When it comes to the tiny round dots on the surface of a rice scoop, many people think they serve the purpose of preventing rice from sticking when scooping. However, in reality, this is not the actual reason behind the “special design.”
If you’re someone who frequently cooks rice, you may notice that even rice cookers that are coated with a non-stick layer still have some rice grains sticking around the edges. This is especially true when using sticky rice or cooking rice overnight, as the “sticking” issue becomes even more noticeable.
In cases where the rice is too sticky or you are using a rice cooker that no longer has its non-stick coating, you’ll notice that rice grains stick firmly to the sides of the pot after the rice cools. At this point, in order to easily clean the pot, you need to soak it in water and wait for the rice grains to loosen before you can wash them. However, if you use a soft dishcloth to scrub the pot, the rice grains will stick to the cloth and become harder to clean. Using a metal scrubber will damage the non-stick layer of the pot.
This is where the tiny dots on the surface of the rice scoop come into play. After the rice has softened, you can gently rub the back of the rice scoop against the stuck rice grains on the sides of the pot. Although the scoop’s surface is harder than the soft dishcloth, the small dots are not sharp like a metal scrubber, so they can clean the rice cooker without damaging its non-stick coating. Just gently rub around the pot, and the rice stuck to the sides will come off. Finally, just use a soft brush to clean the rice cooker.
In addition to the small dots on the surface, the rice scoop is also designed with a small hole in the handle. You can easily use this hole to hang the scoop and also use it to measure the amount of water when cooking rice.
If you place the rice scoops next to each other, you will notice that the holes are designed to be quite uniform. So instead of using your finger to measure the water, you can use the handle of the rice scoop.
First, you need to rinse the rice and place it in the rice cooker. Then, stand the rice scoop upright inside the pot. The water level that reaches the hole is the most accurate amount of water for cooking rice. Thanks to this special tool, you don’t need to spend too much time, and you will have a pot of delicious rice with fluffy, just-right grains—not too dry or too sticky.