Not up to other reviews
Good day,
It got great reviews so I bought it, it is not as simple as a rice steamer, it is more like a crock pot/steamer with a solid metal bowl instead of a slatted steamer. I scorched mine the first two times I used it, and the rice was not cooked properly either time. However if you use it to cook a more mixed meal and open it often to stir it scorches less.
Cleaning is a horror, it has what appears to be a Teflon coating. So only a soft sponge can be used, which means lots of soaking and wiping. Ours also arrived in a damaged INNER box, meaning it was damaged BEFORE packaging. Our inner bowl has an off sided circular mark from the damage no doubt as well as two small dings like a pen tip. I fully expect that the Teflon like coating will peel from at least the larger of these pin points.
There are online recipe books, I have downloaded one of these and the other 2 would not DL, my GF and I got into an argument over this since we have both wanted a good rice steamer for years, (I had one earlier), and we both thought this would be a good idea. But, it was my due diligence that picked this 8Qt when I could not find the 6Qt we had originally agreed upon :( and the 6Qt recipes from the show we saw it on will not work w/ 8Qt w/o a slide rule :P .
Anygoogle, I suggest you immediately wash then season/lubricate the inner bowl before use with Crisco. Just before use rinse, wipe and add your favorite lubrication, be it oil or butter to the insides and bottom.
Use a strainer to rinse rice/pasta/beans etc BEFORE you put them into unit bowl. I rinsed all starches and still had sticking-scorching issues even with more lubrication than normal. Using the Crisco made it a bit easier to clean than veg oil or butter.
Please use care when cleaning.
Examine your box carefully.
Open boxes on vid-camera or take sequential photos to show any internal damage, I was at the door when it arrived and my GF missed this step.
Before you test it as I did examine the bottom of the interior cooking pot, the entire heating section, the lid and the inner pot lid seal, (which pulls off the hinge lid pin for cleaning with a gentle pressure), and inspect for anything that is not 100%. Have plain sponges on hand, do not use anything with an abrasive side or any abrasive cleansers. #1 they will scratch, ruining seals, #2 they will stain the aluminum in some cases, #3 they will destroy the teflonish coating inside the cooking bowl.
That is the most of it, It will cook far more than rice, I did steak slips on the third try, I used butter in the bottom of the rice to help stop the scorching, no difference. I also cooked raw shrimp in there in the upper basket which came out delicious.
Hopefully practice will help stop scorching. Try to get the recipe books online. Google the cooker and recipe books.
Thank you for your time.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
