Working and living with peoples from South East Asia rice soon became the norm for me, even though I seldom ate it, except with curry. Soon, I noticed how useful it was to bulk out a meal, and that's a good money saver. In our house all the Asians had their own rice machines, I had never seen these contraptions before, but it was like an iPhone for them, they all used them and all had one. Those machines came in all shapes and prices, and completely incompatible with my views of kitchen utilities: which must be clean at all times, and therefore easy to clean. Joseph & Joseph's Microwave Rice and Grain Cooker solution was very much more affordable by comparison, and with a pleasing Bauhaus inspired modular design, but with a contemporary natural colour palate. Being left inside a microwave it would also have a home when not in use, thus not taking up space I didn't have to spare. I now had the advantage over my Asian housemates as my "cooker": looked better, cost (my parents) less and was always clean, of which none of them could compete with. The quality of the cooked rice depends: for a Westerner it was the best rice that I had consistently ever made, to the point that I couldn't tell the difference between rice from their machine or my own. They were too polite to say if it was less tasty, but they certainly liked it, so in my book that was good enough. Using this system I finally realised that rice should be washed beforehand, even my Australian housemates knew that, but for some reason I didn't, but then again I wasn't a big rice eater. Since investing in this system I now save more money, I know what quality of rice to go for ("New Crop" is best: it's all about harvest cycles with rice) and have learned how to pre-prepare rice. It couldn't be a simpler cooking process with this system as one only need measure the appropriate amount of water and allow the microwave to do the rest, whilst preparing the remainder of the meal. It took a little bit of time to absently trust a microwave to be on for eleven minutes (White Long Grain rice) as I'd never cooked anything close to that long ever before, and this was also of a polymer material. However, the scare stories were unfounded in my situation and never have I come close to melting the cooker, I did my research and cooked in stages to begin with, checking along the way. I got a good tip from somebody: when you don't have access to Jasmine Rice, just make your own using Jasmine Tea leaves (after all, that's what it actually is!) - with approximately half a teabag per cup of rice !! After two years of semi-regular use I think I know this product well enough to suggest improvements: 1. Removing the lid after cooking 2. Separating steamed foodstuffs from sitting water 3. Rice gets caught in the colander's holes Lid Removal: As the water boils to cook the rice it bubbles through the vents cut away from the lid, forming a slippery puddle that makes the tiny protruding knob difficult to grip on to. Unlike other suggestions of a knurled design around the edges of the knob. Which would not only interrupt the smooth design, but not be faithful to its sliding philosophy of operation: everything slides together, including the lock. I would instead employ a sliding pivot to simply poke the lid out of alignment with the rice paddle. Although I shy away from moving parts, and have never seriously relied on the built in handle on the colander, I can see there not being any compromise on that feature. So rather than removing the handle on the colander compartment, remove the existing wall that mirrors the handle instead, giving the lid a central pivot point of 180°, so when one half of the lid is pushed with the rice paddle from above it will tip like the Titanic and easily be removed. This would also mean the exterior body design would have to become flush as the lid no longer sits around its ledge to stabilise. In fact the lid is already designed to fit neatly on top of the colander itself when separated from the main outer body unit, but I have never done this and always kept all compartments compiled when in use, left inside the microwave to retain heat. Self Sufficient Draining: To give enough time for water to drain away from recently steamed vegetables, and avoid them left sitting in a pool of excess water, balancing the colander into the top of the cooker's outer body would keep the entire draining process self contained, avoiding sullying another surface. It would require the inner body to have groves cut to allow the colander to slide securely into position diagonally, around a 30-45° angle. This would also require the drainage holes to continue an inch or so further up from its base to avoid the water collecting in the colander itself. Nature Abhors A Vacuum: Aside from the colander, each element it simple to maintain. Without that this device would not only be unhygienic, but undesirable to rely on for more than a few uses. The colander must have an exit route for water, but that doesn't mean through narrow holes. In my experience, the rice all to easily collects and solidifies dry in those hard to reach holes. Better would it be to have slits running the length of the base to swipe clear and clean in a single motion with any normal household sponge. Conclusions: After two years, I have found that following instructions would guarantee the same results each time I cooked rice. These results were better than the best rice that I had ever cooked in a pan on the hob, and with such ease. While broken pieces of rice would collect in the holes of the colander, and during operation the lid can become tricky to remove, on the whole the design is simple to completely deconstruct for cleaning. The design is the most sophisticated of its price point, with mute colours pleasing to the eye and of a reliable solid constriction, except for the flimsy colander handle. The price has only increased £1 for each of those two years I have owned this product. I would recommend purchasing this utility over similarly priced competitors. However, they could improve the mechanics of the device to optimise it's shortcomings. Pro: • Fair price • Consistently reliable results • Easy to clean (mostly) • Uncomplicated product design • Pleasing to the eye Con: • Lid is slippery to remove after cooking • Colander handle is flimsy and pointless • Colander could be easier to clean • Could be more self sufficient and versatile
