Pandaren Strikes

Rice cookers have been around a while but it’s only been recently that they’ve gained such a huge fan base in the west. Many people still don’t see a benefit to buying a rice cooker and are happy with the ‘pot on the stove’ technique. However, I’ve never met anybody who, after trying a rice cooker, didn’t immediately fall in love with it. And if you’re new to cooking rice there is not real need to learn how to cook rice if you just go buy a rice cooker.

With ever-rising fuel costs equating to rising costs of food, and with healthier eating habits becoming a larger part of many households these days, rice is rapidly becoming a larger part of many people’s diets. Using a rice cooker makes the act of cooking rice incredibly simple, easy and practically mistake-proof.

When you cook your rice in a rice cooker, not only is it easy, but it comes out perfect each and every time. Once you start cooking with rice cookers you will save a lot of time and energy in the kitchen, allowing you to do more important stuff, like taking a nap.

There are a number of important things to consider when searching around for that perfect rice cooker:

1) The rice cooker’s price tag

You can get the bare-bones rice cooker for $15-$30 or if rice is a big part of your diet you might want to consider a higher-priced cooker, some of these can easily reach to $150-$200 or even more. Simple, inexpensive rice cookers usually have a non-stick inner pot, a glass lid and a start button. As long as you measure your water properly it will cook your rice to near perfection. However if you enjoy a variety of styles of rice then the basic cooker may not give you the quality that you’d like.

If you are willing to spend a little more you can usually get a rice cooker that can keep your rice warm after it’s finished cooking and has a couple different settings. Some of the settings for the middle-range rice cookers provide the ability to properly cook a few different types of rice, this allows those brown rice lovers to get a higher quality product. Some of these also come with timers. Timers work wonders for busy people or those that need their rice ready when they get up in the morning or get home in the evening. Some of the better ones will allow you to set the time that you want the rice to be finished!

2) How big of a rice cooker do you need?

Rice cookers’ prices vary as much as their prices, from small bowls that can cook up to 3 cups of rice at a time all the way up to the largest commercial bowls that can cook 50 cups or more.

For a single person I normally recommend a rice cooker that holds 3-5 cups, 5 cups is great in case of company or if you want to make a lot extra for fried rice or other dishes that call for day-old rice. Small families shouldn’t go smaller than 5 cups and the 10 cup sizes are great for larger families.

3) Miscellaneous options

Rice cookers some with many different options, here is a list of things to pay attention to:
Make sure the bowl is non-stick
For flip-top lids, having a removable inner lid makes clean-up much easier
If you cook different types of rice make sure the rice cooker supports them for better results
Measuring lines on the inside of the bowl allow for more precise measuring of water.

Rice cookers make a wonderful addition to any kitchen that rice is cooked in. Definitely pick one up if you don’t already own one, it’ll be one of the best kitchen item purchases you’ll ever make.

The benefits of juice have become quite popular and so is the juice bar in the home. More and more housewives are using juice extractors to make a fresh cup of fruit juice. Maybe you are one of those who wants to start hiw own diet with a new juicer. But, how to do that?

If you are on your way to buy a juicer, the number of different options will surely confuse you. The options are really vast. You won’t know which to choose, a steam juicer or to buy a Norwalk juicer. Of course, there are also centrifugal and citrus juicers that will cloud your ability to make a decision.

This is why you need some knowledge about the juicers and read a few juicer reviews online. To get the kind of juicer that fits your needs, you will have to figure out which type of fruit you will use most. You will be able to choose from three different types of juicers, based on the content you will use. Wheatgrass juicers, multi-purpose and orange juice extractors.

Wheatgrass juicers are best for sprouts and green, leafy vegetables. They come in electrical and manual version, so check what kind of wheat grass juicer you want. Soft fruits is what these are made for, and not for a hard work with tougher fruits and vegetables.

Citrus juicers are best used for juicing oranges and pomegranate. It’s better to go with an electrical juicer since you will save a lot of time when making a juice. You will be able to find orange juicers in plastic and stainless steel variant, depending on what suits you better. The price not only sets the build materials, but the features citrus juicers have. There are few that will give you opportunity to control the level of pulp. The amount of pulp is caused by the quality and price of the juice extractor.

And at the end, the multi-purpose juicer that can grind almost anything. These are durable juicers that can handle most fruits and vegetables. That comes with the price though, so you should make a decision based on what you and your family need most.