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’d LOVE to win one because I love rice. I’m from Brazil and I grew up eating rice almost every day.
I’d love to win this – I eat rice all the time!
I also subscribe to your feed.
I would love to win this! I have been looking for a slow cooker without non stick. My son has hemophilia, this would be great to keep him on the health track, along with my 3 girls! There is now way I could afford to buy one, PICK ME PLEASE:)
I have tried two different rice cookers and neither of them worked. I would love to have one that actually works!
Oh that rice/slow cooker looks fantastic! I would love to win it because I am working on trying to feed my family (and myself!) more nutritious foods and this cooker would enable me to do that. Thanks so much for the opportunity.
Following your blog!
I haven’t used my rice cooker for a while because of the coating on the bowl. I would love to finally use one again. This product looks awesome!
could really use a rice cooker
I am subscribed
We have a rice cooker but it is small. (5 cup) An additional one would be great for large gatherings.
I just subscribed via email.
I’m looking right now for a slow cooker! I’ve considered the Vita Clay, because I’m really concerned about the lead content in the crock pots on the market. This would be a great addition to our kitchen!
What a cool gadget! I really love the idea of cooking with clay.
PS – I also subscribe to your RSS feed.
My husband is on a restricted diet and so we eat a lot of rice. I love the clay pot!
My 2 year-old son is allergic to wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, and more, so I make rice for him every day. This would help alleviate the guilt I have about using the non-stick rice cooker!
Why would I love to win this? Well, this Thanksgiving my hubby and I are celebrating 21 years of marriage…the duration of which we have owned the exact same rice cooker. You know the kind…aluminum interior pan. And boy does it get a workout. I’ve cooked enough rice in that thing to feed the population of the Phillippines for a solid year!
I come by my love of rice…all rice…by way of two different directions. One, I grew upon Hawaii. Asian population. You get the idea. Two, my roomies in college were Filipino, a brother and sister. Not only did their mom hook me for life on chicken adobo and pancit, they also entrusted me with the family motto: rice every day, with soy sauce (NOT butter), and never, ever, ever Uncle Ben’s!
I’d love to win this because I have had my eye on a new rice cooker for a few years, but other costs keep intervening…heating oil, taxes, propane, health care costs…you get the picture!
Well it’s fun to dream…good luck to everyone who enters. What a fun giveaway!
Mahalo!
Karina on the east coast
Hmm. I tried to leave a comment via iPad…I subscribe to your page via my FlipBoard app. So I apologize if this already went through (it doesn’t look like it), as I want to be sure to enter. 🙂 Mahalo!
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Why would I love to win this? Well, this Thanksgiving my hubby and I are celebrating 21 years of marriage…the duration of which we have owned and used (to death) the exact same rice cooker. You know the kind…aluminum interior pan. Little press-down button with a cute little bell when it is done.
And boy does it get a workout. I’ve cooked enough rice in that thing to feed the entire population of the Phillippines for a solid year!
I come by my love of rice…all rice…by way of two different directions.
One, I grew upon Hawaii. Asian population. You get the idea.
Two, my roomies in college were Filipino, a brother and sister named Ed & Elaine. Not only did their mom hook me for life on chicken adobo, lumpia, and pancit, but they also entrusted me with the family directive: Eat rice every day, with soy sauce (NOT butter), and never, ever, ever use Uncle Ben’s!
I’d love to win this because I have been wanting a new rice cooker for a few years, but other costs keep intervening…heating oil, taxes, propane, health care costs…you get the picture!
Well it’s fun to dream…good luck to everyone who enters. What a fun giveaway!
Mahalo!
Karina on the east coast
I’d love to win because I’d love to make brown rice more than what I do now. (Which isn’t very often as I usually end up burning it on the stovetop.)
I have been looking for a healthy way to cook rice for many years. The only ones I have found are made from aluminum. Thank-you so much for the info and the opportunity to try this product.
I would love to have this! I use my crock pot at least weekly, and it is wearing out. I’ve also wondered if a rice cooker would be a nice addition to my kitchen. I usually cook my rice on the stove, but I love this idea!
Actually, I’ve never owned a rice cooker. My daughter usually makes the rice for our family dinners the old fashioned way on the stove. I would love to give her a special wedding present so she can make rice and crock pot meals for her “future” family. What a blessing to serve healthy rice and healthy meals while cooking them in a health concious container as well.
I use my slow cooker to cook rice so this would be great! I also love the switch to warm feature.
I subscribe by e mail.
We make Japanese rice almost everyday and I’ve been looking at the vita-clay for a while, but now that I’ve read your post, I think it’s time we go for it! Keeping our fingers crossed!
I would love to have a non-microwavable rice cooker!
I am already subscribed by e-mail.
I subscribe via email, thanks!
We eat a lot of rice and I’ve looked at rice cookers but have been hesitant to invest in one. Sounds like a wonderful kitchen tool to have.
I subscribe and enjoy your posts.
We would love to win this beautiful cooker! So unique and fun looking!!
I subscribed for email updates!
Always wanted to try my hand at a slow cooker!
I would love to win especially since I think my slow cooker is dying & not so sure about the safety of my rice cooker!!
I love this idea of old meets new and would love to try it.
I subscribed to your emails.
yes, please! love, love, love this!! i am trying to get my new husband to eat his brown rice! anything helps.
xoxo
a desperate newlywed.
I would love to win, I need a slow cooker and I would like to stay away from non-stick and stainless steel. I am impressed by the clay interior, the high marks from users and gosh, this cooker is really attractive!
A two-in-one (rice and slow cooker) ..what a brilliant idea! I have been cooking my rice and stews in traditional stainless steel pots all these years without any trouble, however with the birth of my daughter, I just haven’t had the time to cook as much as I would like to. The “Vitaclay Rice and Slow Cooker” would be a perfect addition to have in our kitchen. What I like most about this product is the non-oetoxic clay pot, which is a healthier way to cooking compared to using slow cookers with potential lead glazes.
Boy, would I sure love to win this! We’re getting our first house, and the kitchen is bare… this would be great, especially as I use rice and crock-potted meals almost exclusively. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
we rescue cats and dogs at anytime day or night i have wanted to buy vita clay rice and slow cooker but vet bills get in the way of buying one. but would love to have one when we get home late on a rescue and have a hot meal. love your blog and your great recipes
Also, I’m already signed up for your email feed.
Thanks again! 🙂
I would love to win one as I have started thinking about getting a rice cooker and love to try out different grains like quinoa with this. Love the clay pot portion of this product.
I’d like to incorporate more brown , black and wild rice into my diet -having a rice cooker like this also means more yummy slow cooked food!
What a great appliance! I would love to win that because rice is one of the only grains I tolerate and, with a new baby coming, it would be a great help in the kitchen.
Wow! Some years ago our extended family had gotten together on a collective gift of a great rice cooker. We loved it until I could no longer ignore the nonstick coating inside. We haven’t used it since then. The fact that this one doubles as a slow-cooker is the cream on the top–our thrift-store slow cooker doesn’t actually work on low… Our thanks to you and to Vitaclay for arranging such a great giveaway!
Oh, wow, I would love to win this. We have a rice cooker and use it all the time, but I have wondered about whether I really wanted the non-stick coating. What a great alternative!
I would love to win this rice cooker. I have been looking for a rice cooker for a while but ran into the same problems you did with the nonstick being toxic and the stainless burning out after a while. My munchkins love rice. My 4 yr olds favorite dish is rice sauteed with peas and ground beef with a miso sauce. We eat rice all the time so this would definitely come in handy.
This sounds neat! I don’t have a rice cooker either!