Bamboo IH ceramic rice cooker review

Cons:

• Rice on crust setting becomes quite hard

Available from:
Yum Asia (£179)
Amazon (£189)

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At the premium end of the rice cooker market, the Bamboo matches its price tag in the quality of its build, attractive design and in its fluffy, flavourful rice.

Made in China, the cooker is factory-built for the UK and Europe. The instant induction heat (IH) cooks the rice evenly through both the base and sides of the inner pot.

It has a fuzzy logic microchip that makes adjustments in temperature and cooking time according to the programme selected and information from a thermal sensor.

Five out of the six rice cooking programmes produced effortlessly good results in testing. This included a GABA setting that’s designed to germinate brown rice to release gamma-aminobutyric acid (which is reported to have some health benefits).

The Yumami setting for white rice uses phased temperatures to release sugars for sweeter rice and added a noticeable depth to the flavour of the rice during testing.

The crust setting for Persian-style rice, however, produced an overly hard crust in testing, so requires experimenting with water-to-rice ratios and cooking times.

Non-rice programmes include slow cooking, porridge making, steaming and cake baking. The steaming basket can be used on its own over water, or at the same time as cooking three cups of rice.

We tested the cake setting with a Victoria sponge batter. The result was pale on the top with a deep golden crust on the bottom, but the texture was light and springy – a good pudding sponge.

The start of cooking can be delayed for a minimum of 70 minutes and up to 24 hours. This means you can set the cooker in the morning for hot rice on returning from work, or in the evening for porridge at breakfast.

The manual is clear and includes advice on water ratios for different types of rice, plus recipe suggestions. None of the parts are dishwasher-safe but they are easy to clean.

Available from:
Yum Asia (£179)
Amazon (£189)

Specifications
Capacity: white rice 1-8 cups uncooked; brown rice 1-6 cups uncooked; GABA rice 1-5 cups uncooked, slow cooker function 1.5 litres
Dimensions: L37cm x W27cm x H24cm
Weight: 5.5kg
Length of cord: 1m
Bowl material: ceramic coated, BPA-free and PTFE-free
Multi-cooker functions: steaming, slow cooking, cake baking
Additional extras: steam basket, rice spatula, ladle, rice measuring cup
Dishwasher-safe? No
Timer? Yes, default cooking times can be altered
Preset cooking delay? Yes. Can preset delay from 70 mins up to 24hrs
Warmer setting? Yes, keeps warm for up to 24 hrs

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This review was last updated in July 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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