Once I moved into my new home, one of the cookware that I needed was a rice cooker. I knew I could not settle for a teflon-coated rice cooker for I have read the danger of using it.
Did anyone ever told you that if the non-stick coating of your inner pot was scratched or came off, you have to throw it away? And this is to prevent the toxic particle from getting into your food. Even with the coating intact, I wonder how it is possible for the toxic chemical to not get into the food…
If you do a search online, there are many voicesΒ debating over the safety of teflon-coated cookware such as non-stick pan and rice cooker. Some recommend that it is safe and even pointing to professional chefs using it. But others avoid it.
Check out this article, Is Teflon Safe, from ABC news.
From the article, I understand that a likely carcinogenic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA is used to manufacture teflon and other products such as oil and water-repellent coatings on carpet, textiles, leather and paper. In the process of manufacturing, PFOA was released and it contaminates the environment and affect the health of the people.
When it comes to non-stick pan, PFOA in teflon does not exist anymore. But if you heat up a teflon-coated pan to very high heat, it will start to release other types of toxic particles that are dangerous. If you want to know more and what are its negative impact, watch this video from ABC.
After checking out the article and video, what is your view? For me personally, with all those doubts, I will not take the risk even if someone said that it is safe to use.
After some search, I finally decided to purchase the Song Cho Rice Cooker with Buffalo’s inner pot as seen above. Buffalo developed inner pot that is made of stainless steel composite alloy that is safe for cooking. This inner pot can be used with other rice cooker brand, used on its own or used with Buffalo’s own rice cooker. See the benefits of Buffalo inner pot here.
Buffalo has a small range of rice cooker with inner pot in size of 5 cups (1 litre) and 10 cups (1.8 litre). The price is pretty high ranging from $99 to $399. The one I bought is an assemble of Song Cho’s rice cooker with Buffalo’s inner pot. The whole set is at $99 and I got it at OG departmental store in Singapore.
It has been more than a year and it is working well for me. For the model that I bought, although the rice does stick to the bottom of the pot, I simply soak it with water for a while and it comes off easily. And I do not have to worry about scraping the pot.Β For our health, I am not complaining. π As mine is a conventional design rice cooker, it may not keep warm for long though. If you have the budget, perhaps you may want to go for the original Buffalo smart rice cooker shown below.
For readers residing in Singapore, you can check it out at Buffalo Rice Cooker at Song Cho, the distributor in Singapore and at OG departmental store. As usual, please do your own research and homework before your purchase. π
What else can you do with this Buffalo Smart Rice Cooker? Here is the demo video.
To prevent rice from sticking to your pot,line the pot with parchment or wax paper so there will be no rice wasted. I had a non stick pot with scratches which I was going to throw away & I Lined the pot with the parchment paper & it worked.
Dear Annabe, thanks for sharing your tip with us.
It seems to me that Annabe has completely missed the point of the toxicity of the non-stick coating. whether the parchment paper is there or not, the toxins can still leach into the water and twice during cooking.
I’m really grateful for this post as I’m now discarding all my nonstick cookware and I was wondering how to find a safe rice cooker in Singapore. I’ll definitely check out the buffalo one. Wonder if a drop of cooking oil in the water will help the rice not to stick so much….
Dear Ede, I am glad to know you found this post useful. Adding a drop of cooking oil did not help with the stickiness. However the stickiness does not bother me much because it is quite easy to clean the rice pot. Just soak for a little while and then wash as usual.
Argh “rice” not “twice”.
?!#%@ autocorrect.
To not have rice stick, switch off once it has cooked and after stirring once. The insulation of the rice cooker and residua heat of the metal heating element will keep the rice warm for a while and the rice comes clean off the bowl effortlessly. This means cooking rice closer to the time of eating and using a timer to remind you to switch it off, once it has just cooked. You can also switch it on again to make it hotter, a few minutes before serving.
Thanks for the tip!
Hi, may I know which outlet you bought it at? And what’s the model number? I went to metro earlier on but saw the 1.8L size only. I’ll go down OG and try π
Hi Joey, I bought it at OG orchard outlet. Can’t remember the model number, but the one I bought is 1litre size.
Thanks for the reply! My mother ask whether is it good to use? 1L is it enough for the family of 4? Using that rice cooker, other than rice, what else can it cook? My mum now deciding whether to get it or not so she asked me to ask you for opinion thanks! π
Hello Joey, the 1L I have is enough for a family of 4. Usually 2 cups of rice is enough for 4 person. This 1L rice cooker can cook up to 5 cups of rice.
Once the rice is cooked, I would turn off the switch immediately and the rice comes off more easily. Does not stick as bad.
I haven’t tried using that to cook anything else except for 1 pot meal. It seems ok.
If your mum prefers a rice cooker that can cook stews, soups, porridge, you can check out the model shown in the video. http://youtu.be/56HPt9zBvSg
Thanks for your info! Aww I went to OG orchard today but it says 1 litre has discontinued.
I have a 20 years old conventional rice cooker (not the no-stick type). It served me fine. Recently my hubby scratched the inner pot till it is shinny. Certainly the surface is scratched completely. I wonder is it still safe to use?
What material is your cooker made of? Stainless steel?
Dear Cheng, thanks for your sharing. Wonder whether rice cooker with ceramic innerpot is safe and good?
Yes Denise, ceramic innerpot is safe and good too.
Hi, thanks for your review! May I ask if this rice cooker cooked your rice well? Fragrant and fluffy? π Have you tried it with different kinds of rice? Thanks!
Honestly, this particular model of rice cooker that I use doesn’t quite cook my rice fluffy. This model is a combination of Song Cho’s cooker with Buffalo’s inner stainless pot. I would suggest trying out a proper Buffalo rice cooker instead.
Thank you for your honest feedback! π