Rice

The Breville BRC600XL Risotto Plus Rice and Risotto Maker is an automatic rice maker that does more than just make rice. An elegant interface offers user easy operation via a set of no-nonsense buttons. The dedicated cooking functions include settings for: risotto, saute, steam, and slow cook as well as the ever-popular automatic rice-making mode.

The multi-cooker is designed for easy automatic operation, but with the inclusion of so many cooking modes, versatility on the countertop is a big feature. The saute function not only provides an easy way to build flavor by browning ingredients before fully cooking, but it … Read more

Brainiacs at Rice University today debuted a spray-on lithium ion battery that they say could be applied to nearly any surface. You read that right -- a paintable battery.

The paint contains layers, each representing a necessary component of a conventional battery -- current collectors made in part from purified single-wall carbon nanotubes, a cathode, an anode, and a polymer separator -- as described in a report published today in Nature authored by Rice graduate student Neelam Singh and her team. Spraying the painted battery is a multilayer process, but when you're done, you have a covered surface that stores energy and discharges it when needed -- that is, a battery. … Read more

Having the right kitchen gear there when you need it is a great way to get the job done right. However, as we all know that idealized reality doesn't always happen. Most often a quick substitution of gear or gadget provides an acceptable (or even superior) level of utility. But sometimes, you just have to make it yourself.

The DorkFood DSV Temperature Controller conquers half the battle when attempting to repurpose a piece of kitchen equipment into a sous-vide cooker. The controller is meant for use with a manual slow cooker or similar, non-digital appliance and monitors the temperature … Read more

One-pot meals are perhaps the finest invention of humankind. Sure, the wheel may have been important, but you can't eat one. Now at the end of a long day, all we need to do to create a hot and healthy meal is to set some food in a pot over heat and soon a meal will be made. However, just throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot can have mixed results; it would be nice if the meal was flavorful too.

The Aroma NRC-687SD-1SG NutriWare Rice Cooker and Food Steamer is a one-pot appliance that offers the ability … Read more

Rice doesn't lack for vitamins and minerals. Or smartphone apps.

There is little left that smartphones cannot do. Or rather, to be more precise, there is little left that smartphones are not capable of controlling. The distinction is an important one. Ultimately, we are the controller. But sometimes it is just more fun to press a button on the phone rather than on the target device.

The new SR-SX102 rice cookers from Panasonic are controllable via FeliCa-enabled smartphones. (FeliCa is a contactless RFID technology developed by Sony Corporation.) Hover the phone over the designated area on the rice cooker (that would be the blue mark) and suddenly the smartphone becomes a sort of remote control for the rice cooker.… Read more

It's no secret that scent is a powerful influencer both in the kitchen and beyond. The sizzle that accompanies meal-making not only brings back memories of meals gone by, but also holds promise of meals to come--and if the sound of cooking is in the air, certainly the wait won't be long.

When it comes to convenience in the kitchen, all too often that option destroys the potential for well-prepared food. But just because something is convenient doesn't always have to mean that it has to lose any of its sizzle.

The Oster 20-Cup Saute Rice Cooker … Read more

Researchers have built a battery that's six times thinner than a bacterium. The microscopic power pack could be used to run all sorts of minuscule electronic devices, including sensors that spy on single cells.

Does this mean we'll start seeing commercials for the Energizer bacterium? At 150 nanometers wide, the nano battery is hundreds of times thinner than a human hair and more than 60,000 times smaller than a AAA battery. How many "A"s is that?

The little battery, developed at Rice University, is actually a cross between a battery and a supercapacitor. Supercapacitors can deliver more power at once than batteries--a bigger jolt. The diminutive battery is made by the thousands in dense arrays. Each battery is a nanowire, with one half of the wire working as a negative electrode and the other half as a positive electrode.… Read more

The ability to throw ingredients into a pot and walk away is a convenient reality of modern living. Some time later (usually announced by an appropriate beep), those ingredients have become a meal, requiring only a transfer from pot to plate. Setting aside the prep stage, one-pot meals are about as easy as it gets in the kitchen.

Useful for cooking a variety of meals, the Zojirushi Umami Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer is well-suited for leaving out on the countertop. A slow-cooker function gives added versatility. Expanded menu options include settings for brown rice and porridge, while a special &… Read more

Everybody needs a hug sometimes, even if it's from a computer. This week, Eric and Donald ruminate on the future of self-hugging, the dangers of hacking your hand, sweet retirement rides, Wookiee-worthy beanbags, and cubed food.

… Read more