actually second only to copper, which is why it is used so widely in cookware. Although they're a pain to care for, I have a few Caphalon Commercial pans that I wouldn't trade for the world. They get super hot, do it evenly, and don't weigh a ton.
As with copper, the big drawback to aluminum is its reactive properties. Since rice is not a reactive food, this is a non-issue in a rice cooker. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is truly a terrible conductor, but being durable and non-reactive, it's very desirable. That's why stainless with an aluminum or copper disk sandwiched into its bottom is so prized -- a fabulous conductive bottom with a neutral, easy-care body.
And if you're a little thing, like I am, aluminum is the preferred conductor in stainless because it's so much lighter. I adore my copper-core, but I've begun acquiring aluminum-core, because it's literally dangerous for me to heft my 5-qt copper-core saute pan when it's full of hot stuff! Besides, the aluminum-core costs a whole lot less! ;-)
LoCo at 2:57PM on 01/08/08
Two comments about aluminum cookware:
#1: Pure Aluminum is not a poor conductor of heat…Here are the conductivity ratings for various metals:
Silver 429
Copper 401
Gold 318
Aluminum 237
Cast Iron 55
Carbon Steel 50
Lead 35.3
Stainless steel 15
The construction method, amounts of metal & cookware shape all determine how well or how poorly a particular piece of cookware will perform. In most cases, one piece of the equation is to have the heat conducted as efficiently as possible. Aluminum is by far the most cost effective & durable metal to use across all applications.
#2 The link to Alzheimers is a debunked theory that came about due to a flawed study done in the 1970’s. Time magazine & the media sensationalized it, some in the medical community hit the panic button & ever since there has been widespread paranoia.
Regardless, if you choose to believe there is a link…our daily aluminum intake isn’t coming from cookware. Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth, comprising 8% of the earths crust. We eat, drink & breath aluminum every day.
Here’s a comparison of aluminum ingested by various sources:
Cookware: 1-3.5 mg daily
Natural Sources (water, food, air): 2-10 mg daily
Food Additives: 25-50 mg daily
Buffered Aspirin: 126-728 mg per dose
Some Antacids: 840-5000 mg per dose
Here’s an FDA overview article:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00036.html
There is a lot on the internet regarding this issue, both pro & con. Like every other debate over what’s good and what’s bad (eggs, butter, fats, carbs, etc…) a common sense approach needs to be taken & scientific fact ought to trump disproved theories.
2qrs at 2:58PM on 01/08/08
LoCo, When I use my rice cooker with the nonstick aluminum insert, there is always a crusty (light) brown layer at the bottom. I try to avoid it, and have diminished it by rinsing the rice several times before cooking. But I can appreciate that just like the fans of the heel of the bread and the burnt potato chips, rice crust has its fans.
Kerosena at 3:21PM on 01/08/08
Thanks a lot for all yor comments...
My concern with using aluminum to cook is that I have read a lot of information on how toxic and health hazardous aluminum is. Between possible links to Alzheimer's, osteoporosis, impaired kidney functions, memory loss, etc.
Aluminum is eveywhere - in cookware, in deodorants, and so forth... I have not been able to change my deodorant to a natural one w/o aluminum (and we'll just leave it there), but buying only stainless steel cookware was something easy for me to do. I do not use much aluminum foil... I use unbleached parchment paper instead.
So... I was trying to change the last piece of aluminum cookware I have... My rice cooker is an old Zojirushi - my mom gave it to me as a present in 1992. It still works wonderfully, but I was wondering if there was something in the market without the aluminum insert.
I guess the nonstick coating takes care of cooking directly on the aluminum, which is my main concern. So I thank kjgibson for the recommendation. I was thinking something along the lines of a creamic insert like in slow cookers, but I think the non-stick will do...
And chif0nnade, thanks for the encouragement - I come from a long line of Cuban home cooks and they ALL make rice in Hitachi rice cookers. Even to make rice with black beans (arroz moro). So I guess I have a little bit of the rice cooker gene in me...
LoCo - The brown crust at the bottom of the rice pan is called in Puerto Rico "pegao" and in Cuba "raspa". I am a true epicure of pegao... but if you really like the crust... I know rice cookers are not the way. You need to make rice in a "caldero" or cauldron, i guess the closet thing is a cast iron ducth oven... my grandma used to make the best peago... just pour on a little more oil in the rice as you would actually need, and the crusty bottom will be your reward.
Thanks a lot to all... and if there are any other recommendations, please post them. I'll keep checking. or
MadelynRodriguez at 10:25AM on 01/09/08
Hi all,
Non-stick teflon-coated pans are just as much of a health risk as aluminum pans--teflon contains multiple carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds, like perfluorooctanoic acid, the vapor of which can kill birds. Also, when the teflon chips off, the aluminum underneath can leach into your food. Stainless steel is bad too (not chemically inert--can leach nickel, molybdenum, and other carcinogenic metals into your food).The best type of cookware to go with is cast-iron!!!! It is chemically inert!!!!!
Michael_Reynard at 10:08PM on 04/27/08
The rice cooker I use has a titanium-coated pot:
http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-ECJ-D55S-5-5-Cup-Micro-Computerized-Stainless/dp/B000260JPI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1209348895&sr=8-2
That's the source of the non-stick properties, not a Teflon coating. But I'm sure the interior metal is aluminim.
My dutch oven is also titanium coated, and it's pretty awesome. I got it before I knew much about cookware, but I've been really happy with it.
http://www.armorica.co.uk/Pots_and_Pans/SKK_Pans_and_CookwareTitanium_Non-Stick/106
renzata at 10:19PM on 04/27/08
How has that titanium-coated rice cooker worked out? I am also looking for a non-aluminum rice cooker, and was actually looking at the same Sanyo cooker (though I want the 10-cup one). Please let me know if you've been happy with it.
kdboyle at 2:15PM on 05/06/08
Greetings. Check this one out. Has a stainless steel only insert for the rice. Looks like a winner for those who don't want alum. or non-stick.
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/rice_cookers.aspx#miraclerice
also at
http://www.simply-natural.biz/Miracle-Stainless-Rice-Cooker.php
Not trying to promote any one company, just some links I found while searching. Plan on getting one of these for sure now that I finally found one.
freddyman296 at 10:34PM on 05/07/08