Be careful! If your rice cooker has this problem, don’t use it!

This article was reviewed by Chu Yuhao, PhD from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, engineer at Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry

Almost every household has a rice cooker, and for people who love rice, they use it every day. But have you ever paid attention to the precautions for using a rice cooker?

“How should I clean the inner pot of a rice cooker on a daily basis?”

"Can I still use it if the liner coating falls off or is damaged?"

…

How can you use a rice cooker safely and cook a good meal? Let's take a look at the professional answers.

Choosing the inner pot of the rice cooker is the most important!

When buying a rice cooker, people often pay attention to its style, capacity, functions, etc., but often ignore the inner pot that has "zero-distance contact" with the rice!

The rice cooker is mainly composed of two parts: the outer shell and the inner pot. Since the inner pot is in direct contact with the food, it can be said to be the most important part of the rice cooker and plays a decisive role in the purchase of the rice cooker.

"At present, the most common inner pots of rice cookers on the market include aluminum inner pots, alloy inner pots, stainless steel inner pots, ceramic inner pots, and glass inner pots, etc." Zhang Zhaoming, deputy chief engineer of the Household Appliance Testing Center of the China Household Electrical Appliance Research Institute, introduced that the most common combination is aluminum inner pot + coating. Because metal aluminum has the characteristics of uniform heating and fast heat transfer, it is the preferred material for rice cooker inner pots. Since aluminum inner pots cannot directly contact food, the surface of the inner pot of this material is generally coated, mainly divided into Teflon coating (also known as polytetrafluoroethylene) and ceramic coating. Its main function is to prevent the bottom from sticking or sticking to the pot, and it is easy to clean.

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"The coating on the inner pot of the rice cooker is resistant to acid and alkali and is not easily decomposed by high temperatures. When sprayed on the aluminum inner pot, it has a protective and anti-stick effect." Sun Shuxia, honorary president of the Food Nutrition and Safety Professional Committee of the China Health Association, introduced that the upper limit of the safe use temperature of the commonly used Teflon coating is 250°C, and the maximum temperature of the daily use of the rice cooker is only about 180°C. Therefore, under the premise that the coating on the inner pot has not fallen off, the normal use of the rice cooker inner pot will not cause harm to the human body and there is no need to worry.

Pay attention if the paint on the liner peels off!

However, if the rice cooker is used for a long time or is not properly operated in daily life, the paint on the inner pot will often fall off easily, which may cause health risks.

Sun Shuxia explained that, first of all, the inner pot of the rice cooker is more likely to stick to the pot after the paint falls off. Food that sticks to the inner pot for a long time and is heated at high temperature is easy to burn, producing carcinogens such as acrylamide. At the same time, it is also quite difficult to clean it later, which poses a health hazard. In fact, if the coating falls off severely, the inner pot is equivalent to an "aluminum pot". At this time, if it continues to be used for a long time, the aluminum in the inner pot may be ingested into the body with food.

Since aluminum is not a trace nutrient required by the human body, long-term intake of aluminum may cause neurological diseases and increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease in adults. It will also affect the body's absorption of phosphorus, calcium and vitamin D, causing bone damage and deformation, leading to rickets, osteoporosis and other diseases. Compared with adults, children have a lower tolerance to aluminum, and the harm caused is even greater.

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In addition, for the sake of convenience, people often use rice cookers to cook and store sweet and sour spareribs, hot and sour soup and other soups with strong acid and vinegar for a long time. The acidic substances in food can further accelerate the dissolution of aluminum in the exposed "aluminum gallbladder", which does not meet food safety standards and poses food safety risks.

Zhang Zhaoming also pointed out that if the coating of the inner pot falls off, the rice will be heated unevenly, causing problems such as sticking to the pot, burning the bottom, and drying the pot, which will affect the use effect and the nutritional value of cooking. In addition, most of the inner pots with coatings are made of alloy aluminum. If the coating falls off, the aluminum substrate of the inner pot will be exposed, causing the aluminum substrate to come into direct contact with food.

Therefore, Zhang Zhaoming reminded that if you find that the coating on the inner pot of the rice cooker has obvious scratches or has fallen off in chunks, it is best to stop using it immediately and replace the product in time.

When using a rice cooker, pay attention to these points

How to choose a high-quality and safe rice cooker?

Zhang Zhaoming suggested that when purchasing, you must check whether the product has the 3C mark. You should choose products from companies with the CCC certification mark, good reputation and guaranteed after-sales service. At the same time, you can pay attention to the energy efficiency label of the product and choose products with a higher level of energy efficiency. In addition, when choosing a rice cooker product according to family needs, you can determine the volume and power of the rice cooker according to the number of people in the family and the amount of rice consumed.

In daily use, what habits should we pay attention to in order to extend the use time of the rice cooker? Two experts give the answers.

(1) Before use

You should read the instruction manual carefully to understand the precautions and functions of the product. Before use, make sure the inner pot of the rice cooker and the heating plate are clean to avoid water spots, rice grains, etc., which will not only affect the cooking effect, but may also cause the rice cooker to malfunction.

(2) In use

It is best not to use metal rice shovels or rice spoons to avoid damaging the coating and affecting the service life of the inner pot. It is recommended to use wood or thermal silicone materials. Do not leave food in the rice cooker for a long time, especially foods that cannot be cooked or stored with strong acids and alkalis. Avoid using the inner pot on other stoves.

It is strictly forbidden to burn in the dry state. In the case of dry burning, the temperature can reach over 300℃ in a few minutes, which will cause some harmful substances to precipitate and endanger human health.

(3) After use

Clean it promptly after use. For rice cookers with coated inner pots, it is recommended that you use a soft cloth to gently wipe the inner pot. Be careful not to use rough scouring pads or hard objects such as steel wool to clean it, so as not to damage the coating and affect the service life of the inner pot.

Of course, you can also directly purchase rice cookers with uncoated stainless steel inner pots, which not only eliminates certain taboos in use but is also healthy and safe.

In addition, under normal circumstances, the inner pot should be replaced every 3-5 years, but due to the different usage frequencies of the rice cooker, the wear and tear is also different. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the actual usage. If there are obvious signs of shedding, it means that the rice cooker should be replaced!

Source: Health Times

Experts in this article:

Sun Shuxia, Honorary Chairman of the Food Nutrition and Safety Committee of the China Health Association

Zhang Zhaoming, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Household Appliance Testing Center of China Household Electrical Appliance Research Institute

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