This 'Magical' Bowl Is the Secret to Fluffy, Perfectly Cooked Rice—and It's Just $8

Rice washing bowl
Rice washing bowl

Amazon

There are rice lovers who swear by cooking grains in a simple pot on the stove. Others insist high-tech machines are the best way to produce bowls of fluffy rice. But no matter how you cook the world's most popular food, there's one step you should not skip: rinsing.

While it might seem like you're saving time by jumping straight to cooking, washing rice makes a major difference in taste and texture. The water not only removes any dirt and dust, but also starchy residue that results in sticky, gooey grains. That's why this simple Japanese tool on Amazon caught our eye. The Inomata Rice Washing Bowl is specially designed to quickly and thoroughly clean grains before cooking, with many users calling it a "game-changer" and "magical."

Inomata rice washing bowl
Inomata rice washing bowl

Courtesy of Amazon

To buy: Inomata Japanese Rice Washing Bowl, $8 at amazon.com

Designed with drainage holes on both the side and bottom of the strainer, the Inomata easily filters out dirty water without losing any grains. Simply run warm or cold water over the rice for a minute or two to release the starches. Once the water is clear, you're ready to start cooking.

In addition to rice, the Inomata bowl's 2.5-quart capacity is large enough to clean fruits, vegetables, and pantry staples like beans or quinoa. And unlike mesh strainers, its smooth food-grade plastic body is less tedious to wash.

The Inomata Rice Washing Bowl has earned more than 7,200 perfect ratings from customers who confirm it truly does cut down on the time and mess of cleaning rice.

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"For anyone who cooks real rice, this is invaluable," one shopper wrote. "I've tried the smallest metal mesh colanders to small plastic ones and the rice always falls through. I didn't lose one grain of rice with this!"

Others say the tool makes a major difference in how their batches of rice taste, with one writing, "I've been washing rice in the pot all my life, but when I tried this product there was a significant improvement in taste and fluffy texture! The bowl is sturdy, durable and huge! The size of the bowl allows for better starch removal than a standard strainer."

Perhaps best of all, the time-saving tool is super affordable, costing only $8. There's no reason why you shouldn't splurge on this kitchen upgrade for yourself for delicious, fluffy rice forevermore.