The Fabulous functional Compact 6 C SS Tatang Rice Cooker
I researched many rice cookers over a period of several months trying to replace a 15-yr old inexpensive, but reliable plastic cooker/steamer that had been a gift. This time, I wanted to avoid both plastics & non-stick materials. I also didn't need or want to store a very large cooker since, it's just the two of us @ home now. My decisions narrowed the field considerably. Excluding many big name brands like Zojirushi, Panasonic, and Tiger. The Buffalo Brand rice cooker from Malaysia projects a very modern design, great functionality & electronic features. However, the Buffalo cooker's hard-wired LED battery has to be replaced by the manufacturer about every 3 years or so. All of the Fuzzy Logic cookers have similar battery replacement issues. The prospect of the future hassle & the cost of service & shipping each time the battery died was a major detraction for me. That's when I hit upon the Tatung TAC-06KN in my search. The all-stainless design looks sleek simple, yet a bit pleasantly retro. No fancy electronics, no specialized cooking settings. Just an on switch and a warmer on/off button I realized that this thing is an amazing little multi-cooker, as I learned more about the Tatung TAC-06KN. Its steaming capacity is larger, then I'd have thought. It handles grains of all kinds; it can boil and simmer soups and stews;& can even serve as a Chinese hot-pot cooker. After cooking is completed, food can be kept warm if you prefer. I've found "Warming" to also be helpful as a pre-cook feature, providing an great way to enhance the soaking of brown rice & beans. When warming isn't needed, just leave the warm button off and the power will shut off automatically when cooking is done. This machine can handle up to 6 cups of rice, but it cooks smaller amounts just as easily. I've made white rice & brown rice each separately; However what I make in it most frequently is scooped from a bulk mix of my own combination of organic (white) Basmati rice, long grain brown & wild rices. I've also cooked steel-cut oats, egg custard, beans, soups, as well as steaming fish & vegetables. And they all turned out great. New users should expect some trial & error adapting to the cooking style of this model. It's advisable to first run the cooker a few times with just plain water(no food) in place. Just to eliminate a slight burn-in aroma. Which only occurs during the break-in period. Thereafter, forget what you already know about rice cooking & just follow the directions. To make X cups of uncooked rice, use the small 6-ounce cup that comes with the appliance, not an 8-ounce measuring cup! After your rice has been rinsed and placed in the inner pot, add water up to the desired cup level as shown on the wall of the inner pot. When adding water to the outer cooking chamber, follow the markings on the little measuring cup, i.e. fill to X level on the cup for X cups of uncooked rice used. This is a small amount, but appropriate. Don't add X full cups of water to the outer cooker unless the recipe actually calls for "cups" of water. Due to the fractured grammar found in the instruction booklet, It was a bit confusing at first, but eventually everything made sense. The genius behind this model is its indirect heat. There are two main parts: an outer cooker and an inner pot where you place the food. A modest amount of water goes into the outer cooker, then whatever water your recipe requires for the inner pot. During cooking, steam surrounds the inner pot on all sides, so food doesn't stick to the bottom or dry out. The domed lid keeps the steam as well as the flavors inside, while keeping condensation off the food. Vapor is released via two tiny holes in the lid. On occasion, some vapor may be released along the lid's edge, but food does not boil over. All you hear is a soft whistling sound as the steam escapes through the vent holes. The lid may bob up and down a bit at times, which is disconcerting the first time you see it. However, as you become acquainted with the cooker, you'll come to know its little idiosyncrasies, & begin to adapt your own recipes. Foods come out moist & fresh, not dry & tough. Even leftovers taste as good as when they were first made. The unit's domed lid seals in steam, making cooking surprisingly quick. There's also a flat lid for the inner pot to be used after items have been cooked. So you can make rice, then keep it warm on the side if you're steaming additional dishes. When steaming, the inner pot is replaced by a stainless steaming plate that sits inside the cooker. Items can be placed directly on the plate or in a bowl/plate on top of it. If following a recipe, cooking time is best measured from the point when the water begins to boil. This unit is energy efficient. The energized cooking period ends when the water in the outer cooker evaporates. However, cooking continues for approx. an additional 10 minutes. Due to the accumulated steam, which envelopes the food & finishes the job on its own. This is an integral part of the unit's rice-cooking process. Rice is done to perfection and in less time than my old cooker. Cleanup is very easy. Just wash the inner pot out with soap and water. I have hard water so, I occasionally use a bit of diluted vinegar when cleaning the interior. There's a series of four English language "You Tube" videos showing lots of recipes you can make using a Tatung indirect cooker. Not only rice dishes, but everything from dim sum to lobster to steamed cake. There's also a recipe manual on the Tatung USA web site, but you must look for it under the TAC-20C link. The cooker's capabilities can be expanded by purchasing Tatung's SS Steamer Set TAC-S03. It's currently stocked on Amazon. I'm considering purchasing the SS Steamer Set, now. That set consists of two large steaming chambers plus a flat steamer tray. All 3 pieces nest into one for easy storage. When in use, they fit together in layers atop the cooker after the inner pot is removed. The steaming attachments are separate, so you can choose to use one, two, 3 or 4 layers at once. You can steam one course using the basic steamer plate inside the cooker, a second course in the first steamer compartment, a third course in the second, and a fourth course atop the flat steamer tray covered by the unit's domed lid. That's four dishes for the time and energy cost of just one. The steamer set is unique in that the steam holes are located on the outside edge of each stack, not all over. This keeps the flavors of each dish separate. I've had & used my cooker for 1.5 yrs now! The versatility and reliability of these machines seems amazing. Tatung has been selling indirect cookers like this for over 50 years. I have an friend from Taiwan who said that 85 or 90% of all Taiwanese households have one, and & she thinks that 75-80% of the cookers are still in use after 30 years. She has a larger model which is about 25 yrs old & is used several times per week! You can't expect better than that. Read more