After travelling around to three Aldi stores today to get the rice cooker on sale, I missed out. So off to Costco to see what they had on the Tiger cookers. For this model it seems to be an all time low. Currently for $679 at Amazon. Previous best at Costco was $499 back in 2021. So it seems a great price for this machine.
I pulled the trigger. Now to cook some rice and congee.
Plus Ultraaaaa!
Do you pre-soak your rice for half an hour before using the rice cooker? I also have a JKT-S18A and was wondering if you had any advice for cooking Basmati rice?
I don't presoak. We onlt ever did when we had the cheap single-function cookers. Me - wash two cups until it's clean, then fill water to the two cups measure, then bang. I've never cooked basmati, sorry. We're generally white medium or brown.
Thank you!
You can't even compare this unit to the the cheap Kmart options which I've gone through a few over years.
I've been using this unit now for 5 years and it still works and performs like new.
The rice comes out amazing and is cooks evenly thanks to the integration of "Induction"
The rice comes out so fluffy and it works so well with all types of rice from Basmati, Jasmine, Black, Brown rice etc.
For anyone who enjoys good rice, eats it regularly and wants the convenience of a rice cooker, this is a great purchase.
Can't comment on this model… but i recently bought cuckoo after years of using tiger which was good … do not regret it one bit.
@NBSales here's a tip next time there is an Aldi Special Buy item you want to track down:
How do I check the availability of Special Buys products at an ALDI store near me?
Please visit the Special Buys™ Stock Checker. Enter the product name and your postcode to check if a Special Buys is in stock at an ALDI store near you. Products can only be searched 24 hours after the on sale date.
Yeah I tried that but it was still within one day of item for sale so I figured it was just too hard and guessed that most Audi would sell out.
Slightly off the topic but make sure you get really good rice to match a cooker like this…
I've tried different rices from Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China (all short rices) and the difference between different varieties are definitely noticeable.
I was under the impression that Japanese rice was always the best (I still think that's 98% of the case) until one day someone gave me 2kg of "premium rice" that was not available in Australia…
I wasn't holding my breath to it until I put some rice in my mouth…
Oh my goodness!
I was blown away - that's an understatement…
Excuse me for my language but my mouth was literally having multiple org**ms at dinner! And I almost yelled at the dude that "why you only gave me 2kg of this!?" lol…
I did some research later on and found that it was grown in a particular area which is close to a volcanic mountain & therefore volcanic ashes were used as the soil. Therefore lots of nutritions and extra flavor…
And Japanese technology was used in processing the crops - can't remember all the details but you get the gist.
That was 5-6 years ago and at the time it was valued at more than A$12 per kg.
Cost-effective? probably not.
Worth it? Absolutely!
I wonder how much it would cost today :)
Can't believe you wrote all of that and did not add an Amazon link. What a cook tease!
🤔😂
What is the name, please?
Well, not available on Amazon/eBay etc.
My friend had the right connection so he was able to grab 2 bags (2kg/bag) - one for me and one for himself.
I asked him last month if he could bring me a couple of bags & I'll pay whatever the price is - he said not possible atm but will try later on…
Fingers crossed…
All that yada yada and still no mention of a name or brand. Pointless.
@ak47wong: i reckon
never have i ever seen someone market themselves as BOTTOM SHELF RICE
Every brand under the sun calls themselves premium lol
I call BS. Give me the brand/name of that name.
@ChickenAdobo: For those of you who would like to improve your rice game, my wife and I order only koshihikari rice originating in Niigata prefecture, Japan.
If it's a reputable seller, the price will almost always dictate the quality. Usually we pay around $8-$10/kg (normally in a 5kg), but occasionally get slightly cheaper options depending on availability.
A good place to start that it not insanely priced and is noticeably better than any supermarket Japanese or sushi marketed rice is something like this: Niigata Prefectuer Rice 5 kg. This is one of the cheaper options that's closer to $6/kg… A bit more on Amazon but you can get one bag shipped for free if you have prime.
Otherwise try your luck with some Japanese wholesalers who also retail their imported goods online—- but be prepared to pay for shipping or spend $150+ to get free shipping.
We normally but 15kg+ rice at a time and get free shipping. I can't remember which one we use now.
But if you find a good reputable store, it's worth trying the difference between the 5kg that costs $27 or $30 and the 5kg that costs $48. There is some good rice out there, and it is best paired with a good rice cooker like OP's post, or my JKT-S10A that was like $550 2 years ago when we bought it, not on sale.
Hope this helps!
@Jayblesz: Niigata Koshihikari Rice currently on special at Costco - $27.99 for 5kg.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/751261
Sick of burnt rice from my k mart cooker but 10 cups is too much for my tiny household. Any recommendations appreciated.
10 cups is the maximum for the 10-cup machines; however all !0 cups Tiger machines have a two-cup minimum. Is two cups too much? You should cook three cups then use the extra to make fried rice a few days later.
My 5.5 cup tiger is 1 cup minimum. I'd recommend it, but it's not on sale.
Genuine question, I buy Basmati rice and cook it in a normal pot on cooktop by absorption method and produce amazing texture, softness and flavour rice. It is ready under 30min. Why would I buy such bulky appliance (either cheap $50 or expensive $500) just to cook rice and then have to find a place to store it? I can use the same quality pot to cook many more meals. Why buy speciality appliance for every item you cook, it is not like we cooking rice for a takeaway shop? Am I missing on something?
Vanilla ice cream is rad, until you've tried choc chip.
I guess the water absorption method is different to that which rice cookers generally offer. And you will never get as soft and fluffy rice from the stove.
That said, if you cook rice once a week for only a few people then maybe this is overkill for you.
There is $2 / kg Vanilla ice cream and there is gourmet Vanilla Ice cream prepared from real vanilla beans and full cream that would smash choc chip ice cream.
When I cook my rice I always tweak it and the taste is much better than the steam rice you get from Asian restaurants. I guess a rice cooker is good when looking for convince, easy method to cook rice, consistency (not necessary better) and click and forget method so you can cook something else.
Taste is subjective.
What taste good for you does not necessarily taste good to others and vice versa.
As per mentioned by many others, if you are happy with what you have then stick with it.
Also you made valid points with regards to practicality, not everyone know how to cook good rice or tweak it hence rice cooker is there to make life a bit easier for these market segments.
If you are happy with what you have, dont buy it. Not sure its a complicated decision
Its like if someone is happy with instant coffee or a moka pot, then why buy a $2000 coffee machine. No reason.
If you cook rice every day or even a few times per week, then a rice cooker make that a lot easier. But if you dont care about the extra effort involved in your method, then dont buy a rice cooker.
I have $3K Espresso machine and appreciate the quality of cup I produce. I think your comparison is way out as I don't think a rice prepared in a rice cooker is much different from the rice I prepare using my method (may be the opposite its actually worst). To contrary I would argue a rice cooker is easier / convenient to use as its automated process and does not require any skills unlike cooking in a pot. Hence most take away shops using it as its simple and easy and any unskilled person can operate it to produce consistent rice. I would say upmarket restaurant don't cook their rice in a rice cooker whether its $50 or $500. Its like having Auto coffee machine to a manual espresso machine.. My point is where do you stop of buying tens and tens of speciality appliance for single item use, do you need to buy pie maker, rice cooker, toaster, sandwich maker, donut maker, pop corn maker, pressure cooker, air fryer, yogurt maker, machine to boil eggs, bread maker and I can list you many many more.
I'm imaging that it can be though of this way, Western household usually have a toaster, dedicated appliance. Eastern household might have a rice cooker, dedicated and a staple, just like toast. Well, that's my household anyway. You are right on the dedicated alliances, but this one is a given for many household.
I seem to upset some hardcore rice cooker fans here and hence negging me!! sorry boys. There are many regions and cultures in the world that cook amazing rice the traditional way in pot on cooktop, be it Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, European, North Africa, Turkish, South American and many more. If you can't argue your point and cowardly negging me for no reason, then who cares..
Maybe these are better when cooking medium/short grain rice, you'd get a very uneven texture if you only cook medium/short grain rice for 30 mins. I guess basmati rice has a different texture and don't require the fine-tuned heating process of these cookers.
I bought the expensive Xioami rice cooker a couple years ago and it makes terrible basmati. I get the impression these are really only good for short grain east Asian style rice. I've been having more golden sella rather than 1121 lately and both are best when cooked the way you described.
Are these premium rice cookers calibrated for cooking Asian varieties of rice? Or do they also perform wonders with subcontinental varieties of rice, like Basmati, Sona Masoori, Brown Rice etc.
Not sure they have been programmed for different varieties of rice but the result is generally pretty good. As a Chinese that eat rice every day I personnelly found you get diminished return after you go above $100 for a rice cooker. The type of rice and blending are way more important. I like 70/30 blending of jasmine and sunrise carlose red bag rice, maybe also try cutback water for that fluffy feel.
Good rice cooker, bought same from Costco six months ago. Used everyday. Rice good. Congee good. Was only undecided better getting Tiger or Cuckoo, but chose Tiger from family/friends who have been using their units for 10+ years.
Good lord, there are people starving in China. Excesses of a 1st world.
The passion here is very strong.
Of course, this does tend to hit right in the middle of one of OZBargain's prime demographics.
Me? I can't help thinking that this is like the Monster cable of rice cookers. And fanatical supporters engage in post-purchase rationalisation, (and confirmation bias) to justify their absurd and excessive spend.
Easiest way to fix this and monster cables is blind testing, (or should I say blind tasting).
Of course it is.
This may come as a surprise to some but the rice that this tiger rice cooker produces is just a little better quality than the kmart one for PERSIANS!…they use a different method of cooking rice which does not need any special cooker (just a pot) and skill (again not too hard) in the same amount of time .Just drop in to any Persian restaurant and try a dish with rice and then you will see the tiger as capsule coffee machine compared to proper coffee .
stovetop pressure cooker - 1 cup white rice: 1 cup water or 1 cup brown rice: 1.5 cup water, rice ready in 15 mins….. perfect every single time…. I have no idea how different the rice from rice cooker would be… We do have a philips rice cooker (https://www.philips.com.au/c-p/HD4514_72/daily-collection-gr…) its from costco too :D , but its so slow 45mins to an hour depending on the rice, that we barely use it….. such a space hog for low ROI…..
I would like a smaller one, say 5.5 cups, with the same function.
Appliance Central have the 1l/5.5 cup version for $445. Cheapest elsewhere I could find is ~$480ish. Great for those who don’t mind smaller version or don’t have Costco membership.
https://www.appliancecentral.com.au/jkt-d10a-tiger-1-0-l-ind…
Thank you.
It's perfectly fine to cook just 1 cup. I have been using this to cook 1 cup almost every day for 5 years, still going strong.
this + Niigata Koshihikari Rice, you won't be regret.
Pro tips:
Select Plain, avoid Quick.
If you prefer your rice a bit softer, wash your rice and add water slight above the marked line, wait 20-30 minutes then cook.
Once it's done, some people would suggest to let the rice sit for 20-30 minutes, but I find it doesn't make too much difference.
Stir with your rice spatula to remove excess steam before serving.
Wow from ALDI to tiger that is big jump, might now it is time to subscribe Uncle roger'youtuve channel.
I want to do a double blind test with Tiger, Cuckoo, Zojirushi and my Xiaomi (mijia) induction rice cooker
I think my Xiaomi induction rice cooker was a bargain at $130.
I'm not so sure the others are worth 3x as much
In our house we've had two ricecookers. One was a Tiffany one from Kmart, it lasted about 14/15 years, and cost about $20. Current one is from Big W, our guess is it won't last quite as long as the Tiffany one, but it only cost $25. We use it a few times a week. Even if we end up buying ten of these cheap rice cookers in our entire lives, we still won't have spent as much as this one costs. I guess it depends on your use case.
Saw this at Costco Docklands tonight, plenty in stock (end of one of the isles opposite clothing section I think.)
I'll remain a tightarse and keep cooking on the stovetop.
Really tempted to buy but my Panasonic is already doing a great job! And it’s 7 years old now.
We have two Tigers rice cookers, the JKT-S18A (which we've had since 2014) and the JBA-T18A and love them so much. We grabbed a second one as it allowed us to be cooking rice in one, and use the slow cook, steamer, taecook etc in the other), although the second model can do that simultaneously on its own anyway. Still, there's plenty of times we run both together, particularly in winter. I would say I'd use the porridge function most (congee), particularly in winter, when someone is dieting or when someone is sick. We also get plenty of use out of the steamer and slow cook functions as well (particularly in winter for the slow cook). This model in the deal similar to my S18A, but doesn't have the steam function. There are so many Tiger, Cuckoo and Zojirushis around, I'd be looking to make sure they've fo the functions you are going to use.
One thing to note about this model, it has the Ultra function. That takes white rice to another level. Basically, on the regular White setting, plain rice takes about 40 to 50 minutes to cook, but the Ultra setting has a longer soaking and cooking time, which means it takes around 70 minutes to finish. Damn so good though! By the way, if you have an issue about the time it takes to cook the rice, set the Timer function in the morning before you go to work, or turn it on at 4pm, whatever, shouldn't even be a talking point.
Last note; when we moved back to Australia, we used a kambrook, breville and even had the Aldi one for a bit. They don't come close. The two aforementioned are single functioned so shouldn't even be in the same conversation. If someone offered me what I paid, in full price, for both my tigers so I could shoot down to Aldi and grab one of theirs and a Kmart one for good measure and have a stack of money to spare, I wouldn't hesitate in turning down that offer in a heartbeat.