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(More customer reviews)I researched dozens of rice cookers trying to replace my trusty 12-year old National. Only this time, I wanted to avoid non-stick materials. That decision considerably narrowed the field, excluding most of the big name brands like Zojirushi, Panasonic, and Tiger. The all-stainless steel construction of the Miracle ME-81 and Nutriware cookers seemed appealing at first, but their steamer trays looked a bit shallow. The pricey Buffalo Brand rice cooker from Malaysia provided a very modern design, lots of functionality, and electronic features. However, the Buffalo cooker's LED battery has to be replaced by the manufacturer every three years or so. In fact, all fuzzy logic cookers have similar battery replacement issues. The prospect of paying extra for service and shipping each time the battery died detracted from the appeal of having a quality long-term cooker. And the truth is that I never used the timer on my National anyway. So, another approach was needed.
That's when I stumbled upon the Tatung TAC-11KN in an Asian appliance store. The all-stainless design looked sleek, but the overall appearance seemed a bit "old school." No fancy electronics. No specialized cooking settings. Just an on switch and a warmer on/off button. Ah, but looks can be deceiving.
As I learned more about the Tatung TAC-11KN, I realized that this thing is an amazing multi-cooker. It handles rice of all kinds; it's steaming capacity is far larger than the competition; it can boil and simmer soups and stews; and can even serve as a Chinese hot-pot cooker. After cooking is completed, food can be kept warm if you prefer, but if you'd rather not then leaving the warm button off means the power shuts off automatically when cooking is done. I've found warming to also be helpful as a pre-cook feature, providing an excellent way to enhance the soaking of brown rice.
This machine can produce up to 10 cups of cooked rice, but it'll do smaller amounts just as easily. I chose this size over the 6-cup unit, not because I cook tons of rice each day (I don't), but because this one has more steaming potential. I've made brown rice, steamed fish, Chinese steamed eggs, xiao mai, steamed man tou buns, and xi fan (congee). And they all turned out great.
New users should expect a bit of trial and error adapting to the cooking style of this model. It's a good idea to first run the cooker a few times with steam water in place but no food to eliminate a slight burn-in aroma that occurs only during the break-in period. Thereafter, forget what you already know about rice cooking and just follow the directions. To make X cups of uncooked rice, use the small 6-ounce cup that comes with appliance, not an 8-ounce measuring cup. When it says to add water to the inner pot, fill the 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 every 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 instructional booklet, I was a bit confused about this 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 get more acquainted with the cooker, you'll come to enjoy its charming little idiosyncrasies. I have to admit it's kind of fun to watch.
Foods come out moist and fresh, never dry and tough. Even leftovers taste as good as when they were first made. The unit comes with an inner lid for the pot so you can cook rice, then keep it warm on the side if you're steaming additional dishes. When steaming, the inner pot is replaced by a steaming rack that sits inside the cooker. Items can be placed directly on the rack or in a bowl/plate atop the rack once the water is boiling. The lid seals in the steam, making cooking surprisingly quick. It's important to let the water boil first before you add food for steaming. Cooking time is measured from that point on.
This unit is very energy efficient. The energized cooking period ends when the water in the outer cooker evaporates. However, cooking can continue for an additional 10-15 minutes. The secret is in the accumulated steam, which envelopes the food and finishes the job on its own. This is an integral part of the unit's rice-cooking process. Both brown and white rice are done to perfection and in less time than the fuzzy logic machines. Cleanup is very easy. Just wash the inner pot out with soap and water.
I found a series of four English language You Tube videos showing tons of recipes you can make using a Tatung indirect cooker. Not just 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 have to look for it under the TAC-20C link.
The machine's capabilities can be expanded by purchasing Tatung's TAC-S02 stainless steel steamer set. (In stock on several websites.) That set consists of two large steaming chambers plus a flatter steamer tray. All 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 trays are separate, so you can choose to use one, two, three or four layers at once. You can steam one course using the basic steamer rack 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.
The versatility and reliability of these machines is amazing. In Taiwan, Tatung has been selling indirect cookers like this one for over 50 years. Something like 90% of all households there have one, and 80% of the cookers are still in use after 30 years. You can't get much better than that.
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Tatung Tac-11kn 10 CUP Stainless Steel Rice CookerTatung's easy to use one step stainless steel rice cooker features a 10 cup serving capacity that will cook your rice to perfection. Once your rice is cooked, the cooker will automatically switch to keep warm mode and keep your rice at perfect serving temperature for up to 6-8 hours. It can also function as a steamer to give you more options for your dining pleasure. Accessories include steam tray, rice spatula, removable spatula holder, and measuring cup.
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