Please note: This article was first written in October 2014 and since then the design of this Microwave Rice Cooker has changed, however the excellent results still remain the same. Pictures shown below are of the most recent design.
It’s not very often that something you purchase completely changes the way that you do something. It might be a car or a golf club or a mobile phone, but for me it was a simple, plastic microwave rice cooker! I purchased the Kitchen Craft Microwave Rice Cooker almost 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back since. What is even more amazing is that this rice cooker usually costs less than £12.00 – Bargain!
I had always struggled with making good rice on the stove. It almost always boiled over and the end result was usually a burnt pan, messy stove top and sticky rice! I used to hate planning meals with rice as I knew that there was always lots of cleaning up to do afterwards.
One day, that all changed. I met a colleague’s wife who happened to be Chinese and she let me in on a little secret. The first thing she did when she moved to the UK was to buy a microwave rice cooker. I was shocked – but also very intrigued… If it’s good enough for her, it must be good enough for me.
I did some research on Amazon, found the Kitchen Craft Microwave Rice Cooker and took the plunge. A few days later my rice cooker arrived and after a quick clean I made my first pot of rice following the instructions. It was very good indeed – not perfect – but better than anything I had made in the previous years on the stove.
After a few tweaks to the instructions, I now produce excellent rice every time. In fact, this microwave rice cooker is so easy to use that I will happily make rice for lunch or dinner. I even look forward to it! It is simple to use, easy to clean and has proved to be very durable. Our rice cooker has been in weekly use for ten or so years and it still works as good as new. It is the only way I will ever cook rice now.
Here are my personal tips for using this Rice Cooker:
- 2 measuring pots of rice to 3.5 measuring pots of BOILING water. Boiling water turned this good microwave rice cooker into an exceptional rice cooker!
- Stir a little oil into the rice before adding the water
- Cook for 6 minutes (full power), take out, stir, then cook for another 5 to 6 minutes (full power). All done.
- Place the rice cooker on a plate in the microwave because if you get the quantities wrong it will bubble over.
- Optional: Try crumbling in a stock cube, or add herbs/spices for extra flavour.
All in all, this is an excellent kitchen rice cooker and highly recommended by us at Kitchen & Cook Shop.
Kitchen Craft Microwave 1.5 L Rice Cooker Reviews
All of the words above are my own, and as you can tell, I love my rice cooker and would not be without it. Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself that just one person’s opinion is not enough, and I agree with you. It’s good to get a range of opinions and thoughts before buying any kitchen product, be it a vegetable peeler or a food mixer, so with that in mind I thought that I would let you know about a couple of things. Firstly, the Kitchen Craft Microwave 1.5 L Rice Cooker is the most reviewed microwave rice cooker on Amazon.co.uk with over 1,600 reviews. It also has a star rating of 4.3 out of 5, which I think is excellent.
Of course, there are always going to be some negative reviews. I would agree with these people that the instructions are poor and that it is prone to leakage, but once you have the technique correct, you’ll never make bad rice again. Other negatives include people saying that brown rice does not cook very well and that it is too small for a family of four or more.
The majority of reviews are positive with the most common plus points being the quality of the product, the great results of perfect rice and the fact that you can also throw in some other ingredients and create a ‘one pot wonder’. Get yours today!
