I recently received Tefal’s latest Advanced Spherical Pot Rice Cooker (Model RK8115) that has a 1-litre capacity (for up to 6 cups of rice). It’s a compact rice cooker that’s designed for a small family.
Before having this new addition to my kitchen, I was still using a conventional rice cooker – those with single switch control and see-through glass lid – which I would only use for cooking plain rice and flavoured rice (like yam, pumpkin or chicken claypot rice). I had to cook porridge or congee over the stove top as the conventional rice cooker wasn’t an ideal cooking vessel due to spillage problem.
In terms of size, this Tefal 1L rice cooker was bigger than my old 1.8L rice cooker hence it did take up more counter space.
With fuzzy logic technology, the Tefal Advanced Spherical Pot Rice Cooker is able to instinctively determine optimal cooking time and temperature using an integrated thermal sensor. It comes with 10 cooking programs – White Rice, Brown Rice, Glutinous Rice, Congee, Porridge, Clay Pot, Steam, Soup, Reheat and Keep Warm. The automatic Keep Warm function will help keep food warm for up to 24 hours.
There is also a delayed start option that allows you to preset the time to start cooking.
One unique feature about this product which makes it different from other rice cookers is its innovative spherical pot technology. This 6-layer, 2.5mm thick inner pot is orbed at the brim and bottom and is coupled with 2D spherical heating to encourage even heat circulation.
The inner pot with durable ceramic coating comes with water level indicators for white rice, brown rice and porridge which is very helpful because sometimes we just can’t gauge accurately the amount of water required. Too much water, your white rice will become stodgy. Too little water, your brown rice will become hard and chewy. With this rice cooker, you will sure to get deliciously cooked rice every time.
Best thing is, it’s very easy to clean the pot – you don’t need any hard scrubbing or harsh cleaners as rice grains don’t really get stuck to the surface. It is also dishwasher safe.
These are the miscellaneous accessories that come with the rice cooker.
The Tefal Advanced Spherical Pot 1L Rice Cooker is priced at S$179 and is available at leading electrical/departmental stores and hypermarkets. It also comes in 1.8L capacity if you need a bigger rice cooker.
I put the rice cooker to the test and used it to make a Mixed Seafood Congee as I had so much leftover ingredients from the CNY weekend.
This recipe is good for 4 persons. It would fill up the rice cooker pot almost to the brim. Seafood ingredients are substitutable so you can swap them with fish, abalone, cuttlefish, razor clams and the like – endless possibilities, really.
I liked that the brown and red rice were soft and not stodgy. Seafood were also tender and not tough. Even after I had turned off the power and left the cooker aside for 2 hours, the congee was still hot.
Mixed Seafood Congee Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4)
150g red & brown rice, rinsed
water
3 slices ginger
200g small prawns, shelled
150g scallops
150g squids, cleaned & sliced
100g dried fish maw, soaked in hot water & sliced
200g chye sim, sliced into 1″ sections
1/2 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
chopped spring onions as garnish
Instructions
1. Put the rice into the rice cooker and add water up to 1-cup water level for Porridge. Turn on Congee mode and cook for 60 minutes.
2. Add all ingredients (except chye sim & spring onions) and seasonings. Cook for another 15 minutes on Congee mode.
3. Add the chye sim and stir the congee thoroughly. Close the lid for 5 mins.
4. Ladle the congee into bowls. Garnish with spring onions and serve.
*This product is sponsored by Tefal Singapore.
**All opinions expressed on this post are author’s own personal views.