Many of you know that my husband is half Japanese. Suffice to say, he likes rice. When we first got married we invested in a very nice (and very expensive) rice cooker that made perfect rice, both white and brown, and then kept it warm for hours. It was a lovely thing to have. However, once I researched more about the aluminum pan with the nonstick coating on it inside the rice cooker, I sadly put it away, only to be dusted off when using for large crowds.
I considered getting a stainless steel rice cooker, however my mother-in- law had one that kept burning out because it took so much more energy to heat the stainless steel bowl. Hopefully they’ve improved that function, but I was still unsure of whether or not I wanted to invest in one.
So, I was quite happy to hear that the company Vitaclay has developed a rice cooker and slow cooker dual that uses a natural clay pot inside. The clay pot is made from unglazed Chinese Zisha Clay. It’s so wild! The outside it so high tech looking, and then you open it up, and there is a traditional clay pot inside. It’s the old meeting the new.
Not only is the clay a better choice toxicity-wise, it actually helps keep food moist and flavorful. When Good Housekeeping conducted a side-by-side comparison of beef stews made in slow cookers, the stew made in the Vitaclay cooker won.
“This one-of-a-kind product is called a slow cooker but actually cooks under moderate pressure so that it heats and cooks very quickly. It automatically shifts to a keep warm setting where it maintains food at an ideal temperature for up to 20 hours. Of all the beef stews we tasted, the VitaClay’s was tops.”
Advantages of the Vitaclay rice cooker/slow cooker:
- Natural, nontoxic clay pot
- No aluminum or nonstick
- Clay is naturally nonstick
- The Vitaclay Chef, 8 cup rice cooker and slow cooker that I tried out has different settings for slowing cooking, rice (brown, white, sweet, reheating rice), so that you get exactly what you need each time.
- Heats up significantly faster than a slow cooker
- Cooks twice as fast as a slow cooker and then keeps everything on “warm” until you eat.
- Uses less energy as a slow cooker
- Makes wonderful rice
The only disadvantages I’ve found so far in my testing is that clay is a little more sensitive than metal pans. You do have to make sure that you don’t temperature shock it. I was relieved to find out that you can buy a replacement pot for a good price if something were to happen to it. My only other complaint is that I’d love for it to be larger. It works great for feeding my family of 4, but I’d love to be able to put large pots of stew in a clay cooker.
All-in-all, I’ve found the Vitaclay cooker a very deluxe rice cooker and slow cooker. This is what I’ve tested so far in it.
Beef stew (twice): Both times the meat came out tender and flavorful. I was surprised at how much better the meat texture and flavor was when compared to my beef stew made on the stovetop. That’s why I did it again. It was just so good. I was lazy and didn’t even brown the meat before dumping it all in and it still came out great.
White Rice (twice): I did one batch of sticky white rice (or sweet) and another of Jasmine white rice. I rinsed according to their directions and it came out amazing! Just perfect, with the right amount of tenderness and firmness. It wasn’t too dry or too wet. One batch of the rice got a little stuck on the bottom of the pot, and a little bit browned. I was able to scrap it off easily when cleaning. The next had just slight sticking problems. I could be doing something wrong, or perhaps I should just expect a little bit of sticking. Regardless the rice was yummy.
I plan on trying a batch of soaked brown rice and quinoa as well. We will see how it goes!
But here’s the good news! Vitaclay is giving away another VitaClay Chef Gourmet Rice N’ Slow Cooker Pro – 8 Cup (makes 16 cups of rice, and has a 4.2 quart size capacity). This sweepstake is live until Friday, 11/25/11. Winner will be announced on Saturday, 11/26. Here’s how to enter.
To enter you must live in the US.
*To enter simply leave a note below sharing why you would like to win.
*To get an extra entry, sign up for my RSS feed or my email updates, and then leave a separate comment telling me you’ve done so. (If you already do so, leave a comment letting me know).
I will use random.org to pick a winner! The winner will have 48 hours to contact me after it is announced. If they do not, I will pick a new winner. If for whatever reason the winner is disqualified, than I will also pick a new winner.
Thanks Vitaclay for a great giveaway!
Disclaimer: I received a review item for this giveaway.
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I hve this cooker and LOVE IT! It makes the best rice and other slow cooker meals in less time!
I would love to win a cooking pot i have several children who are sensitive / allergic
To so much. I have slowly replaced cooking items to safer non toxic.items .
Winning one of these would be such an awesome blessing.
I wish everyone good luck. 🙂
I love to eat healthy food and would love this natural slow cooker.
After switching my family to natural, organic as well as low hazardous goods: such as persona care, hygiene items and food etc, it has been a real battle trying to replace all the kitchenware and home appliances, that would give us a piece of mind. However replacing an electric multi cooker, turned out to be one of the most difficult issues, since the healthy cookers with the clay pots are not available in Australia. Our family budget simply cannot accommodate the costs of the appliance with the shipping costs on top of it: myself being an international full time student in Australia, but also raising a 2 year old son, with a support of my husband who does all the odd jobs in a foreign country. Wining a Vitaclay Rice cooker would be life changing for our family of three: proving that all the efforts switching to natural, new healthy life style has not been in vain.
Looking a way of healthy cooking without toxic in your meal.