Inomata Plastic Japanese Rice Washing Bowl with Strainer, 2 quart

There are two versions of the Inomata Japanese Rice washing Bowl with Strainer, and I purchased them both. Below I’ll describe them and outline the differences: PURPOSE: These bowls were designed for rinsing rice before cooking, and they do so quite well. Rinsing rice is one of those challenging activities where you can’t use a traditional colander because the holes may be too big and the rice will pass through, and a standard bowl is tricky to get all the water out without pouring some rice out along with it. You could use these bowls for rinsing other things as well, like beans, faro, fruits or vegetables. You may or may not have good results with smaller grains like quinoa for example, as quinoa is quite small. Both bowls are made in Japan of Polypropylene and are stamped “PP” on the underside. They indicate a minimum temperature of -20 °C (-4 °F) degrees and a max temperature of 120 °C or 248 °F. Polypropylene, according to Wikipedia, will melt at 171 °C, or 340 °F. Since water boils at 100 °C or 212 °F, you should theoretically be able to use this as a strainer for pasta (as many shoppers have asked) but it drains so slowly that you wouldn’t want to. I have also heard that Polypropylene can be damaged (cosmetically) by prolonged contact with boiling water, so I did not want to test this out. The small bowl nests inside the large bowl, although not completely perfect. Both bowls have a reinforced hole in the handle (if you can call it that, it’s really just a small tab) which you can use for hanging if you have a small hook. Note the measurements for each bowl described in the listing, where the small bowl is listed as 2 qt or 8 cups, and the large bowl is listed as 2.5 quarts or 10 cups. Note that a customary “cup” for measurement in the United States is 8 fluid ounces, or about 236.6 milliliters. Most rice cookers come with their own measuring cups which are designed to measure out a portion of rice, which is usually less than a standard customary “cup” in US measurement. My Zojirushi, for example, came with two cups, one for white rice (which actually holds 180ml, or just over 6 fluid ounces, or a generous ¾ cup) and one for brown rice (which actually holds 171 ml, or about 5.7 fluid ounces, or slightly less than ¾ of a cup). I measured the capacity of each bowl in customary fluid ounces by lining each bowl with plastic wrap and then filling with water. More on that test below. SMALL BOWL (2 qt): This bowl is 8 inches in diameter, 6 inches tall, and the diameter of the base is 6 inches. The small bowl does not have holes in the bottom, only drainage holes on the spout. If this bowl were solid, and filled completely to the top, it would hold 8.5 cups of water. To use it for it’s intended purpose, you wouldn’t want to fill it that high since you’d spill rice out trying to rinse it. You can rinse a maximum of about 8 (customary US cups) cups of rice in this bowl, 5-7 would be more comfortable (7-9 “rice cooker” measuring cups!). Because this bowl doesn’t have holes on the bottom, you could leave about some water standing if you had any reason to soak something in the bowl. For this, you can fill the bowl with 4 cups before it starts spilling out the spout. LARGE BOWL (2.5 qt): This bowl is 8.5 inches in diameter, 6 inches tall, and the diameter of the base is 6 inches. This bowl has small holes in the bottom in addition to the drainage holes on the spout. These holes are about the diameter of a large paperclip, unfolded. The base is raised slightly higher than the small bowl to allow for drainage. If this bowl were solid, and filled completely to the top, it would hold 10.5 cups of water. To use it for it’s intended purpose, you wouldn’t want to fill it that high since you’d spill rice out trying to rinse it. You can rinse a maximum of about 9-10 (customary US) cups of rice in this bowl, 6-8 cups comfortably (10-12 “rice cooker” measuring cups!). Because this bowl has holes on the bottom, all the water would eventually drain out so you can’t soak anything in it. I would like to point out though, that the holes on the bottom are very small, and will drain slowly, so you don’t need a constant, heavy stream of water for rinsing. They are so small in fact, that the bowl will retain a shallow pool of water because the weight of about ½ inch of water wouldn’t create enough pressure to completely drain through the holes. The holes are about the diameter of a large paperclip, unfolded. I hope this review helps anyone interested in purchasing these bowls. I couldn’t make up my mind, and since they were a good price, I bought both, but if I had to do it again and buy only one, I’d choose the larger one with holes in the bottom since it’s more functional (and holds a little bit more, without taking up much more room).

If you cook rice often, this strainer is a must. I simply add the rice, fill with water, massage the grains for about 30 seconds, then drain. I repeat this 2–3 times until the water runs clear. There’s no mess and no wasted grains. The side drain design makes rinsing super easy. Unlike using a regular bowl, I don’t end up spilling rice all over the sink. Occasionally, a few grains get caught in the drain slots, but they pop right out with a quick push. The difference it makes in cooking is noticeable: the rice tastes cleaner, cooks more evenly, and my rice cooker doesn’t get those foamy bubbles on top anymore. Simple, efficient, and effective. I can’t imagine making rice without it now.

Sturdy with good quality, easy to use and wash. I never knew you were supposed to wash rice! It's good to have.

Very helpful item in kitchen if you use a lot of rice! Pros: 1. A colander to wash rice is a very genuine idea! The regular colanders that we have in our kitchen have big holes that make it unfit to use for washing rice. But these rice colanders are great! They have just the right size of holes to let the water drain and retain the rice. No more tedious process of using a strainer for the process. Provides real utility to avoid wasting rice during the washing process. 2. Comes intelligently with a spout that can be used to pour out water 3. Size of the bowl is convenient to hold rice from 1 cup to 5 cups. Can be used to wash 6 cups of rice maximum. The bowl is even larger to hold upto 10 cups of rice but the spout that is provided to pour and drain water has elongated slits in which rice can get stuck or come out. Hence, ideal for washing upto 5 cups of rice and not more than that. 4. Nice sturdy base and good quality that seems like the product will last long 5. Can be used for washing fruits and other veggies as well Cons: 1. There is absolutely no problem in washing the rice and draining the water but the problem arises when transferring the washed rice from the colander to another bowl! The grains of rice tend to stay back at the bottom of the base and you will need to pick the rice grains manually. This will feel like a bit time consuming when you are in a hurry and requires patience! If the disadvantage mentioned above had been solved then this rice colander would have received a 5 star easily! Overall, a nice utility item to own especially if you use rice frequently!

Very helpful for rinsing my rice

I recently bought a professional rice cooker, and the Inomata Japanese Rice Washing Bowls have been a fantastic addition to my kitchen. If you’re someone who likes to wash rice repeatedly to get it just right, these bowls make the process so much easier. The design is simple but effective, with a built-in strainer that allows you to drain the rice effortlessly after each wash. The size is perfect for handling even larger batches, and the quality of the material feels durable and well-made. These bowls have become an essential part of my rice-cooking routine, and I highly recommend them to anyone who’s serious about making perfect rice. They save time and make the process a lot more convenient.

Works as advertised, happy with my purchase. Rinsing rice with normal strainers is impossible and I hate using cheese clothes, so this is very much worth it in my opinion.

Nice rice strainer, doesn’t feel flimsy, nice compact size that’s perfect for my small kitchen. Definitely a quality, inexpensive product that gets the job done. Washes easy and rice residue doesn’t stick to the strainer.

Colador práctico, útil y a buen precio !!

j'arrive à nettoyer mon riz japonais beaucoup et plus rapidement avec cette passoire qu'en faisant la technique à main nue. désormais pour moi c'est un indispensable.

Funzionali. Sono di un ottimo materiale. È una plastica non rigida. Difficilmente frangibile. Acquisto estremamente soddisfacente.

Siebschüssel aus hochwertigem, transparenten Kunststoff. Zum spülen und wässern von Reis ausgezeichnet. Flache Noppen auf der Innenseite helfen beim entfernen der Stärke. Auch das entnehmen der gereinigten Körner klappt besser als mit dem Küchensieb, welches ich vorher benutzte. Japaner wissen halt, worauf es bei ihrem Grundnahrungsmittel ankommt. Nicht ganz günstig, aber das Geld wert.

El bol con colador INOMATA combina funcionalidad y diseño compacto para simplificar tus tareas en la cocina. Fabricado en plástico de alta calidad, este utensilio japonés de 2 litros es perfecto para lavar, escurrir y preparar alimentos con facilidad. Ideal para frutas, verduras, arroz o pasta, su diseño ergonómico y duradero lo convierte en un aliado esencial para el día a día.