Classic Mustachian dilemma

[RosieTR]

So our rice cooker died this week. DH bought it for maybe $12 when Bill Clinton was first starting out as POTUS. Obviously this thing did not owe us at all.
And yet, it triggers a Mustachian dilemma. Should we replace the rice cooker 1) at all and 2) with another cheap rice cooker or 3) an Instantpot?
I'm inclined to replace it, because while I am quite a good cook (souffle from scratch at altitude good), I had a particular failing that was a family joke when it came to making rice, before I moved in with DH and experienced the rice cooker. He has never cooked rice without the cooker.
So choosing between #2 and #3. We have no useable pressure cooker, and we have a cheap slow cooker that I use a LOT in winter. However, the slow cooker has no timer nor indicator light, features I would like to have. So it may shrink our number of appliances if I had a single thing that was both slow cooker and rice cooker....and maybe get rid of the yogurt maker as well. We use all of these frequently so they aren't a waste.
The dilemma comes with the thought of lifestyle creep and whether this is hedonic adaptation or increasing Mustachian efficiency.

[CheapskateWife]

I vote for the purchase of a quality kitchen aid that you can reasonably expect to use on a weekly (or more often) basis.  And you can offset the cost of the purchase by selling your yogurt maker and slow cooker; thus decluttering at the same time.

[Lunasol]

I make (mexican) rice all the time and we don't have a rice cooker, we use a normal deep pan and fry it there then put boiling water in, put the lid on and it cooks perfectly!

My suggestion would be, if you're only gonna make rice with a rice cooker, you don't need it. I'm sure a little practice would help too.

If you still want/need a rice cooker, that's okay too :)

[mbl]

The dilemma comes with the thought of lifestyle creep and whether this is hedonic adaptation or increasing Mustachian efficiency.

Really?  You're overthinking it....buy yourself a nice rice cooker and call it a day.

[Fishindude]

Rice can be very easily prepared in a pot or pan, they have many other uses, and they are easier to clean.

[Bertram]

The dilemma comes with the thought of lifestyle creep and whether this is hedonic adaptation or increasing Mustachian efficiency.

There is nothing efficient about spending hours of your lifetime discussing or thinking about the pro and cons of a 12$ purchase for something that seems to last you decades...

Sounds more like analysis paralysis to me.

[honeybbq]

I've really enjoyed my instant pot. I think if you like cooking a lot, you'd really be happy to have it. Just buy it and think of all the money you'll save cooking at home.

[Guses]

I don't know what an instant pot is, but we do have a rice cooker at home and I also cook rice in a pan.


I only use the rice cooker when I make Asian influence recipes as I find that I can't get that texture when using the pan.

I make rice in a pan the rest of the time. I tried cooking those recipes in the rice cooker but the texture is always wrong and the spices are not as tasty.

If I was faced your dilemma, I would probably try without a rice cooker a few times see how you like before deciding to buy another. You always have that option later on.

[Stache it Away]

I would also recommend the Instant Pot or something else similar.  It is a pressure cooker for beans, slow cooker for soups and stews, and a rice cooker as well.  It seems to do each of these functions pretty well.

[RosieTR]

I suppose I meant this as a philosphical dilemma, which many people who aren't on the forum don't consider. If every time I purchase something, I consider how it may cause me to want that level of function in the future, I am more likely to maje careful spending choices as well as (hopefully) appreciate the amazingness of it. That's really what this is all about, right? Making your spending count so you are aware of you're trading your money and thus time for.
I read the threads here on Instant Pot and some more off-forum reviews and yeah, it looks like something I'll use and enjoy. But I'll enjoy it more for keeping in mind the thought process that led to the purchase in the first place, and acknowledging that I am increasing my convenience.

[Goldielocks]

My microwave has an auto-rice feature that is pretty good.

The thing with multi function appliances is that you can only do one thing at a time with them.  I have a convection microwave that does a lot of different things...  but is always in use, so I can't use it for many other things.

Philosophically, you need to consider if you are using the rice cooker replacement to justify buying something bigger and fancier than you already have, and don't really need.

Instead, maybe just pick up the smallest rice cooker you can find that will work for you at the thrift store, and think on it some more.

[BlueHouse]

This is the perfect situation!  I really want an Instant Pot, but can't justify it because I have a perfectly good rice cooker and slow cooker. 

If I were you, I'd buy an Instant Pot in a second.  HAVE YOU SEEN the RAVE REVIEWS on this site about them?  I want one more than I can say but I cannot justify it while these other two machines work just fine. 

But an Instant-Pot, you cheapskate!  (just kidding with the name-calling).

[RosieTR]

I gave the go-ahead to DH to shop for one, for reasons mentioned: not having a pressure cooker, having a slow cooker that I would prefer to upgrade but would not have otherwise upgraded, and needing a rice cooker. But I thought I'd share my thought process and considerations for other folks on the Mustache path. I'm a somewhat natural Mustachian who hates to buy things but I know not everyone here is like this. Even my DH will get a kick out of ordering/receiving this, and figuring out a new gadget. I would be overwhelmed with the multiple decisions and hate the process.

[chesebert]

Instantpot or Zojirushi.

Zojirushi makes the best rice cooker and they last forever....

[Mtngrl]

I can really relate to this. I, too, use a rice cooker and have a cheap one that has held up well. I also have a pressure cooker I use sometimes. And an old-fashioned Crock Pot I use all the time. While I would love to have an Insta-Pot, it seems foolish to spend $100 when I already have appliances that do all the things it does. And then I have to find a new home (probably the thrift store) for all the things it is replacing.

If I didn't already have all these other appliances, buying the Insta-pot would be a no-brainer. But right now, for me, it doesn't seem the frugal choice.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I cook rice in the stock pot--2 pounds at a time, freeze in 2-cup portions.

I've been salivating over Instant Pot, though!

Maybe check Goodwill. Rice cookers seem like a thing that people might get rid of when they move or whatever.

[LennStar]

Rice can be very easily prepared in a pot or pan, they have many other uses, and they are easier to clean.

If your rice cooker is not easy to clean then something is wrong with it. Or you are doing other things in it.
Rice cookers are for rice only.
And you can get quite decent (new) ones for ~40 I guess (dont know US prices)

I love my little rice cooker, because I just have to insert water, rice, salt and switch it on to get good rice. It also frees time/work/hardware for other things. I am a bad cook, so using more then 2 things is completely out of the question. The rice cooker does not count and gives you a time reserve.

[iris lily]

Rice can be very easily prepared in a pot or pan, they have many other uses, and they are easier to clean.

no. Its not the same.
My rice cooker makes perfect rice every time, and I dnt have to attend to it.

I live it for dishes such as stir fry, where I can focus on the stir frying and the rice will not be undercooked nor will it boil over.

[redbird]

Instant Pot. It doesn't take up much more counter space than a rice cooker and it can cook many more things in addition to rice.

However, I haven't actually tried cooking rice in my Instant Pot yet. I don't know how it actually turns out. I kept my fancy rice cooker because I've actually had meals where I want to make some Instant Pot recipe, but I want regular, plain rice with it.

I bought Instant Pot on Prime Day back in July and I've used it SO MUCH since then. It's become my favorite kitchen device. My favorite part - When you only have a family of 2 adults, cooking things in the oven feels like a waste of electricity sometimes. Instant Pot doesn't make your house hot either.

[Shor]

Instant Pot. It doesn't take up much more counter space than a rice cooker and it can cook many more things in addition to rice.

However, I haven't actually tried cooking rice in my Instant Pot yet. I don't know how it actually turns out. I kept my fancy rice cooker because I've actually had meals where I want to make some Instant Pot recipe, but I want regular, plain rice with it.

I bought Instant Pot on Prime Day back in July and I've used it SO MUCH since then. It's become my favorite kitchen device. My favorite part - When you only have a family of 2 adults, cooking things in the oven feels like a waste of electricity sometimes. Instant Pot doesn't make your house hot either.

Hugely regretting not knowing about the Instant Pot sale on Prime Day....
or even, not knowing about Prime Day until a month after people start gushing about what they got at Prime Day...
Damn you Low Information Diet! Bane of my existence..

I'll just go back to stove top cooking for 5 hours at a time... *sniff*

[The Happy Philosopher]

I  have only made rice with a pan, water and a lid. It has been good every time. Maybe I'm missing something...

[MrsDinero]

My vote is for a good rice cooker. If you have been consistently using it for all these years, then having a rice cooker is something that brings value. 

[firelight]

Instant pot!! I've owned it for two years now and don't use the oven or stove any more. I've even given away most of the pots and pans I have.

I do a lot of sautéing during my cooking. It's been amazing that I don't have to cook in two different pots and then mix them (less clean up too). I also cook two or three dishes at a time by using PIP (pot in pot) method. So I can make a chicken curry and rice at the same time in instant pot and don't have to stand near it. There is also the advantage of very less to clean. I also make yogurt and use the slow cooker at times.

 I had a good rice cooker when I got the instant pot but wanted to minimize cooking effort since I had just had a baby and couldn't spend time in the kitchen but had to eat healthy. Instant pot was perfect for it. I even make cakes in it when the mood strikes.

ETA: if you want to make use of slow cooker function and rice cooker function at the same time, instant pot wouldn't work. But I've found that with some tweaking, I use manual pressure mode all the time instead of rice mode or slow cook mode and the results are equally delicious!

[Leisured]

I agree that you are overthinking this matter. Perhaps I am overwriting for replying. If you cook rice in a saucepan, put in the rice, then just cover with water. Put on the lid and cook, for whatever time it takes. My wife cooks.

Whether you cook rice in a saucepan or a rice cooker, you can add potatoes or peas to the rice, so they cook with it.

[Anderson]

My wife and I use one of these all the time for rice,cooking dry(pre soaked)beans,potatoes,soup,ect....

 https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Stainless-Steel-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B00004R8ZF/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1472907676&sr=1-1&refinements=p_89%3AKuhn+Rikon

Pick your size...Pricey but we would get another one in a heartbeat if we needed to.

I also really like how little energy we need to cook things in one of these... most of the time once up to pressure we put it on our smallest burner on the
(gas) stove and turn the burner  all the way down for the rest of the cooking time.....I think it is a 5000 btu burner YMMV

Good luck!

[Nemesis.]

Boil salted water
Add rice
Cover
Reduce heat to low
Come back in 15 min.
Fluff

One less thing taking up room in your cabinet/counter top.

[Sailor Sam]

There really do seem to be 2 types of people in the world; the ones who can cook rice in a pot, and the ones that mysterously fail again and again.

I'm in the failers camp. But I did find this article about steaming rice in a pot, and it's helped. I'd say my pot steamed rice is now 75% as tasty as rice cooker rice.

[robtown]

I had a cheap rice cooker.   The best thing about it, is the metal colander that came with it.   You could steam vegetables while cooking the rice.
Currently I use a tri-clad pot on very low heat.  The rice usually comes out perfect and it seems to work much better than the cheaper pots we used to have.

If you want a rice cooker - even at $25+ go ahead.

[CanuckExpat]

We have a rice cooker and an electric pressure cooker.
I like the first one because I'm lazy and don't want to deal with pots, I love the second because it's awesome.

Hold off until the instapot or other electric pressure cooker goes on sale or you find it on craigslist, and then go for it.

[Rural]

 I can cook good rice in a pot, have never in many years had a failure, in fact, and I vote for the Instantpot. It's changed my life for the better.

[Cpa Cat]

I didn't know I wanted an Instant Pot until I read this thread.

Thanks Obama.

[NYCMustachian]

I HIGHLY recommend the instantpot. It has really changed our lives and is one of the best purchases I've ever made. More specifically, it makes really good rice.

Overall, it has also saved us money for a few reasons:

Because it's a smaller appliance and because it cooks so fast, it uses less energy that a stove or oven.

It's so easy to use so it encourages me to eat more at home.

It makes rice to quickly that it encourages me to eat more rice, which is a very cheap staple.

[msanne]

I'll chime in a tell you to purchase the instant pot.  I recently bought one for our family and it has been a huge time saver as well as a money saver.  I find that I will use it on a really hot day to save the kitchen from getting so hot and that in turn means the AC runs less.  It make perfect rice, really good hot cereal and beans from dry in hardly any time.   I have also tried a few meals in it and those were a hit with the family.

[MilesTeg]

Just buy a rice cooker...

Clearly you will make use of it and get more than your money's worth (based on previous performance)

Is it really worth your time to agonize this much over such a purchase?

[geekette]

It's not that I can't cook rice in a pot, it's just that far too often, it boils over and makes a mess (smooth top stove).  We were given a rice cooker by a friend who was moving, and that does a fine job, but I have to put it on newspaper because it spits out starch laden water everywhere (and yes, I've tried rinsing the rice).

I got an Instant Pot on Amazon Prime day ($69!), and it's pretty awesome.

[MilesTeg]

It's not that I can't cook rice in a pot, it's just that far too often, it boils over and makes a mess (smooth top stove).  We were given a rice cooker by a friend who was moving, and that does a fine job, but I have to put it on newspaper because it spits out starch laden water everywhere (and yes, I've tried rinsing the rice).

I got an Instant Pot on Amazon Prime day ($69!), and it's pretty awesome.

Place a wooden spoon over the top of the pan, it stops the foam from boiling over.

[geekette]

It's not that I can't cook rice in a pot, it's just that far too often, it boils over and makes a mess (smooth top stove).  We were given a rice cooker by a friend who was moving, and that does a fine job, but I have to put it on newspaper because it spits out starch laden water everywhere (and yes, I've tried rinsing the rice).

I got an Instant Pot on Amazon Prime day ($69!), and it's pretty awesome.

Place a wooden spoon over the top of the pan, it stops the foam from boiling over.

That works great for pasta, but the rice needs to be covered. 

[redbird]

It's not that I can't cook rice in a pot, it's just that far too often, it boils over and makes a mess (smooth top stove).  We were given a rice cooker by a friend who was moving, and that does a fine job, but I have to put it on newspaper because it spits out starch laden water everywhere (and yes, I've tried rinsing the rice).

I got an Instant Pot on Amazon Prime day ($69!), and it's pretty awesome.

Was that rice cooker one of those cheap $30 rice cookers? I had one of those a long time ago and it would make a little bit of a mess like that. Not as drastic as you describe, but it would spit the starch water on the countertop a bit.

The fancier ~$100 rice cookers don't seem to do that. Mine doesn't anyway. It was a huge upgrade from the cheap one for other reasons too - programmable, a keep warm function, and can cook other things too. It cooks rice consistently better than the cheap one did too. The cheap one once in a while didn't cook the rice correctly if the water measurement was slightly off. Doesn't seem to be an issue for the fancier one.

(Directed more at the other people who keep suggesting the rice cooker) But the reason I suggest Instant Pot over the rice cooker is because Instant Pot doesn't cost that much more than the fancy rice cookers and it can do many, many more things in addition to rice.

[Rosy]

I guess I am in the minority here. I have always considered a rice cooker a rather fanciful appliance, sort of like an egg cooker. Throwing away money on something that you do not need a separate appliance for.

But, I do like the idea of the Instapot replacing a number of different appliances, saving time and electricity and space. Bed, Bath and Beyond sells them for $99 and with their 20% off coupon it would be a decent enough deal.
Contemplating a purchase every time I see another thread on how great the Instapot is.

[RosieTR]

Update:
We did get the Instant Pot, in a not very Mustachian way (ordered on Amazon) partly because I already need to cook rice. But, MIL dropped off 10 gal of apples so we will get to try it out with applesauce tomorrow!

[geekette]

There's a huge Instant Pot community on FaceBook, if you're into that sort of thing.  Lots of repeats, but lots of help, too.

[pdxmonkey]

I have a zojirushi. Punch me if you will, but I use it fairly frequently and the rice it makes is noticeably better than the cheap $20 rice makers that just pop the switch to off/warm when the thermostat detects detects things are getting too hot because all the water boiled off.

[horsepoor]

Update:
We did get the Instant Pot, in a not very Mustachian way (ordered on Amazon) partly because I already need to cook rice. But, MIL dropped off 10 gal of apples so we will get to try it out with applesauce tomorrow!

Welcome to the cult.


I was going to mention to the PP who was lamenting missing Prime day, that IP will probably be on sale for Black Friday as well.

You'll love the thing.  I'd say it might not be worth it if you were FIRE'ed and could loiter around tending to rice, but as a working stiff, IP is awesome.  It has definitely made dinner easy enough to avoid takeout plenty of times.  Love that I can throw some beans in, touch a button, then leave for the gym and come home to perfect beans.

FWIW, I usually still make rice in a small sauce pan, and still use my CrockPot for slow cooking, but for the pressure cooking and yogurt making abilities alone, IP is a winner.  I did make rice in it the other day, with a touch of extra water, and it came out fab, so I may be using it for that more in the future as well.

[Cranky]

I'd say that if you used your old rice cooker a lot, replacing it is perfectly reasonable.

But I'm in the group that is mystified by needing a special appliance for that, because I don't see cooking rice as complicated, messy or time consuming...

[MrsPete]

Buy a rice cooker.  You're using it and enjoying it, and it's a modest splurge.  Buy one.

I love my rice cooker.  Yes, I can cook rice on the stove, and it's not a difficult task -- but a rice cooker is 100% fix-and-forget, whereas cooking rice on the stove does mean monitoring when the boiling begins and stopping the cooking at the right time -- again, not rocket science but tasks that do require attention.  We eat lots of rice, we use the rice cooker several times a week. 

A rice cooker IS good for items other than rice.  For example, we regularly cook quinoa, grits, oatmeal, and ramen noodles in ours.  My college daughter's go-to lunch is a couple spoonfuls of dried vegetables + one packet of Harris Teeter yellow rice; it cooks up perfectly in the rice cooker.

I don't know what an Instant Pot is, and I'm not going to research it because I don't want to want one.

[NYCMustachian]

Update:
We did get the Instant Pot, in a not very Mustachian way (ordered on Amazon) partly because I already need to cook rice. But, MIL dropped off 10 gal of apples so we will get to try it out with applesauce tomorrow!

Hey RosieTR, I'm new to this forum so maybe you can fill me in: why is Amazon not very Mustachian??

[fuzzy math]

The instant pot (or other brand) is a utilitarian item that will replace all the things you mentioned replacing. Do it.

We cook chicken, beef, apple sauce, beans, rice, artichokes, make bone broth etc using it. It is not a rice cooker, and it certainly doesn't cost $12. For the person who was saying "why deliberate about a $12 purchase?" it costs about $70
Google Pressure Cooker time charts for more ideas of things you'd never have thought to make

[herbgeek]

I  have only made rice with a pan, water and a lid. It has been good every time. Maybe I'm missing something...

I'm missing something too, apparently.  I've never had a rice problem.  For white rice, add twice the amount of water as rice, a little salt, and 15-20  minutes later its done.  Usually I'm doing something else in the kitchen at the same time anyways.  I had a pressure cooker once but it made so much noise that I was afraid it was going to explode, and it fell out of use.  I do use my slow cooker quite a bit.  I'm a planner,  so this works for me.  I'll soak dried beans in water overnight, rinse and then put in the slow cooker and they are done in the afternoon.  I usually make a big batch and freeze the extra beans, so I can throw something together just as quickly as I could with a pressure cooker. 

I used to have a lot more specialty appliances, but have now gotten rid of most of them and haven't noticed a difference in my quality of life.  I'm not a joiner, so no need for me to join the Instapot cult.

[Dee18]

Be sure to check your local thrift store.  I have a Black and Decker rice cooker-steamer i love, purchased more than a decade ago.  My college age daughter was with me at the thrift store when we saw the exact same one for $3.  She said, "let's get that so I can have it in my first apartment." 

[RosieTR]

Update:
We did get the Instant Pot, in a not very Mustachian way (ordered on Amazon) partly because I already need to cook rice. But, MIL dropped off 10 gal of apples so we will get to try it out with applesauce tomorrow!

Hey RosieTR, I'm new to this forum so maybe you can fill me in: why is Amazon not very Mustachian??

Hi, NYCM. I said that because it's not like I scouted around for deals, or explored Craigslist, or checked if BedBath&Beyond had one that would be less with a coupon.

All that said, we cooked the following over the past two days: 2 batches of artichokes,  two 5 gal buckets of apples into 3 gal of applesauce, a pound of green beans, and 3c of wild and brown rice blend. Very, very pleased with the rice especially. Far better than our cheap old cooker in terms of time, quality, mess and even waste. Rice would stick to the bottom of the old one so we always had loss plus blurb out the top. I will probably do artichokes traditionally (steaming in water with some vinegar) because the pressure cooking didn't save much time and somehow the flavor was different-not terrible or anything, just I liked them the other way and it doesn't save much time to pressure cook. Everything else was great, though!