Sep 20, 2014 10:03 AM
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(Updated Sep 20, 2014 11:05 AM)
The Rice Cooker – for many years a staple in the international markets. It is finally seeing resurgence in India. Why? Two reasons:
With the amount of families where both partners working increasing, time and convenience is off the essence. The rice cooker does not require much supervision, unlike a pressure cooker. Just fill it and shut it.
The price of LPG is high due to removal of subsidies on cylinders. Using electrical kitchen appliances like the induction cooker and rice cooker makes sense.
The Prestige PWRCS 1.2L cooker
I was gifted this cooker by my colleagues upon leaving my previous job. The price of the cooker is around Rs. 2, 100. It has a capacity of 1.2 litres. What this means is that it can cook around 1.2 litres of raw rice, which should expand to become 3.6 litres of cooked rice upon completion.
Note: There is a discrepancy in marking capacity for rice cookers. In some cases, manufacturers list RAW rice capacity, e.g. 1L, 1.2L. Some others list cooked rice capacity e.g 4L, 5L. In my experience, even the largest rice cookers cannot cook more than 3L of raw rice. So if you find a cooker with capacities more than 3litres, in most cases it is the cooked rice capacity.
Design
The PWRCs is the new range of cookers with the lid attached to the main body via a hinge, unlike the cold cookers where the rid was made of steel and glass and was removable. This has an advantage, in the sense of aesthetics, as the cooker now looks like an elegant casserole and can be put directly on the table for serving. Its disadvantage is that you cannot see the interior of the cooker and how the rice is cooking. You need to open the lid for that.
To allow for steam to escape, there is a small detachable plastic vent / weight which clips onto the lid. It is removable and washable.
Interior non-stick coating
The Prestige prides itself in having a non-stick coating, which ensures food does not stick to it, thereby making it easier for cleaning. The non-stick works fine, but is very thin in its coating.
Capacity
The 1.2litre cooker can cook around 3-4 katoris of Raw rice, or enough for a family of 4-5.
Cooking Process
The cooking process is very easy. Clean and wash the rice, then pour it into the cooker. Add water such that the water covers the rice and about an inch of water remains above it. Close the lid and start the cooker. Your rice is ready in around 30 minutes. After the rice is cooked, the cooker automatically goes into keep warm mode to preserve the heat.
The rice cooker can also be used to cook other dishes like pasta, dal etc. Only issue it that each dish will take at least 30 minutes or longer. The rice cooker is not a fast machine. If you want to cook them faster on electricity, you should use an induction stove.
*Issues with the Prestige Rice Cooker
Handle is not well designed*
While stylish, the handle on top has a design flaw. It only allows you to access it from one direction, and that direction is right next to the steam vent. So unless you angle our hands to avoid the steam, you are going to get scalded. It learnt that from one painful experience.
Keep warm function is too hot at times
The keep warm function is supposedly designed to allow the rice to stay warm after cooking, but I find that if you leave the cooked rice inside for more than 15 minutes after cooking is over, it actually starts to burn.
Inner Lid cleaning problem
Since the interior lid is non-removable, you cannot wash it in the kitchen sink. Instead, you have to take a wet cloth and wipe it. This is a bit difficult as the hinge only opens to around 90 degrees. The interior lid is also dimpled like a golf ball making cleaning tougher.
Delicate non-stick coating
We all know non-stick coating will eventually wear out over time, but the Prestige’s non stick coating is especially thin and delicate. Just a normal scrub with the green scotch brite started creating scratches on the surface.
Verdict
In spite of this design faults, there is a lot to recommend about the Prestige PWRCs 1.2 rice cooker. For one, there are no worries about whistles and danger of steam pressure. It is also stylish enough to use as a serving container. And cooking is child’s play. Just fill-shut-an-forget. Well, for 30 minutes at least.
