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There are two merits to using a rice container to store your rice.
First, it helps with keeping your rice fresh. Since air and sunlight can diminish the taste of rice, the sealing strength of your rice container can determine how delicious your rice stays. Storing your rice in a bag should be avoided since it is not tightly sealed.
Second, it protects your rice from insects and mold. Storing it in the bag leaves your rice susceptible to humidity and could invite insects and mold. But if you use a rice container capable of keeping out humid air, you can keep your rice both insect- and mold-free.
So why choose a Japanese rice storage container? Many Japanese households eat rice several times a week, requiring both convenience as well as secure storage. This means that in addition to keeping your rice fresh, they also often feature thoughtful designs, like shapes that will seamlessly integrate with the rest of your pantry, as well as neatly fit in your refrigerator, as we mentioned earlier.
Here are four essential points to keep in mind when choosing a rice storage container to purchase.
If you'd like to preserve your rice for longer and have it taste more delicious, choose a container with a high sealing strength. We recommend containers equipped with either a gasket or those that snap shut upon closing.
If the freshness of your rice is your number one priority, choose one that can fit in your refrigerator. Storing your rice in the refrigerators protects it against pests and humidity. If you can get one that stores around 4.4 pounds of rice, it should be able to fit right in the pocket of the fridge door.
Rice containers come in plastic, wood, glass, or metal. We recommend a plastic one since it allows you to see what's inside and is easy to clean. Many have measurements written on the side, so you know how much rice you have left.
That said, wooden rice containers protect well against insects and mold, and glass containers are stylish and have excellent sealing strength. Yet, since they are both heavier and less portable, you should decide on an accessible place to keep the container.
If you're keeping your rice container out in the open, where it might be susceptible to sunlight, we recommend a metal container made of tin or enamel that can block direct sunlight. Some larger containers even come with wheels, making them portable and easier to store.
Rice storage containers range in size from 4.4 to 66 pounds, so make sure to choose one that accords with your rice consumption rate.
Rice usually doesn't have an expiration date written on its packages. Still, it's best to finish your rice within a month if you live in a humid environment and within two months if you live somewhere relatively dry.
It's also best to not purchase more rice than you can consume within that time frame, and make sure to buy a rice container that suits your needs. If you live alone, choose a container that holds 4.4 pounds. If you have a bigger family, then 11 pounds might be a better choice. Ultimately, this will vary on how much rice you consume, so keep that in mind too.
Some rice containers come with levers you can push to dole out a pre-measured cup's worth of rice. We recommend a container with this kind of function for those with large families or those who eat a ton of rice and don't want to spend the time measuring out cups of rice every time.
Moreover, a few of them come with refrigerating functions, which are perfect for those who'd like to preserve your rice for longer but can't or prefer not to put it in the refrigerator.
Watanabe Metal Industries' OBAKETSU rice container doesn't have a non-metallic gasket but instead has a strong, sturdy seal. Its main body is lightweight yet large enough to store up to 10 kg of rice.
The removable lid makes it effortless to refill and dispense rice. Also, this product has dual-walled sealing, shutting out both humidity and insects.
The design is lovely and blocks direct sunlight. It has a handle and wheels attached to the bottom, making it very portable. It is an overall high-performing product with a stylish design that you'll love to show off!
Yamazaki's Under-Sink Sealed Rice Container Tower has a stylish and minimalistic design that doesn't even look like a rice container. However, not only did the design earn high praise, but the functionality and ease of use are ultimately what earned it such a high overall score!
The flip-top lid for the container is very large, making it easy to scoop out and refill with rice. Compared to other rice storage containers with flip-top lids, this product protects better against pests.
Additionally, the bottom of the container is shaped to match the measuring cup so that older rice collects there, making it easier to scoop out. This product excels in both functionality and design!
ASVEL's Sealing Rice Container can be opened using just one hand, and the slanted design of the interior helps older rice come to the front of the container. The measuring cup has clearly visible measurements and an ideal shape for scooping out rice.
The lid locks in place when opened, making refilling the container with rice stress-free. The sealing strength received an average score. The simple design with a non-metallic gasket makes for an overall high-functioning, easy-to-use rice container.
Pearl Metal's Handy Rice Container has a perfect size for storing in the refrigerator and is easy to hold with a handle attached to the lid.
Although it comes with a sturdy non-metallic gasket and tight, its sealing strength was below our expectations. Also, the attached measuring cup is rather shallow. Also the containers outlet has a slight ridge making pouring the rice out slightly challenging.
Pearl Metal's Rice Container lets you store your rice while keeping it in the original bag. This product is highly durable and is also equipped with a strong, secure seal.
This container has grooves for your fingers to grip on to for easy handling. The lid can be a bit challenging to open, but once you get the hang of it, you shouldn't have any trouble. This product is best for those who want to store their rice without having to pour it out from the bag.
Inomata’s Rice Container Revolution 1250 Science comes with a useful miniature case that can be used to store the remains of older rice when you decide to fill the container up again with a new bag.
The container can be opened using just one hand, and the lid can be detached if needed. Although it lacks a gasket, the lid seals fine. The measuring cup is clearly labeled, and overall the product is easy to use.
Iwasaki's Sliding Window Rice Container received an average score in all categories. The lid can be popped open with just one hand and the opening is wide enough to easily refill rice.
The bottom of the container is slanted, allowing for older rice to collect at the front for easy scooping. We couldn't find anything particularly special or unique about it which is why it fell to 7th place.
Iseto’s Rice Container for Bags allows you to store rice without removing it from the original bag. It received high scores in the sealing strength test, but since the lid can be completely unhinged, we found it rather non-user-friendly.
Also, it's not very durable as we noticed that the body would bend a bit when filling it with rice. There is a handle, but it is just enough to hook your fingers on, so it wasn't easy to carry around either.
Sanko Plastic's Rice Case has an easy-one-touch opening lid. You can quickly open it single-handedly and easily refill your rice.
It has a hook to secure the lid to the body which can help protect from insects but there is no gasket, meaning it only has average sealing strength. The measuring cup is square-shaped and easy to use, but the lettering is in white and difficult to read. Overall, this container wasn’t too impressive.
IBUKI CRAFT's Rice Keeper is a slim and stylish rice container made of paulownia wood that would fit right in a Western-style kitchen. Although its sealing strength is on the weaker side, the lid closes securely without gaps, which protects rice from pests.
The lid itself can be completely removed for easy cleaning. It has a handle on the front and two wheels on the bottom, so it is also highly portable. We’d definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a stylish wooden rice container.
We gathered the 23 best-selling products on e-commerce sites popular in Japan like Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping and tested them all.
We tested each product for the following:
First, we tested each container for its sealing strength.
We placed a paper sheet that changed color based on the humidity of its environment inside each container and shut them all tightly. We then put the container inside a bathroom set to 80% humidity and left it there for 30 minutes.
We initially thought that whether or not the container had a gasket would be the deciding factor on how well they kept humidity out. However, it turned out that the type and shape of the lid caused a more significant difference in sealing performance.
Many flip-top lids for containers had a gasket on the lid but not on the body of the container itself, which leaves a gap for humidity to enter.
Removable lids that come off entirely and cover the whole top of the container have fewer gaps and tend to close just as tightly if not better, even without a gasket. So, if you're planning on purchasing a rice container based on sealing strength, we recommend a product with a simple design and minimal gaps.
Next, we tested each container for how easy it was to use.
We used the rice containers to test how easy it was to refill and scoop out rice, the lid's ability to open and close smoothly, how tightly the lid fit, portability, and any other unique product characteristics, and gave each product a comprehensive score based on these factors.
Unsurprisingly, the ease of use was determined primarily by how easy it was to refill and scoop out rice. Containers with simple designs ranked the highest.
We actually found that products with unique features, such as those designed for measuring one portion of rice at a time or the capacity to dispense older rice before the new ones were more complicated to use and not really worth the additional functionality.
We also found out that containers that come with a measuring cup were extra convenient, especially if they have colored measurements, rather than those with transparent measurements.
Check out these other food preserving products to get the best out of the food you buy!
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