Before cooking rice, we need to wash the rice to remove dirt and grit mixed in the rice, helping to ensure the cleanliness and deliciousness of the finished product. Many people have the habit of putting rice in the rice cooker, adding water and washing directly. After pouring out the washing water, add enough water and cook.

However, washing rice directly in the rice cooker is not recommended. This is explained by a number of reasons:

- Damage the non-stick layer of the rice cooker

Currently, most rice cookers are coated with a non-stick layer to prevent rice from sticking to the pot. When washing rice directly in the pot, the rice grains rub and scratch the non-stick part. In the long run, the non-stick layer will peel off, making the rice easy to burn and stick to the pot. The peeled non-stick part mixed with the rice is also not good for health.

- Reduce the life of the pot

When washing rice directly in the pot, water can stick around this part. Many people directly put the pot into the shell and cook rice without wiping the outside of the pot dry. This can affect the life of the pot.

- Affects the quality of rice

When the non-stick layer of the pot is scratched, the rice is very easy to burn when cooking. In addition, it can also cause the rice to not cook evenly, reducing the deliciousness of the rice.

To ensure hygiene and increase the durability of the pot, you should use a small basket or small basin to wash the rice. When washing rice, just use cold water and stir gently with your hands to push out dirt and impurities. In addition, do not wash the rice too hard, do not wash the rice too many times because it can lose valuable nutrients in the outer shell of the rice grain.

Some other notes when cooking rice:

- Clean the pot regularly

You need to clean the pot regularly to ensure hygiene and increase the durability of the pot. Every time you cook rice, pay attention to cleaning the pot and the removable lid on the pot lid. These locations are very prone to residue from the previous cooking. If not cleaned, bacteria will grow quickly and affect the quality of the rice cooked next time. The rice can spoil faster and is not good for the health of the user.

- Do not open the lid of the pot immediately after the rice is cooked

While cooking rice, many people have the habit of opening the lid of the rice cooker to see if the rice is cooked yet. However, this will lose a certain amount of heat and steam, affecting the cooking process of the rice grains. Therefore, when cooking rice with a rice cooker, you should not open the pot during the cooking process. When the pot indicates that it is done cooking, you should not open it immediately. Leave the rice in the pot for a few minutes until the rice grains are completely cooked, then open the pot and stir the rice evenly.

- Use plastic or wooden rice scoops

Metal utensils can scratch the non-stick surface of the rice cooker. Therefore, you should use plastic or wooden scoops to avoid damaging the non-stick surface of the rice cooker.