They say they don’t need a rice cooker but tell me how many times have they screwed up rice during a battle or a pass it on?

As a Korean, the idea of NOT having a rice cooker is so strange to me

Remember back when they had Uncle Roger and Elizabeth Haigh, the Michelin star chef, in the studio and they both said that the rice cooker was one of the most important pieces of cooking equipment you could have in the kitchen? Ben sure has changed his tune since then.

I’d love to see each team member share the gadget they actually use regularly. GADGET not classic kitchen tool like a knife or pan.

I have that exact rice cooker & it is only mushy when you leave it on the hot setting for ages. If you stir the rice as soon as the cook time finishes & then leave it on hot hold for 5-10 mins the rice doesn't turn to mush because you're releasing the trapped steam from the cooking time. It's much better than pot cooked rice or microwaved rice (especially when microwaved rice usually tastes a bit plastic IMO.

Maybe because I'm Asian, but I looove my rice cooker. You can cook literally anything in it! Ramen? Yep. Stir fry? Sure. Bread? Of course! Steamed brownies? HELL YES. It is *the* best cooking gadget ever. And in Indonesia (where I am), a mini rice cooker cost Rp150.000 (~$10) lol

As someone who is damn good at cooking rice on a stove, my rice cooker is honestly the best thing I've ever bought. I have rice at least five times a week, in different forms, and I also bake all the bread the family eats. And if I had to choose between my rice cooker and my Ankersrum kitchen assistant, I would choose my rice cooker every single time.

The water filter kettle is probably a lot more worth it if you live in a place that needs to filter water. Also if you are a tea drinker. Or as Barry said, if you have some mobility issues. I think having complete control over the temperature is also a really cool feature. Seems to work very fast too. Looks like a good kettle upgrade if you need to replace your kettle. These days a nice steel kettle is pretty pricey to begin with too.

The 2:1 ratio is for dry rice, when you rinse it the rice retains some water. The rice cooker automatically adjusts and can sense when the water runs out, so by adding more water you just extend the cook time. When you rinse the rice reduce the added water by something like 1/4-1/3 cup and the rice will come out more evenly cooked with no soggy bottom.

The reason your rice was overcooked was because you let it sit under the Warm setting for 17 minutes. If you had pulled it when the cooking was done it would've been perfect.

Rice cooker all the way. Can’t ever go wrong. Tip is use the right amount of water, add a pinch of salt 🧂 and after it is cooked, fluff your rice and let it hang for 10-15 minutes before serving. Comes out perfect every time. Bonus, you can make one pot pasta in a rice cooker too for those days you just couldn’t be bother but still want something homemade and fresh. Throw it all in the pot and go take a shower. Voilà! Dinner.

My family farms rice in the US and we are caucasian and I grew up only ever seeing rice cooked in a rice cooker! Always gave perfectly cooked rice for the family. When I went to college I was very confused that my roommates were cooking rice in a pot on the stove 😅

There needs to be an episode with an expert where they try out all the different things you can do/make with a proper rice cooker. Seriously, I've made many different stews and soups, pastas, plain porridge, fish porridge, different forms of rice like tomato rice, briyani, nasi kerabu, & nasi lemak; stir fry, ramen, Japanese curry, Indian curry, Thai curry, tom yam, steamed bread and dumplings, the list goes on and on. We need them to understand the magic and majesty that is the rice cooker!!!

Its super interesting to know what their feels about rice cooker from brits persepective. I mean, how they said they afraid its only gonna eat their kitchen space lit blew my mind. Bcs i personally cannot live without my ricecooker😂 and i thought everyone feels the same😂😂

Barry's comment about his grandmother did make me think that taking into consideration the accessibility of the gadgets you try might be really helpful. It never would have occurred to me that the water heater would be so important to someone with arthritis or other mobility issues, and it's definitely possible some of the gadgets that seem pointless might be incredibly helpful to people with different needs.

With the candy pen, my big question is, how much are extra candy sticks? Because that's really where the cost factor becomes important

That water heating/dispensing gadget was cool, but I would need to know how easy it was to clean before I even thought about purchasing it.

Watching them eat basmati--a long grain rice--with chopsticks just absolutely killed me lol

As a person that eats rice practically everyday, even the most basic rice cooker is a must. The only time I might cook rice on a stove is 1. if my rice cooker is not around, 2. there’s no electricity, 3. I’m feeling fancy and/or I have special rice, then I use a stovetop rice cooker. I’m also traditional so I always wash my rice a couple of times at least 😂 The water from the second wash can be used for cooking.

My country eats A LOT of rice traditionally (Brazil) and I remember when people turned their noses at rice cookers when they started to get popular here Now it’s everywhere, so convenient, the rice is better and stays warm and moist for longer, it rarely sticks to the bottom of the pan, and it’s also very versatile to cook a lot of different things in it Rice cooker any day over a regular pot And it’s also very safe, you can leave it on to cook and focus on the other part of the dish, it’s an insane mid-week meal ally

I won’t give up! Two new ideas for challenges: 1. no energy/depression cooking (needs a better name!), get the participants to use as few elements/stages as possible AND as little clean up needed as possible (like dishes, trash etc) as little effort as possible but still not like, microwave meals you know! lite sure, use shortcuts, but you're not supposed to notice them in the final dish. cook like you have no energy to cook/depression. when I am in a depressive episode the thought of many different stages or elements in cooking or the cleaning up afterwards makes it almost impossible to start cooking. 2. Use as little electricity as possible! (don't really know how to measure this though, number of times or different points for low/medium/high...?)

You should do a video where you learn/showcase all the really great ways you can use a rice cooker. Proof/bake bread! Cakes! One pot meals! It’s a really versatile appliance if you know how to use it right.

I think Barry was on the dot talking about his nan in regard to the water dispenser. It seems highly accessible! Expensive, but only having to refill the tank (minus maintenance) to make a cup of tea seems pretty worth the price. I've bought my own grammy one for her room in her group home for Christmas. She craves independence and I think this gives her that bit of control she's been missing

Love that Baz cherishes his Nan like that.

My $20USD rice cooker is my favorite purchase in years. I have great cookware and knives, but the cheap rice cooker is used a couple times a week and is fantastic. Big key, add salt before and when it's done cooking, open the top, fluff the rice, and leave it open for 5 minutes. This allows it to release steam and I never get clumpy rice. (add in a splash of rice wine vinegar while letting steam release for DELICIOUS white rice)

As a Middle Eastern living in Malaysia, I was on Ebbers' team thinking that rice cookers are just an extra gadget doing something you can do on the hob. It's now an essential with rice being perfect after setting and forgetting, plus a large portion of rice prepared at lunch will stay warm and in perfect condition for a second go at dinner. If your rice was wet, you simply added too much water (Basmati for me needs 1.5 water to rice ratio). Every cooker may be different, so it just needs a couple of tries to find the perfect ratio of water to rice and then you are set. Literally cant live without it now.

i have a small rice cooker (not as small as the one in this video) that i got last year and it's honestly been life-changing... of course it cooks rice perfectly (it's never soggy or uneven, so it sounds like you maybe didn't get a very good rice cooker) and because of the keep-warm function you don't have to worry about timing the rice perfectly with whatever you're serving it with, which i appreciate since i get stressed out trying to do a bunch of things at once in the kitchen. mostly though i've found it really helpful to be able to very easily throw some rice in it and have a hot meal ready to go (with whatever toppings i've got lying around; usually eggs) when i don't have the energy to cook. you're right that you probably don't need one if you don't eat rice very often but i will also say that having a rice cooker has made me eat more rice because it's just so easy to cook it now!

For basmati rice, I always do 1.5:1 water to rice ratio. Might be worth trying.

Now that you have a rice cooker, don't throw it out so Uncle Roger is happy. Even if it's only a baby size cooker 😅 And using a 3D pen is an art itself, I actually would be interested in that one. If you want to see what can be done with a 3D pen, look up Sanago here in YT.

I only occasionally use a rice cooker, but it was a simple model that cost $20. Worth it even when my kitchen was a 2 burner stove, a small propane grill on the back patio, a sink, and a mini fridge. Used the dining table as a countertop. Anyone who would eat rice more than 6 times at home should get a cheap rice cooker. If you cook rice once a week or more, then look at maybe getting a nicer model with more options than warm, on, and unplugged. It is one of the best bits of kitchen kit I own.

I have a small rice cooker that was $25 it’s not much bigger than my hand with fingers spread out and it takes up less space than my plates do. 😂 rice makes a great little side dish and if you cook “too much” it’s literally the most versatile leftovers to have imo

I make macaroni & cheese from scratch in my rice cooker, it's the only way I've been able to make it that I don't wind up screwing it up. Very handy and cheap gadgets that do a lot more than just cook rice.

I've always had a nice little 2 person rice cooker at home. It's from Japan, has a delay timer, and keeps rice hot remarkably well. I can come home to fresh made rice already done.

My parents had a hot water tap installed over their kitchen sink (it has its own unobtrusive faucet) just pre-lockdown. I fell in love with it when I last visited and have been trying to justify the pricing/difficulty of installing my own. This hot/cold water dispenser includes a filter and is still less expensive than installing the tap. The only problem is the space it takes up...

one of my friends overheard me making rice on phone calls several times and eventually said “you Cannot live like this” and bought me a tiny little single-person rice cooker without asking. i love her.

On the hot water dispenser: Another perspective is a setting in which you simply don't have the time. At that point it compounds so many bonuses (filter/energy efficient/quick/easily dosable), that it's a really good option. One example I can think of is a streamer in Japan, that has exactly this kinda contraption (without the cold option, I believe), so he can get up, fix a cup of tea in 2 minutes and get back to streaming with a tea at his desk. It's a really big investment for what it seems to do, but it's a deceivingly useful piece of equipment. I could totally see this in an office, so you can actually get a tea during your break or even just after a toilet break, without wasting so much time.

Those mini rice cookers are great for travelling. They’ll heat stuff like soups and small ready meals if you’re in a hotel room… they’ll even boil a cup of water at a push. Really useful gadget.

There was one test I really wanted to see with the water dispenser. If you take the cold water filter out, and replace the water with Gin, will it dispense cold Gin to make mixed drinks with? This could open up a multitude of options if you can dispense alcohol with it. 🤣

I have that exact rice cooker and it's great! I suck at cooking and since it's just me, having rice regularly where I don't have to actually do anything besides rinse it and whack it in is 10/10 amazing. I would say the amounts of water/rice can take some playing with to get it how you like but it's so good. Highly recommend!

I never had rice not turn out perfectly once I bought a rice cooker. It does so much more than cook rice as well. I'm surprised that Ben, cooking for one, does not embrace it. Once my kids were gone, I used it even more to cook a wide variety of meals and you can just put the lid on and stick it in the fridge with the leftovers. It is an irreplaceable appliance in my kitchen.

Check out the experiment that Nadia from Bake of did about the rice ratios. It proves th at 2-1 water to rice is way over what’s needed. Use less and rely on the steam with lid on for ten mins to get less soggy, sticky overcooked rice 😉 It’d be a great video to see you guys test this out too 😊

The water dispenser is really great for older people or people with other challenges like e.g. forgetting the boiling kettle because you have ADHD. It makes dispensing hot water a lot safer. I loved Ben's musings on the isomalt stick, I would probably have chimed in if I had been there.

I think a quality rice cooker is worth the investment. I eat rice a couple times a week usually and I never have to worry about the rice being too mushy or dry. My cooker also has a delay function so that also comes in handy as well.

I love this series. I have watched the other ones at least three times. I only have one question; when are we going to see Poppy or James back in the kitchen? Great video as always!!!!

WOO! I adore these gadget reviews! So many have been brought to my attention to keep me in the kitchen with my MS. So, genuinely, thank you. Any time you mention dexterity issues, I perk right up.

My $15. 2 cup rice cooker, with just a cook and warm function, works great. I’ve cooked in broth with other additions and it came with a steamer insert. You just put your cups of rice in and add water to the specific line for rice or porridge. It just goes until the thermostat can tell when temp starts rising because water has been absorbed.

Instead of a rice cooker I was always taught to use an oven. Use an oven safe saucepan with a lid, add your rice with the correct ratio and whack it in at 220 degrees and in 15 minutes or so you have perfect rice!

I'm from the US and my family always made rice on the stove growing up... A rice cooker is the only way I make rice now. I only make it about once or twice a week, but I refuse to do plain rice any other way. It's a 1 button appliance that completely takes care of half my meal while I cook the protein or veg. (though mine only takes 20 minutes not 30)

I’ve been using this rice cooker for over a year. 1.5:1 water ratio with white rice works very well. It’s been an excellent purchase

Out of Context Ben: “If you want an alternative, come to Uncle Ben.”

We have similar filter machine at work. I was so confused at first but then I started to use it more often and saw all the benefits, for example in summer for ice cold water without ice, in winter we use it for Tea and to prepare porridge and similar food. We don't have to pay for company to bring us those gallons of water nor does someone need to change them. Theres 50+ of workers in office so this machines saves money and is very efficient.

I have that exact rice cooker and I love it! I got it a year ago and honestly I've used it so many times it makes life so easy!

My rice cooker is my life! How do you not have one?!?!?!?!

Maybe put a plug adapter to read the Power usage? Stats are fun!

Ebbers was on fire with the snark today! I love the Benuendos🤣🤣

We got a rice cooker a few months ago, and I can tell you it is absolutely worth it. I can set it up in the morning, go get ready for the day, and by the time I'm done my rice will be perfect. I can eat rice without a ton of effort and you can also cook dishes in the rice cooker if you want. Very much worth the money!

Never seen someone wash rice with a single digit before 😂

I personally love my YumAsia rice cooker - best cooking gadget I ever bought. It has this "yum carb" option where you can choose to steam the rice instead of cook it in the water, which means the calories are lessened slightly because somehow the starches are partially leeched into the water while the rice is in a basket above. Don't fully understand how it works but I love that it's an option :D

Watching you all try to cook rice withers my Asian soul :D. You all have botched rice so often during battles and let's remember Jamie ticking Spain off. I'd recommed using the "finger tip" method of measuring water for rice.

I have been binge watching these gadget reviews of yours, and then this came along!

You guys need to cook more curries if you aren't cooking enough rice to warrant a rice cooker

Mini rice cooker, kinda remind me of early uni days...used to cook (nearly) not almost everything, even boiling water 😅

11:37 That unintentional synchronized reaction was pure gold

Also add salt into rice cooker and then when it done lift lid and cover with towel to absorb extra steam. I love a rice cooker.

EVERYONE needs a rice cooker 😮 I use the setting on my instant pot and it works really well, I don’t even measure anymore. It’s nice to wash the rice, throw it in there with the water (I use the knuckle method usually) and not worry about it while I make the rest of dinner. Does anyone have any tips on cooking whole grains or other rices in a cooker?? White or jasmine comes out perfectly every time, but I do usually end up with mushy or just weird rice when trying any other grain.

It's almost Christmas time at Sorted and I'm excited!

Rice cookers are cooking more than rice, though. Porridge, dietary pilav (if you have problems with your liver and can't eat much oil it's ideal), even cakes! It's actually quite a good gadget that will make a life of a working parent much easier. Just throw the ingredients in and it will cook what you need. Casseroles from rice cooker are actually delicious. I eat a lot of rice, but I also use the rice cooker for steaming veggies (it has an insert for that), cooking casseroles and all kind of grains. You just put the grains there in the evening and put the timer on. Ta-dah! You have a breakfast that is just cooked. Sponge cake from rice cooker is strangely delicious too. You basically can cook a lot of things in your rice cooker that are not rice and it makes your life easier, as you don't need to watch the pot. My friend is cooking quite good soups with it. Sometimes she goes weeks without using the stove.

Loving the Ben review comments with stars

Our family cook rice everyday, sometimes in a rice cooker, sometimes in the instant pot. We've always done a 1:1 ratio of rice to water, no added salt, sometimes a little oil if we feeling fancy. Comes out great every time. We cook round grain rice though, so not sure if it would be the same for basmati.

Use a rice cooker for oats, they turn out perfect. Been doing it for years.

Last year I had my kitchen redone and invested in one of those taps Barry was talking about, just because I like gadgets and like his gran have problems holding a full kettle. BEST THING I EVER BOUGHT! No lie. If I had seen this gadget before having the kitchen remodelled I would definitely have got it.

First of all, I’m going to chime in with everyone else who said if you’re not making that much rice, you’re clearly not having enough curry in your life! Although if you have an instant pot, that is a fairly decent job of making rice instead. I know that some people say it doesn’t work as well. I couldn’t tell you because I have a bad habit of wandering away from the pot and only remembering when it’s been over cooked. (Left on warm for like a half hour) But it’s still fine, just not ideal. Second, something I only found out a couple months ago is that believe it or not cooked rice can be frozen! I did not realize this. You need to freeze it on its own, not mixed with sauce. If you freeze it mixed with sauce The rice basically dissolves, and you get a weird rice porridge mixed into your dish. It doesn’t taste bad, but it’s surprising and not quite what you’re looking for. But if you freeze it, you can rewarm it in the microwave with a little bit of water the same way you can refrigerated rice! And it actually comes out intact! I was really surprised when that worked! I thought I’d mention that since you guys are big on avoiding food waste

Interesting, I was on the fence about getting that water dispenser, but read a few annoyances with it. Most research came from amazon comments however. Noisey at idle, platform is fiddly and might break and splashes a lot when dispensing

The candy pen thing reminds me of when pro sugar sculptures use a hot glue gun with candy sticks that they have made. That is probably where they got the idea from.

The water temp kitchen gadget is probably what impressed me the most. The Kreug cups are the best thing since sliced bread for coffee for me and the coffee machine that uses them is a God send. I love the coffee machine and would probably love that machine too.

I like the idea of the water thing for a small office setting. Useful for refilling water bottles, making tea, and making things like cup noodles.

I love gadget reviews. Wondering if there’s anything worth putting on the Christmas list…

Love your channel. Have you done any shows on oils and heat points and correct uses. I havre a range of oils Im too afraid to use, like macadamia oil, flaxseed, grapeseed, olive both extra v and others, I tend to be safe using vegetable or canola.

I have had the same rice cooker for over a year and it’s been a game changer for making sticky rice. I love mine

I live alone and always use my rice cooker. I never use water but chicken or beef broth. My machine has a cook button and when it's done it automatically turns to the warm function. I use a fork to fluff the rice and it turns out perfect ever time. I purchased it years ago in the supermarket and I know it was inexpensive. I Love it and wouldn't be without it.

I have a rice cooker and I have found that it does white or brown long grain rice perfectly but struggles with basmati.

As a Cajun, I grew up with everyone I knew having a rice cooker in their home. I just took it for granted that it was something everyone had. Here in Louisiana, rice is a huge part of our diet and for many of us, the first cooking appliance we are gifted when we go out on our own is a rice cooker. It surprises me every time I see people look at one as a new gadget, just because it is a cooking tool that is a must have from where I am from.

I LOVE your gadget reviews BEST! 💜

a rice cooker is really handy if you don't have a stove top. being able to make a stir-fry on your one plug-in hob while the rice finishes somewhere else... quite nice

Got your cba book for my dad for Christmas, he’s going to be made up - cheers for everything lads merry Christmas x

Out of curiosity, what's the "enough rice to warrant a rice cooker?" Old school, no frills family sized rice cooker is no larger than a medium sized pot, so yapping about "extra space needed" is not exactly warranted. And the convenience of turning it on, forgetting about it and then returning to perfectly cooked, hot rice (as long as you get the water to rice ratio correct of course) at any reasonable time after it's done is priceless.

One of my favourite purchases was my rice cooker. I could live without my coffee maker, my toaster, slow cooker for a while.. but I’d replace my rice cooker instantly.

made the mistake of watching this at work. the review/joke at 12:55 caught me off guard. then again it's been such a slow morning with Thanksgiving here in the US I might've found it funnier than it is

MORE GADGETS!!! YES!!! YES!!!!

Barry buying his Nan an instant hot water dispenser was so sweet

Rice cookers are so essential. Cooks it, keeps it warm. You can make a very easy biryani or pilaf etc easily which will knock your socks off. And perfect sushi rice as well. That knew took a long time. Mine takes 10 mins.

I love that you always have power consumption in mind. I know that's a major concern in the UK right now but it is here in Australia as well. Good job team!

Ben has pens, parsley and chillies in his pocket as well as a thermometer on his person. We Stan this behaviour 🔥

I like the idea of the water dispenser thingy but it’s just too big. It’s ideally suited to people who might want water in small quantities but a good percentage of those (me included) will also have a small kitchen. Make one closer to the size of a standard kettle and then I’m interested and if that means I need to fill the water tank a bit more often then so be it. You wouldn’t want the water to be stood at room temperature on your worktop for an extended period anyway

I have a "YumAsia Panda" cooker (the smaller model) and I couldn't be happier with it. Over the past 2 years I have used it about 300 times at least. Rice cookers do soup, they do slowcook (I made carnitas for nachos in it once), porridge, the lot. The only other machine I use more in my kitchen is the stick-mixer.

I just want to say how much I love Sorted Food! I enjoy every video, thank you guys for all your hardwork!

How many times can we reinvent the same kitchen gadgets over and over? Find out next time on Sorted!

A rice cooker isn't some cheat or gimmick. It's a staple of Asian kitchens. I know plenty of Japanese, Chinese and Korean moms who don't have microwaves or toaster ovens who do have rice cookers. It would be like if they decided that a kettle was unnecessary because you can just boil water in a sauce pan. Also, watching Ben rinse the rice in the strainer was the most deranged thing I've seen on this show. It tops Jaime ruining Spanish cooking and Mike's horrifying nachos.

I have two rice cookers - a microwave and an instant pot. The microwave also makes tea.

Haven't used a rice cooker since I picked up the small Instant Pot. Works just as well as my Whale Elec. rice cooker, but in a fraction of the time. Great for steel cut oats as well, and they're cooked perfectly in minutes.