Developing the habit of regularly cleaning these areas on your rice cooker ensures cleanliness, safety for your health, and notably conserves energy.
1. Clean these three spots on your rice cooker for both cleanliness and saving money by reducing electricity costs.
Cultivating the habit of regularly cleaning these areas of your electric rice cooker ensures cleanliness, safety for your health, and notably saves energy.
Electric rice cookers have become popular and familiar in human life. Despite being electric, they need regular cleaning, or else they can become dirty, smelly, and even consume more electricity.
Drain valve of electric rice cooker
The first area that requires cleaning is the drain valve of the electric rice cooker. Most types of electric rice cookers on the market can have the drain valve removed for cleaning. If not cleaned for a long time, you may find the drain valve full of rice foam that has turned yellow and looks very dirty. Note that each type of cooker has a different drain valve design, so you should find a way to remove and scrub it clean.
Since the drain valve and lid can be removed, you can take them directly to the faucet for cleaning, and after cleaning, reassemble them. This way, the electric rice cooker becomes easy to use, clean, and hygienic.
Inside of the electric rice cooker's shell
The second area that needs cleaning is the inside of the electric rice cooker's shell. This is because when cooking or stirring rice, some rice falls in but is not taken out. So, after cooking rice several times, it can get burnt. This is also where rice foam can overflow and flow down. Therefore, regularly use a damp cloth to wipe it thoroughly. Sometimes you should also open the cooker lid, then turn it upside down to let the dirt and rice fall into the bottom of the cooker.
Heating Plate
The third component is the heating plate at the bottom of the rice cooker. The heating plate is crucial for the rice cooking process; dirt directly affects the heat transfer efficiency of the electric rice cooker, slowing down the cooking process, increasing electricity consumption, and impacting the taste of the rice. In the middle of the heating plate, a sensor is also essential; if not cleaned regularly, it may accumulate some oil or dirt on the surface, potentially resulting in half-cooked rice and difficulty turning on the rice cooker.
Since the heating plate has grooves and cannot be wet, it can be cleaned with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Note that you should not forget to unplug the power before brushing with toothpaste. You can dip the toothbrush in a little water, but you cannot pour water directly onto the heating plate. After brushing, find a cloth, dampen it, wring it out, and then wipe off the toothpaste.
After cleaning the drain valve, inside of the shell, and heating plate, the cooked rice will be more aromatic, not only saving time and electricity but also extending the lifespan of the electric rice cooker.