Rice Cooker Translation!

[FigTheHobbit]

Hey, I bought a used rice cooker online and need help translating the text! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I have found English manuals for it, but the labelling don't match up.

[Shelley]

I am sure @abcdefg (our resident foodie) will be along at some point to help you out if he can.

[大肚男]

the things on left are as follow:

 

标准： standard

精煮：No idea what that means, but it's read jing1 zhu3. Can be literally translated as refined cooking.

超快速：Super fast 

白米：white rice

预约：roughly means cooks in advance

 

Middle horizontal line is for different kinds of porridge, as follow:

Not sure what kind of porridge is the first

稀粥：Thin porridge

粗粮粥： Grain porridge

 

Right side s as follow:

炖汤： Stew

蒸煮：Steam

白煮蛋：Boil egg

烹调： cook (maybe stir fry or something)

 

My Chinese is not that great, so Not hundred percent sure. So please differ to others

 

 

 

[lips]

稠粥 is thick porridge

预约 is the same is the Timer button on other rice cookers

精煮 is the cook mode with a longer preheat time

[abcdefg]

Shucks, I didn't even get a shot at translating the buttons! But I can tell you how to use your new kitchen gadget. I use a rice cooker similar to this several times a week here in China and find it extremely handy. Here's how I would approach it, from a practical standpoint. 

 

• If you are making plain steamed white rice, just press the top left button 标准 ("standard, regular, ordinary, basic") and the bottom left button 白米 ("white rice.") That's probably all that is needed to get it started to cook your rice.
• It's possible that you only need to push one button to start the cycle; the machine may not understand if you press two. Some are made that way. In that case, use the lower left one which says 白米 ("white rice.")
• If nothing happens when you push those two buttons, then also push the one all the way on the bottom to the right to start it cooking 烹调 (it means to "cook now" as opposed to scheduling for later.)

 

It will ding when the rice is done. Should take 20 to 30 minutes. Use two parts water to one part rice when starting out. Adjust the ratio if needed after you try it that way. For best results, rinse the dry rice three times gently and then let it soak for 15 or 20 minutes in the cooking water before starting the cook cycle. There are small steam holes in the surface when the rice is done. If you open the lid and these aren't present, cook the rice some more.

 

Forget all the other controls initially. You can return to learn how to use them later. We will all help you out.

 

The three red-starred buttons are enough to get you started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May I ask, what kind of rice cooker this is? (What brand and what model?) Might be able to give you other specific tips based on that info.

[lips]

1 minute ago, abcdefg said:

Shucks, I didn't even get a shot at translating the buttons!

杀鸡焉用牛刀

 

1 minute ago, abcdefg said:

Forget all the others initially. You can return to learn how to use them later.

This is where everyone waits for your expert advice.

[somethingfunny]

I might buy a rice cooker, throw away the manual and then come on here and ask abcdefg how to use it.

[abcdefg]

Haha, Somethingfunny! No need to throw away the instruction book 说明书。Most of them are pretty worthless. I always have to ask the sales lady to talk me through the controls of a new appliance. Then I go back to ask them questions later regarding aspects of its use that I find are not as clear cut as I first thought. I jokingly tell these ladies that they are my "cooking consultants" 烹调顾问。

 

But I do hope you will get a rice cooker. Can't really say that it will change your life, but it is for sure very useful. No Chinese home is without one, and for a good reason.

[FigTheHobbit]

Ah I am so happy by all the responses and help! The model is Panasonic SR-DE183!

 

Is the white rice the sticky rice or any white rice like jasmine or basmati? I also cook brown rice too. I am just wondering what options I'd use for the different types of rice.

 

Thank you in advance!!

[abcdefg]

Thai jasmine rice and Indian basmati rice, whether short grain, medium grain, or long grain, will cook just fine using the basic cooking method described above in my first post.

 

When cooking glutinous sticky rice 糯米, give it a longer soak before starting the heat. For best results let it soak at least an hour (some people even let it soak several hours or even over night.) Same goes for brown rice. Brown rice is not popular in China and rice cookers made for the Mainland market don't always do it real well. May require some adjustments in technique, such as using more water at the start. (Sticky rice may also require a little more water initially.)

 

Also, both of these will come out better (more tender and more flavor) if you use the second button on the left 精煮。This gives the rice a slow start; it increases cooking heat gradually instead of making the pot get hot at normal speed. It will take longer to finish cooking than the "ordinary/standard" 标准 setting.

 

[lips]

Herer's the online version of the manual.

[abcdefg]

Thanks, @lips, that's useful. Makes me wonder if the photo we have been discussing might not actually show the whole control panel. Looks like it might just be the center of it.

 

 

@FigTheHobbit, some of the functions of your rice cooker are sophisticated, even though they don't make a lot of sense for use in a well-equipped western kitchen. In China, kitchens seldom have ovens, and a cooktop/stovetop seldom has more than two burners. A rice cooker is often the only electric cooking appliance one owns. People with tiny "efficiency" kitchens use them for nearly everything imaginable. 

 

For example, even though your Panasonic SR-DE183 has the capability to bake a cake, stew a whole chicken, and boil half a dozen eggs, you are not likely to want to use it for those purposes.

 

It will also make good porridge 粥, and has settings for several different kinds. Porridge is a staple of the Chinese diet, but may not be something you actually care much about day to day. Here's a tasty and popular porridge so you can get an idea of how nourishing it can be: https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/53530-century-egg-rice-porridge-皮蛋瘦肉粥/.

 

If you feel adventurous and would like to try it, your rice cooker can handle it well. The button marked with the star, lower left, is appropriate if you like your porridge kind of thick 稠粥。The button to its right, marked with the arrow, is best if you like your porridge thin 稀粥。

 

[FigTheHobbit]

Thank you so much for the guidance! I will be using the stew and egg functions as they are very useful. I will keep in mind the cooking times and water tips for the other types of rice! I am also interested in making congee. The image I attached is just the centre part - since the other big buttons like 'menu' and 'start' are labelled in English!

[abcdefg]

5 hours ago, FigTheHobbit said:

I am also interested in making congee.

 

In that case, suggest trying a mixture of half ordinary white rice and half sticky rice. That has a great texture and a pleasant flavor.

 

I should also mention that the last button on the bottom of the control panel 粗粮粥 is for whole grains, such as millet and buckwheat. Millet 小米 in particular is popular here, possibly dating from times of famine when rice was hard to get.

 

[FigTheHobbit]

You are so very helpful, I do not know how to show my appreciation! Thank you so so so much!

[abcdefg]

You are more than welcome! Since I came to live in China, regional cooking has become a fairly serious hobby. Yunnan (where I now live) has a rich food heritage and I enjoy studying it, writing about it, and helping others who want to cook Chinese style dishes in the west.

 

If you are interested in other Chinese food, beyond the scope of the rice cooker, have a look at some other posts in the Food and Drink section, such as this recent one from last weekend.

 

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/54060-yunnan-potato-pancake-云南洋芋丝干/

[imron]

On 2017年4月30日 at 7:25 AM, FigTheHobbit said:

I do not know how to show my appreciation

Pictures of something you've made with the cooker would suffice