Japanese Rice Washing Bowl with Side and Bottom Drainers, Made in Japan

Draining off water from rice inherently loses some of the rice when pouring off the water. This washing bowl had a side strainer as well which works for draining veggies like mushrooms, or broccoli. This is made for a larger grain rice so you can pour the water off quickly. The smaller grains should go through the bottom OK, but you do have to hand agitate to keep the water flowing at times. This is both good and bad, it takes a bit more time, but it won't lose even the smallest size grains. I don't see a lot of them getting stuck in the holes either. Very inexpensive for what it is, you probably can't go wrong. There are two reasons for rinsing rice, the normal one is to wash off the excess starch and prevent the rice from clumping together after cooking, the second is to rinse off magnesium silicate a sort of fine grinding powder used to polish the rice. Brown rice for instance, is really an intermediate between removing the inedible husk leaving the bran and germ in the brown, to removing them to make white rice. Brown rice is better for you in a lot of ways, but takes longer to cook and should be presoaked. It tastes OK, but not as good as white, there is definitely a chewing difference that tells you you are eating more fiber. Not too many Chinese takeout places have it as an alternative, but one place in Grand Haven, MI did and I switched to not take up so much refined carbs in my diet. Again you have to wash it as well. If you're conserving water, or this uses up your facet filter too fast I put a large pot underneath and dunked in there a few times while hand agitating the rice. I removed the pot and ran the water direct for the final rinse, this works well if near the final rinse you want to soak for a few minutes (especially if the rice is brown). FYI, a cooks secret I've seen online a number of times if doing short grain sushi rice is to put the post washed rice in the rice cooker and add a drop of sushi vinegar, and a half sheet of nori, (toasted seaweed) before closing the lid. This helps get the right cook and texture on the rice, but it does pretty good with a proper rinsing as well. Recommended, you can't buy a better one for more, there may be automated solutions that restaurants use, but if so they'd be a lot more expensive, for price and function this cannot be beat.

I’ve been on the fence for a long time regarding the purchase of a “bowl with holes” to wash rice. Thinking it was a gimmick, unnecessary and just another waste of cabinet space and money I passed on it many times until, I can across an article about “essential” kitchen tools, the write-up intrigued me, linked me to this product, read the reviews and for $10, I took the plunge. Well, let me tell you I’ve done a complete 180° by biting the bullet, purchasing this rice washing bowl and absolutely LOVE this new addition to my kitchen essentials arsenal. This product is so much more efficient when it comes to washing rice, legumes, dried peas, etc. than doing what I’ve done for decades…rinsing in a bowl, strain, repeat, repeat, repeat…while losing rice, beans, etc. while straining. Only recently did I receive this item and have already put it to the test washing Korean rice (very similar to Japanese rice), Uncle Ben’s long grain and dried beans. Such a noticeable difference in performing those tasks in efficiency and time to get the job done. I couldn’t believe how much easier it was (rinsing rice is kind of a painfully yet, necessary extra step when making rice properly). I also can’t believe I’ve been living without this great kitchen tool all my life. I find this product to be made well, sturdy, BPA free, easily nests into my existing round strainers (or mixing bowls) when storing so it virtually doesn’t take up any extra space, easy to clean. When using, the holes in the bottom are small enough so there’s no waste and retains enough water volume to effectively rinse and clean yet, the holes are big enough to quickly and completely drain the water before adding rice/beans to a rice cooker or pot. If you are like me, who was on the fence and thought this was an unnecessary kitchen tool, think again. It’s only a $10 investment but has quickly turned into one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

It's a little big but works well when washing rice or potatoes. I like that it has the ability to keep some water while it slowly drains. It's easy to clean and it's durable so it will last a long time.

Upon arrival, I washed the bowl with soap and water, then I put it to work. I washed my rice repeatedly as they say to do in my Japanese cookbooks. I tried to wash my rice before, but it was difficult with other devices/methods. This bowl was easy to use, rinsed my rice easily for long, repeated washings, and made my rice so wonderful. I was sceptical that this step of washing rice before cooking it would matter for taste or appearance, but did it ever. I already have a rice cooker, so my rice comes out pretty well now, but washing it in this bowl made a big difference. I would recommend this for the ease of use and the quality of the rice it will produce if used. One thing that made me kind of mad, which is no one's fault but my own, was that after I bought it, I saw it for much cheaper at my local Asian market. I wish I could have gotten it for cheaper, but I'm still happy with my purchase. Caveat: take off the little orange tab when you get it because it keeps coming off anyway when you use it. You could probably use this to wash fruit, veggies, etc., but I haven't tried that yet because I already have a colander. If you like to make rice and don't have a lot of room, this could probably be a dual-purpose gadget. Especially since it won't work the other way around (can't wash rice very well in a colander).

There are probably less expensive options but this works incredibly well and is very convenient. I would buy again.

The best colander I own. Takes care of washing rice and other simular small grains quickly.

This Japanese rice colander is perfect for washing rice (as well as vegetables/fruits, pasta, etc). Even though it is food-grade plastic, I don't recommend using it to drain boiling water. It's easy to store, lightweight, and well-made. The size of the bowl is also perfect. You can wash up to 6 cups of rice with no issues. I grew up washing rice using the rice pot, but I usually lose a bit of rice every time I pour the water out. I also never get ALL of the water out of the rice when rinsing because I don't want to lose too much rice. However, now, with this Japanese rice colander, I can easily rinse my rice and wash it at the same time. There are two sizes of holes in the colander: the bottom holes are extra small and the upper holes on the draining side are a bit larger. The design of smaller holes on the bottom of the colander is specifically created so that when you run the water into it, some water collects in the bowl with the rice so you can simultaneously wash your rice while the rest of the water drains out through the bottom continuously. The colander also is lifted on the bottom so that the water doesn't flow back into the colander. Before this colander, I had to run water into the rice bowl, wash the rice, pour the rice water out and hope I didn't lose much rice, and then repeat the same process several times.

This is the one you want, makes washing rice far easier. There are no cons worth mentioning as a few pieces of rice may get stuck in the drain slits on the side, but that's it, not a big deal.

Très très bon produit pas de perte de riz

Incredible rice washing bowl, so convinient. Great for regular strainer uses too!

nice and useful

Una ciotola fantastica ! È arrivata direttamente dal Giappone , in condizioni ottime ! Mi sono innamorata subito appena toccata. Una plastica di qualità , leggera , perfetta e utile ! Sostituisce gli altri scollini , in quanto ha la misura perfetta per far stare dentro il riso , senza perdere nemmeno 1 Chicco , la pasta di ogni tipo , e qualsiasi altra cosa che volete mettere per lavare , sciacquare ..

Does not wash the rice very good, because my basmati rice is clogging up the drain holes, and got stuck in them.