Shouldn't a Kitchen Smell Like a Kitchen?
One of the morning news shows had a short piece on the latest advance in kitchen appliances. It's a rice cooker! But this one is different from the ones that everyone in Japan already has in their kitchen.
The man explaining it first popped the lid on a regular rice cooker. He showed us the bowl inside. Then he popped the lid on the new one. A very similar bowl, but the front side of the case had an extra lid, like a drink bottle. He unfastened the whole front side, and lifted out a flat pack. He explained that in use, you would fill this with water. However, it isn't water to cook the rice, that goes in the bowl, just like with a regular rice cooker. This water has a different purpose.
They showed us with a diagram what this is for. Regular rice cookers vent the steam and cooking odors into the kitchen. In fact, at least for me, walking into a Japanese kitchen and smelling hot rice cooking is rather pleasant. However, this new rice cooker takes that exhaust and runs it through the water in the front. Kind of a water filtration system, removing the steam and apparently most of the smell. So you can cook rice without filling the kitchen with steam and cooking odors.
I suspect that this is mostly aimed at removing the steam. Especially right now in the winter, a steamy kitchen may be pleasant, but it also often means dripping windows and walls with condensation. So being able to cook rice without filling the kitchen with steam is probably a plus, especially with families who have to cook rice every day.
It'll be interesting to see if other makers also start putting exhaust systems on their rice cookers.
Rice cookers without an environmental impact? I do wonder if Japanese kitchens will feel the same, without the steam and smell of rice cooking. I suppose we'll still get some smell when you open the lid and serve the rice. Maybe they could add a "smelling port" to let some of the steam and smell escape for the sake of nostalgia?
Now, will the rice still have the same flavor without the steam and smell in the air? How much of the Japanese enjoyment of rice comes from savoring the smell of the kitchen? I wonder...
Sniff.
The man explaining it first popped the lid on a regular rice cooker. He showed us the bowl inside. Then he popped the lid on the new one. A very similar bowl, but the front side of the case had an extra lid, like a drink bottle. He unfastened the whole front side, and lifted out a flat pack. He explained that in use, you would fill this with water. However, it isn't water to cook the rice, that goes in the bowl, just like with a regular rice cooker. This water has a different purpose.
They showed us with a diagram what this is for. Regular rice cookers vent the steam and cooking odors into the kitchen. In fact, at least for me, walking into a Japanese kitchen and smelling hot rice cooking is rather pleasant. However, this new rice cooker takes that exhaust and runs it through the water in the front. Kind of a water filtration system, removing the steam and apparently most of the smell. So you can cook rice without filling the kitchen with steam and cooking odors.
I suspect that this is mostly aimed at removing the steam. Especially right now in the winter, a steamy kitchen may be pleasant, but it also often means dripping windows and walls with condensation. So being able to cook rice without filling the kitchen with steam is probably a plus, especially with families who have to cook rice every day.
It'll be interesting to see if other makers also start putting exhaust systems on their rice cookers.
Rice cookers without an environmental impact? I do wonder if Japanese kitchens will feel the same, without the steam and smell of rice cooking. I suppose we'll still get some smell when you open the lid and serve the rice. Maybe they could add a "smelling port" to let some of the steam and smell escape for the sake of nostalgia?
Now, will the rice still have the same flavor without the steam and smell in the air? How much of the Japanese enjoyment of rice comes from savoring the smell of the kitchen? I wonder...
Sniff.