A humble rice cooker
from Taiwan tries to conquer the world
Nov. 25 2013
Ever
hear of Tatung? The Taiwanese company used to make steel but in 1960 started
selling rice cookers that to this day accounts for 95% of all rice cooker sales
on the island.
And now it wants to conquer the rest of
the world.
What's so special about a rice cooker?
This one is multitalented. It also steams dumplings and simmers stews,
making it a must-have gadget in a land where many women continue working
after marriage. And where steamed, meat-filled buns are a specialty.
The rice cooker has a unique double-layer
construction that cooks indirectly. Indirect heating is said to preserve
nutritional value; it also helps to prevent overcooking.
An outer pot holds and boils water, which
heats food in an inner pot. When the water in the first chamber evaporates,
the device shuts itself off, keeping the ingredients in the second chamber at a
warm 70 C. According to a Tatung representative, the cooker steams rice more
evenly than other cookers.
Tatung's electric cooker is especially
good for reheating steamed dumplings and similar dishes because it tends to preserve
the original flavor and texture, which are often lost when reheated in a
microwave or convection oven.
Tatung introduced the cooker more than
half a century (50 years) ago because it wanted to sell more steel.
Tatung had a technical alliance (partnership)
with Toshiba back then and got its inspiration for the rice cooker's design
from its Japanese partner.
The current best-selling rice cooker at a
mass-retailer in Taipei is a 4-liter Tatung that sells for around 2,330 New
Taiwan dollars (about US$78). It is available in green, pink or other colors.
According to the store manager, the shop
sells around 100 of these devices per month. Newlyweds are big fans.
It is also a must-have among students and business people heading abroad.
New vocabulary:
multitalented - adjective - have many talents. (多芸多才)
must-have - adjective - something you need to have. (不可欠)
evaporate - verb - to change from a liquid or solid state into
vapor. (蒸発します)
preserve - verb - to keep
newlyweds - noun - A couple that are just married. Newly married.
overcooking – we
use the word over as a prefix that
means too much. Over is often used with verbs or
gerunds (verbs with ~ing endings that act as nouns)
“I
like working.” Working is a gerund, in this sentence it acts as a noun.
overcooking =
cooking too much (this is a noun)
overcooked =
cooked too much (this is an adjective)
overwork =
work too much
overeating =
eating too much (this is a noun)
overdo = do
too much
*overlook = fail to
notice – “You seem to have overlooked
one important fact.”
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