Latest news with #Zojirushi
The Mainichi
7 days ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Expert says Japan's stored rice 'can still taste good'
TOKYO -- Japan's government has started selling older stored rice to lower rice prices. Usually, the rice stays in storage to help people after disasters. Selling this rice in stores is new, and some people are worried the taste is not good. Many people believe stored rice tastes bad. Yuichiro Tamaki, a politician, said rice stored for a long time is "food for animals." But rice expert Toshiaki Mitsui from Niigata University said older rice is still good to eat. He tested rice from different years. He said, "New rice tastes best. Older rice can be drier and lose some smell, but it can still taste good." The stored rice is kept at a low temperature, so it stays fresh. Rice stored more than five years is usually sold for animals to eat. Mitsui smiled and said even that rice has good quality, so farm animals eat well too. Rice cooker company Zojirushi says older rice cooks better if you add a little more water. It also says you don't have to wash old rice strongly. Washing it lightly is enough. (Japanese original by Shota Harumashi, Tokyo City News Department) Vocabulary stored rice: rice kept for use later politician: a person who works in the government expert: a person who knows a lot about something quality: how good something is disaster: something very bad like an earthquake or flood
Forbes
19-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
The 4 Best Rice Cookers That Yield Perfectly Cooked Grains
It's true you can make rice on the stovetop—but a dedicated rice cooker takes the guesswork out of the cooking process, delivering tender, fluffy grains every time. Even better, these hands-off devices free you up to focus on other dishes, simplifying meal prep. For most home cooks, our top pick overall is the Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker, which consistently yields perfectly cooked batches of rice, from white to brown to basmati. While rice cookers aren't totally foolproof, they make it significantly easier to prepare grains that are neither crunchy nor mushy. 'For the most part, rice cookers make perfect rice every time," says Diane Phillips, cooking teacher and author of The Everyday Rice Cooker. They can also reduce the time you spend in the kitchen, she adds, as "you don't have to time them or watch them on the stovetop.' If you're thinking of adding one of these handy appliances to your kitchen lineup, first consider the size of your household, as models have varying capacities, plus the types of rice and grains you typically cook and your budget. Ahead, here our expert-backed picks for the best rice cookers in 2025. Dimensions: 14 x 10.13 x 8.5 inches | Weight: 9 pounds | Capacity: 5.5 cups uncooked (about 10 cups cooked) | Accessories included: Steamer basket, rice paddle, measuring cup | Dishwasher-safe: No | Settings: White/sushi, brown, steam, cake, mixed, porridge, quick Best for: Skip if: Zojirushi is one of the most trusted names in the rice cooker space, and this model is especially popular—with good reason. Capable of preparing up to 10 cups of cooked rice, this bestseller is equipped with the brand's smart 'Fuzzy logic' technology, which automatically adjusts the time and temperature as the rice cooks to deliver consistent results every time. The control panel has an old-school feel but is highly intuitive, with settings for different rice types like brown and sushi, as well as a timer and 'keep warm' button. (The latter can maintain the same temperature for up to 12 hours.) In addition, there are helpful markings in the bowl that help you determine how much water to add for different rice types. Plus, the machine comes with a steam basket, which you can use to steam vegetables—even as your rice is cooking. The main downside of this model? It takes longer to cook than all others on this list, though the added time serves a purpose. When you press the start button, the machine first lets the rice pre-soak before cooking begins; once the rice is almost finished, it gives the grains extra time to steam. While you do have to plan ahead more when using this machine, that additional time helps your rice achieve the ideal texture. And if you're ever in a rush, there's a convenient quick-cook setting that can reduce the cook time by about 20 minutes. Dimensions: 8.6 x 9.3 x 8.5 inches | Weight: 3.6 pounds | Capacity: 4 cups uncooked (about 8 cups cooked) | Accessories included: Steamer basket, rice paddle, measuring cup | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Settings: White rice, brown rice, steam, flash rice, keep warmBest for: Skip if If you want a simple rice cooker that gets the job done (and does it well), this popular model from Aroma is inexpensive yet reliable. Ideal for home cooks on a budget, it can prepare up to 8 cups of rice at a time, and the grains it yields are fluffy with the right amount of chew. Though it might not be quite as technologically advanced as our top pick overall, this model also tracks the progress of rice as it cooks and automatically adjusts the settings to ensure each batch comes out just right. What's more, it offers the most essential controls—including a 'keep warm' setting and a delay timer—and comes with a handy steamer basket that allows you to steam food as rice cooks below. One last perk: Cleanup is a breeze. The included cooking pot—which has a nonstick coating—can go in the dishwasher, while the stainless steel exterior can be wiped down with a damp towel. Dimensions: 9.8 x 13.5 x 8.9 inches | Weight: 10.5 pounds | Capacity: 8 cups (cooked) | Accessories included: Nonstick ceramic pot, steamer basket | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Settings: Short grain brown, long grain brown, short grain white, long grain white, basmati, jasmine, wild rice, sushi rice, steel cut oats, rolled oats, couscous, quinoa, pearled barley, hulled barley, farro, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, pinto, chickpeas, lentils Best for: Skip if: If you want an advanced model that does all the heavy lifting for you, KitchenAid's Grain And Rice Cooker is a kitchen workhorse. To start, its design is unlike all others on this list: It has a built-in scale that measures the amount of grains that have been added to the cooking vessel, as well as a built-in water tank that dispenses the ideal amount of liquid based on the selected setting and volume of rice. In other words, you don't have to pull out the measuring cup when making rice with this machine—just add your grains and choose the appropriate setting, and the machine does the rest. (And like most models on this list, it also comes with a steamer basket.) In terms of cooking functions, you have quite a few to choose from: There are settings for eight rice varieties, seven grains (including oats, farro and barley) and six bean types. The sleek touchscreen display guides you through all of the available options, from cooking presets to timers and scheduling. In terms of downsides, this machine really only has one big one: The attached water tank makes it quite large, so it's wise to double-check that you have adequate space to store this before making the commitment. Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.9 x 8.6 inches | Weight: 6.4 pounds | Capacity: 3 cups uncooked (6 cups cooked) | Accessories included: Measuring cup, rice spatula | Dishwasher-safe: No | Settings: White, brown, multigrain, quinoa, multicook, oatmeal Best for: Skip if: For those with limited kitchen counter and storage space, this popular model from South Korean brand Cuckoo is charmingly compact. Also, it's not that small—it can yield up to 6 cups of cooked rice at once, which should be plenty for single folks or couples. And like our top pick overall, it uses 'Fuzzy logic' technology to ensure consistency. It features a sleek design with an intuitive control panel on the top of the machine, where you can toggle between different cooking presets—there are settings for sticky, soft and savory rice, as well as grains like quinoa and oatmeal. In addition, the machine includes a 'quick' mode to churn out a batch in 30 minutes, as well as 'keep warm' and 'auto-clean,' the latter of which which uses steam to clean the interior of the machine. And for deeper, more thorough cleans, the nonstick cooking vessel is a breeze to wash. Whether we're covering countertop appliances like food processors or smaller staples like chef's knives, Forbes Vetted's home and kitchen team conducts meticulous, thorough research to bring you product recommendations you can trust. To determine the best rice cookers, we performed painstaking research, following guidance from our experts, and analyzed top-rated models from trusted brands. 'I would invest in a high quality one that is made in Japan or Korea,' says Rao. In particular, she recommends looking at 'reliable' brands including Zojirushi (her personal favorite), Tiger and Cuckoo, which she estimates can last over a decade. Phillips echoes this sentiment. 'Since the Japanese invented these machines, I would go with a Japanese brand,' she says. 'When I was testing recipes, I kept the Zojurushi Neuro Fuzzy machine since I loved it the most.' If you don't know where to start, Phillips suggests considering "how many people you'll be serving, then price, then features." A rice cooker with large capacity would make sense for a bigger family, for example, while people who live alone would likely be fine with a more compact model. Also, keep in mind there are different types of rice cookers. The most common types include what Phillips calls 'on-off machines' (models with basic controls), "fuzzy-logic machines" (which adjust the cook time and temperature as they works) and multicookers. This is highly dependent on the size of your household. 'Think about how many people are in the mix,' advises Phillips. If you live alone or with your partner, you can probably get away with a 3- to 4-cup model. 'Buying a 6- to 8-cup model would be a waste of money, since you probably wouldn't ever use it to its potential,' she adds. For large families and frequent entertainers, a high-capacity rice cooker would make sense. You should also consider how much counter or cabinet space you're willing to give up for the machine, as some are naturally larger than others—regardless of capacity.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Go With the Grains
Hi, everyone! Mia here, jumping in for Tanya today. Delighted to be with you. Not that anyone asked, but my very favorite grain will always be rice. Specifically the Calrose rice that my trusty Zojirushi rice cooker has prepared for me, hot and plush and ready to be draped with tofu rendang or soy-simmered mushroom and egg. But I also enjoy branching out; expanding my grain brain, as it were. White rice is many things, but it's not nutty, like farro or buckwheat. It's not bouncy-chewy, like wild rice or barley. And it doesn't pack a good amount of protein, as quinoa does. I wrote about Ali Slagle's quinoa salad for the New York Times Cooking newsletter back in January — you subscribe to that newsletter, yes? — and my craving still stands. I love how assertively seasoned and versatile this dish is. It's sort of a cross between tabbouleh and Greek salad, mixing quinoa with cucumbers, red bell pepper, olives, parsley and a confidently garlicky dressing. But, as Ali notes, you can add or swap in all sorts of vegetables, cheeses and herbs, and the reader comments are full of great suggestions. View this recipe. Before we continue, here's Ali's recipe for cooking pretty much any type of grain. I'll also pass along her one-pot greens, beans and grains, which is exactly what you think it is: A mix-and-match formula for making fluffy grains, just-cooked greens and tender beans, with only one pan to clean. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Mint
12-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
America First may be a boon for Walmart's Mexican business
THERE ARE few more potent symbols of American capitalism than a Walmart supercentre, its endless aisles heaving under the weight of as many as 150,000 different products, from fresh avocados to fancy Zojirushi rice cookers. Similarly, there are few more visible emblems of the ties that bind America's and Mexico's economies than those supercentres catering to shoppers south of the Rio Grande. The same can be said of the company that runs these capitalist wonders, alongside neighbourhood Bodegas Aurrerá and Sam's Club membership-only big-box stores, across all 32 Mexican states (and in Central America). Walmart de México, or Walmex, is majority-owned by Walmart but listed on the Mexican stock exchange. It is the country's most valuable public company, worth some $45bn, and its largest private-sector employer, with a workforce 200,000 strong. Like its parent in Bentonville, Arkansas, it is bracing for a Trumpian makeover of North American commerce. For once, it may be better placed to withstand the disruption. Last year was rough for Walmex. Together with other Mexican businesses, it had to contend with stubborn inflation, interest rates near record highs and a rising minimum wage. In June a left-wing populist, Claudia Sheinbaum, won the presidency and her Morena party consolidated control of Congress, allowing it to push ahead with plans to emasculate the courts. Five months later Donald 'Tariff Man" Trump romped back to power in America, threatening to lob grenades at the global rules-based trading system and maybe actual missiles at drug cartels on Mexican soil. Investors dumped the peso and fled the Mexican bourse, whose main index slumped by 14% in 2024. In addition to these pan-Mexican problems, Walmex had to steer a swivelling trolleyful of company-specific ones. In contrast to American Walmarts, its outlets count as relatively high-end. This makes them more vulnerable to penny-pinching by Mexicans, who still buy perhaps a third of their groceries from informal tienditas and mercados. On the formal high street it has had to fend off competition from fast-growing rivals such as Tiendas 3B, an Aldi-like discounter which went public a year ago. Online it was being outmatched by e-commerce marketplaces such as Mercado Libre. Sales and operating profit grew more slowly than in previous years. Margins tightened. To top it off, Mexico's competition regulator was breathing down its neck over its alleged abuse of market power in its dealings with suppliers. By late November, Walmex's market value languished at 900bn pesos, down from 1.3trn pesos in January that year. In dollar terms it had collapsed by 40%, from $73bn to $44bn. Even in Mexico's struggling stockmarket the company looked disappointing. Next to its go-getting parent up north, whose market capitalisation leapt from $450bn to $740bn on the back of perky American GDP growth and Mr Trump's promise of more of the same, it appeared the underachieving offspring. As the weaker of the two firms in the feebler of the two economies, Walmex might be expected to suffer more than Walmart now that Tariff Man is putting his duties where his mouth is. On March 4th Mr Trump imposed 25% levies on imports from Mexico and Canada, ostensibly because they were letting fentanyl flood into the United States. He paused most of them two days later, but may change his mind again next month. Even before the latest whiplash, Mexico's central bank halved its forecast for Mexican GDP growth this year, to 0.6%, given all the uncertainty. That is bad for consumer spending—and so for Walmex's bottom line. Yet in several ways Walmex looks less exposed to Mr Trump's policies than Walmart. Measured by value, just 17% of what Walmex sells in Mexico comes from abroad. Walmart's equivalent share in America is twice that. In 2022 Walmart imported nearly 1m standard 20-foot containers, more than any other American company, according to the Journal of Commerce, a trade publication. It does not say where these boxes originate. But it is a good guess that many arrive from Mexico (all those avocados and other fresh produce) and similarly tariff-hit China (some of those Zojirushi rice cookers), as well as Canada (for which Mr Trump reserves especial scorn). Helpfully for Walmex, any retaliatory tariffs Ms Sheinbaum may impose would probably be targeted so as to minimise the harm to Mexico's wobbly economy. This points to another source of comfort for the company, and Mexican business as a whole—the president herself. Who's the piñata? Yes, she clings to some costly populist pledges, such as raising the minimum wage by 10% or so a year. Still, Mexican CEOs report that she has proved more receptive to their concerns than expected from a protégée of her business-loathing predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Were it not for Mr Trump's economic vandalism, she might have been less inclined to soften her attitude to the private sector, they say. In a sign that forbearance may be spreading, in December Mexico's competition cops concluded the investigation into Walmex with a $5m slap on the wrist. At the same time, Mr Trump's fentanyl finger-wagging is forcing Ms Sheinbaum at last to crack down on organised crime, a perennial corporate bugbear. In late February Mexico extradited 29 alleged kingpins to America. As a Mexican executive sums it up, with a Morena-dominated government, 'the only check and balance comes from Trump." That is not to say todo está bien. Walmex's share price has stagnated since Mr Trump first announced the tariffs on Mexico at the end of January. But things could be much worse. Just ask investors in Walmart, whose stock has lost 11% of its value. Subscribers to The Economist can sign up to our Opinion newsletter, which brings together the best of our leaders, columns, guest essays and reader correspondence.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
People Are Sharing "Expensive" Adult Purchases That They'd Actually Recommend, Despite The Price Tag
There's nothing quite like finding a good bargain, but some purchases in life are well worth splurging on. Well, someone on Reddit asked, "What's a stupidly expensive adult purchase that you now swear by that you would buy again in a heartbeat?" 1."Definitely my electric bike. I never thought I would spend nearly three thousand bucks on a bike, but it's the best investment I've made while living in a city with horrendous public transit." —Free_spirit1022 2."A smart toilet with a built-in bidet, blow dryer, and seat warmer. It's incredible." —CaniacGoji 3."Not sure if it counts as a purchase, per sé, but I got laser eye surgery almost 20 years ago and it was definitely the best money I ever spent on myself!" —damjamdes 4."A Zojirushi rice cooker. We bought one as our Christmas present to ourselves. I'm Never. Going. Back. I thought the $15 rice cooker from Walgreens was hot shit when we moved in together. Zojirushi is in a whole different ball game." —Ascholay 5."Professional movers. It's the greatest luxury I've ever spent money on." —Ruockingrocks 6."Hearing aids. My mom refused to use them. We finally got her to use NHS ones, but she hated them and hardly ever wore them. My sister and I took her to a private appointment and got her new ones that, while expensive, have completely changed her life. She went from not taking part in conversations or going out, to back being the life of the party. If and when I need them, I will be getting them." —ubiquitous_uk 7."As a parent, a minivan. The space difference between a minivan and an SUV is real. Any stroller fits. Grocery always fit, even if I forgot the stroller in. Car seats have enough space for adults to sit comfortably between them (long car rides are much easier). Sliding doors mean the kids aren't banging into other cars. And great perks like folding into the floor third row means I always have seating or storage space when needed. That row also turns toward the back, a great seat for parades." —Wizardry_Inspector 8."A tankless water heater. Unlimited hot water is a game changer." —hippos_rool 9.I paid $80 for three pairs of socks because I didn't look at the price (big, thick merino wool ones I wear with my work boots). I just comfortably assumed I could happily afford it. That was about 6 years ago, and I've just had to get rid of the first pair. Worth every penny." —andy11123 10."I have a $700 blender. It is incredible. I can make peanut butter, smoothies, and even soup and sauces. It's a Vitamix and it is worth every cent." —Justalittleoutside9 11."A monthly cleaning service!!!! Best non-required use of my money to date." —PetuniasSmellNice 12."An expensive pillow. Get one that's on the firm side and can support your neck and head much better than your cheap, average pillow. Waking up without a stiff neck or slight pain is much better than feeling uncomfortable first thing in the morning." —yakusokuN8 13."A good quality set of stainless steel pots and pans. They make a world of difference in cook quality, and they have been the best investment I've ever made in the kitchen. I make it a point to care for them so I know I'll have them for 10-20 years." —Sarahnovaaa 14."As a woman, decent bras. The outlay is painful up front, but the whole point is that nothing afterwards is. You'll experience no wires digging into your skin, no weird cup spills, no loosening throughout the day, no exposed wires after a week, and no torn hooks after a couple of washes. Buy a good bra. You deserve it. Your girls deserve it. Your back deserves it." —Whollie 15."A hotel room right next to or in the airport for the night before the flight home, especially if it's a relatively long flight. I did this before a nine-hour flight where I checked out of the hotel and walked less than one minute through a tunnel that led me directly into the airport. Eliminating the hassle of getting transportation to the airport is a luxury I will always try to budget for." —Charming-Ad-2381 16."Good shoes and coats for my children. I've made myself a promise that no matter how old they are, anytime they want good shoes and a coat, I'll buy it for them. No questions asked." —JezusHairdo 17."A high-end mattress, like, borderline do-I-need-to-finance this? Expensive. I used to think any mattress would do, but once I got one that actually supported my back and kept me cool at night? Life changing. I sleep like a pampered cat now. No regrets." —velvetfairydust 18."A Dyson vacuum, the cordless kind. I had to think twice before they were two to three times the price of other brands. I used to hate vacuuming because I hated managing the power cord, but now it's just soooo convenient, I have no excuse not to grab it off the wall for even random spot cleaning." —kingtz 19."A breast reduction. It was worth EVERY penny. In fact, I'm getting a second one as soon as I'm done having kids (I got my first before kids). Can't wait!" —TeaspoonRiot 20."A snowblower. Why spend two hours shovelling when I can spend 20 minutes and $10 in gas?" —ShadowCatDLL 21."Wife and I recently flew to Europe for a holiday cruise, and we splurged on the highest level of first class with sleeping pods. It was ridiculously expensive, but it was100% worth it." —ObjectReport 22."A Kitchen Aid mixer. These things are built like absolute tanks. All you have to do is pick one up, and you know it would have the power to rip your arm off. My grandmother had one from the 1950s, and it still works and looks like brand new." —DrTenochtitlan Do you have one to add? What is an expensive adult purchase that was entirely worth it? Tell us in the comments on in this anonymous form.
