Advice on kitchen appliances?

[SVOboy]

Quite a bit when I have to hang the rice pot half off the flame for 20 minutes to get it at a low enough temperature. Besides, it cooks rice better. And the breadmaker will eliminate the need to heat an entire oven (and probably the whole kitchen as well).

[dremd]

Rice cookers are very efficient; ran one on the 1000 watt honda during Gustav no problem (estimated load from cooker 150 watts, 30 keep warm).

Bread is very cheap to make if you buy flour + other ingredients in bulk.

[jamest]

Our $15 rice cooker broke after about a month. It cooked rice well though and never burned or overflowed. Now we just use the stove.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Quite a bit when I have to hang the rice pot half off the flame for 20 minutes to get it at a low enough temperature. Besides, it cooks rice better. And the breadmaker will eliminate the need to heat an entire oven (and probably the whole kitchen as well).

Damn you and yer fancy rice!

I've found something that puts open burner efficiency at 13%, so if someone wants to see how an electric appliance compares all they need to do is measure the power draw compared to the temperature of the rice/water and do a bit of physniks w/ the specific heat of rice/water.

[IndyIan]

For making bread, look into getting a good stand mixer with a dough hook, it does the kneading for you(the only hard, time consuming part of making bread). Then you can make all sorts of good stuff, not just recipes that sort of work in a bread machine. Also then you can get a pasta maker attachment, even grain grinders, etc.
The wife recommends the non tilting kitchen aid ones, with some wattage. She is fairly serious about baking and doesn't really like bread makers at all.
Ian

[mav0077]

I picked up my breadmaker for $3.84 at goodwill (they always have at least one). It came with instructions and a recipe book too. It is awesome. I made my money back on like the second loaf.
The reason it doesn't seem to last as long is because it is not filled with chemical preservatives. I tend to think this is a good thing. It freezes well and is super worth the money if you just decide you are going to use it and stop buying bread (an added bonus is fewer plastic bags). Also, comparing homemade bread to store bought bread is really apples to oranges because the stuff you make is much more nutritious (especially when compared to the cheap $.99 loaves in the store).

[TimJFowler]

A few thoughts and questions:

- Is your stove gas or electric and can you do a direct comparison of the energy used to cook rice in a machine vs. stove top (or breadmaker vs. oven)?

- What quality of rice pot do you have? Cheaply made pots and pans make cooking anything a pain. Quality cookware (see: Consumer Reports or America's Test Kitchen - Equipment Center) is invaluable.

- How often do you make bread? Home made bread is much better than store bought, unless you have a local, artisanal bakery. Do you need another appliance if you only make bread a couple of times a year?

- No-knead breads (google for recipes) can be a great way to take the hassle out of baking.

- Bread machines make funky shaped loaves, that may be less appealing than bread from a standard loaf pan.

- Check your local Goodwill and thrift stores for inexpensive rice cookers, bread machines, cookware, etc.

- Unplug any kitchen appliance not currently in use to eliminate phantom loads.

FWIW,
Tim

[NiHaoMike]

Originally Posted by TimJFowler

- Is your stove gas or electric and can you do a direct comparison of the energy used to cook rice in a machine vs. stove top (or breadmaker vs. oven)?

For oven vs. breadmaker, the breadmaker will win in efficiency quite easily as it is smaller and the heat coupling is much better. Likewise with stove vs. rice cooker. Even the most basic rice cookers have an air gap insulating the pot from the casing and the better ones are actually surprisingly well insulated.

I'm actually thinking about making a programmable temperature controller to better control the temperature of simple heating devices. It will read the temperature using a k-type probe (stainless steel for direct contact with food) and use a triac to control the power. How I'll implement it is something I'm still thinking about. It should work with any heating device (not just kitchen appliances) that does not have electronics or motors.

I think I'll base it around a microcontroller of some sort with a simple user interface based on a small LCD and some buttons. And of course, I'll install a switch that actually turns it off.

[TimJFowler]

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

For oven vs. breadmaker, the breadmaker will win in efficiency quite easily as it is smaller and the heat coupling is much better. Likewise with stove vs. rice cooker. Even the most basic rice cookers have an air gap insulating the pot from the casing and the better ones are actually surprisingly well insulated.

I know that a rice or bread maker SHOULD be more efficient than a stove or oven, but I'd like to see a direct analysis which PROVES it. Call me a skeptic, but I want to see the numbers (watts used, therms of natural gas used, etc.). If anyone knows of a study, please provide a link.

Show Me,
Tim

[NiHaoMike]

Originally Posted by TimJFowler

I know that a rice or bread maker SHOULD be more efficient than a stove or oven, but I'd like to see a direct analysis which PROVES it. Call me a skeptic, but I want to see the numbers (watts used, therms of natural gas used, etc.). If anyone knows of a study, please provide a link.

Show Me,
Tim

The analysis might be difficult for the breadmaker, but easy for the rice cooker. A stove uses much more power, so in order to merely break even, it must be able to finish cooking in a much shorter time (which won't work as it will scorch the rice). If you account for the uninsulated pot on the stove, the energy loss is much greater.

I might actually be able to give you numbers if I had a good clamp ammeter.