Electric rice cookers are popular appliances nowadays, almost every family has at least one. As everyone knows, the inner pot of the electric rice cooker will be covered with a non-stick layer. Each electric rice cooker will have a different design and non-stick layer, but in essence, they have the effect of anti-corrosion, heat resistance, ensuring a smooth surface and no sticking. Rice balls
The non-stick material is made of teflon, an organic substance with high durability and longevity. But no matter how good the coating is, it cannot withstand wear and tear and long-term use.
Worried that this will affect health, many people immediately replace the rice cooker with a new one. However, some people think that this is not harmful, it is a waste to replace it with another one and continue to use the peeled rice cooker to cook rice.
Is it harmful to use a rice cooker with a peeled non-stick coating? The answer that makes many people regret - 1
Is it harmful to use a rice cooker with a peeled non-stick coating?
The Teflon layer will begin to deteriorate when heated from 230 to 260 degrees Celsius and decompose when it reaches over 350 degrees Celsius. A study by the University of Newcastle and Flinders University (Australia) showed that a small scratch on the non-stick coating can release about 9,100 plastic particles during cooking. If the non-stick coating is damaged, a few millimeters in size or more, it will release 2.3 million microplastic and nanoplastic particles and can penetrate into food.
When the inner pot of the electric rice cooker is scratched, the teflon coating will peel off and mix with the rice. Fortunately, the maximum temperature of the electric rice cooker is 100 degrees Celsius, above this temperature the pot will automatically turn off or keep warm. This means that when cooking rice, the teflon layer will not decompose. If accidentally eaten, this substance is inert and does not react with the body's cells but is excreted through the digestive tract.
Is it harmful to use the inner pot of the electric rice cooker with a peeled non-stick coating? The answer that makes many people regret - 2
Therefore, if the inner pot of the rice cooker is slightly peeling and your rice cooker is a good quality product, genuine, then you can rest assured to continue using it. However, you should scoop the rice and clean the inner pot gently to avoid more serious peeling. If your rice cooker is a cheap product, of unknown origin, then even if it is slightly peeling, you should replace the inner pot immediately to ensure the health of family members.
With severe peeling, the cooked rice will not be delicious, easily stick to the pot and the rice will be burnt. At this time, you should replace the new rice pot.
In fact, it will be most harmful if you use the electric rice pot for the wrong purpose. Specifically, you should not use the electric rice pot for cooking, frying at high temperatures, because doing so will cause the teflon layer to be strongly decomposed. It is especially dangerous to use the electric rice pot to cook sour food, because acidic foods will easily corrode the metal layer.
Is it harmful to use an electric rice pot with a peeling non-stick coating? The answer that makes many people regret - 3
How to use the electric rice cooker safely
To increase the life of the electric rice cooker, you should follow some of the following principles:
- Clean the pot regularly and gently
It is best to clean the electric rice cooker right after eating, because leaving it for a long time will generate a lot of bacteria or unpleasant odors, especially in the hot summer. In addition, cleaning the electric rice cooker at this time will be easier, without having to apply too much force to the pot.
In addition to cleaning the pot, you need to regularly clean the outer shell and the heating element, the pot lid, the excess water tray, etc. to increase the life of the device and ensure hygiene.
- Dry the outside of the pot before cooking rice
Use a clean towel to dry the outside of the pot before placing it in the rice pot to cook. This will help prevent the water on the outside of the pot from evaporating, creating scorch marks that make the pot shell black and affect the durability of the heating element.
- Use both hands when placing the inner pot into the cooking pot
You should use both hands to place the inner pot into the rice pot. After placing it in, gently rotate it so that the bottom of the pot comes into contact with the relay. This will limit damage to the thermal relay and help the rice cook deliciously without worrying about burning.
- Avoid using the rice cooker on other types of stoves
The rice cooker is only used in electric rice cookers, you should not use the rice cooker to cook on other types of stoves such as gas stoves, foreign stoves, electromagnetic stoves, etc. Because this will cause the rice cooker to deform and reduce its lifespan.