Pars Automatic Persian Rice Cooker - Tahdig Rice Maker Perfect Rice Crust, 20 Cup

I love this little rice cooker! I followed the directions and a perfect crust on the rice the very first time!

We have the 15-cup version. The pic attached is our favorite tahdig recipe so far - potato tahdig. The family absolutely loves it! Unfortunately, the instructions do not detail a 2-cup recipe. So, here is the perfect potato tahdig recipe for 2-3 people:Note: I am using Persian standard cups (180 ML) rather than American standard cups (240 ML)- Coat rice cooker with vegetable oil (or canola)- Layer 1/4" Yukon gold potatoe slices on the bottom and sides (you can experiment with slice widths)- Rinse and drain 2 cups jasmine rice until water is clear- Add 80 ML of vegetable oil (or canola), 1 cup of water, and 1.5 tsp of sea salt to rice and mix very well (I use a mixing bowl)- Gently pour rice mixture over potatoes- Add 1.5 cups of water (this brings the total water amount to 2.5 cups) to rice cooker and gently smooth out rice being very careful not to disturb the potatoes- Cover top of cooker with kitchen towel or paper towels and then cover with lid- Set for 60 minutes and forget about it until done- Optional: Bloom 0.5-1 tsp of ground saffron (or a few saffron strands) with 2 tablespoons of hot melted butter (or hot water) and pour over rice after 30-45 minutes- Immediately remove after cooking time and flip over on a serving dish

I have been hedging back and forth on whether to buy this or not and what size I would want. I know how to make Persian rice with tadiq on the stove and this seemed like a lot of money for something I can do, I just don't have the time to do it as often as I like.I finally decided to buy one. I was going to get the 5 cup model, but it is from a third party seller to Amazon and I don't trust those. I think those are the times when people order brand new and get sent used. So, I got the 4 cup model.First use I followed the rice, water, oil and salt ratio in the instruction book using 2 c of Royal Basmati rice and avocado oil with regular table salt. I set the timer to approximately 55min and then kept it on warm for about 10-15min. I am very happy with how it turned out, but next time I won't let it sit in keep warm because some of the rice did seem a bit too soft. Highly recommend! UPDATE: After using this a few times I found that if I soak the rice for an hour first, then the grains get nice and big and fluffy. If I don't soak it, then the rice on the bottom (tadiq) doesn't seem to absorb enough water during the cooking cycle. Tried it today with adding fresh parsley, cilantro and garlic and dried dill and it turned out fantastic.

I'm not the type of guy that leaves 1-star reviews, but I bought this on December 2024. The first couple times I used it, it worked fine. I was very careful to not spill anything on it and always cleaned it as instructed. However, around March 2025, I noticed that the cooking knob had a short in it so I had to monitor the on light, and push the knob in to keep it on. By April 2025, the light would come on but the cooker would not get hot enough to make tahdig, which is kind of the point of a Persian rice cooker.

I didn't think I needed to add yet another rice cooker to my kitchen. Then an interesting article about Persian Tahdig in the L.A. Times Food Section peaked my interest.The article mentioned use of the Pars Rice Cooker as an alternate way to make the recipe. (I should add that I already have both big and small Zojirushi neuro fuzzy rice cookers, plus a microwave-style rice cooker. In a pinch I can make rice the old-fashion way-- Asian and Persian style--using a covered saucepan.)The idea of an 'automatic' tahdig cooker was something I just HAD to try. I learned to make tahdig from Cooks Illustrated, tips from Persian friends, and now from the L.A. Times Food Section. The Pars website was out of stock. I lucked out when I was able to buy a 3 cup cooker on Amazon at a great Warehouse price to try it out.Caveat: Looking at the instructions, it was obvious upfront that it would be necessary to make tahdig several times (3 tries in my case) before finally achieving a golden crusty delicious result.I used its standard rice measurer, the SAME measuring size that comes with Asian rice cookers (1 raw rice cooker cup expands to 1 regular cup of cooked rice). I also used the rice, oil, and salt measurements for the 1 cup preparation since at first I was just testing the quality of the tahdig surface. The measurements for oil are in metric (mm) measurements, but fortunately its rice cup included mm measurements.Skip the instructions that come with the rice cooker, which includes perplexing instructions for first adjusting the dial clockwise, looking for a yellow light to then turn the dial counterclockwise while cooking. (I took off 1 star from the Product Review ONLY for this issue regarding the instructions. It takes a few tries to get it right. Do NOT give up after only 1 or 2 tries!)Instead, adjust the dial ONE time, clockwise to the color desired to the shade shown on the dial. (Ex: the black section WILL produce black-scorched rice), so I dialed up to the most yellow color section of the dial--with pleasing golden cooked results.I NEVER saw the light change from red to yellow, then realized it wasn't necessary to look for a color change of the light. Simply look for the light to turnoff, which signals that the rice is done. To prevent soggy-ness, remove the rice pot once done. Otherwise, the rice will continue to steam, ruining the crispiness of the golden crust.Later I tried making the 2 cup size--which made the tahdig plus a portion of regular rice. The tahdig had same desired results. The regular rice section was acceptable. I would NOT advise trying the 3 cup method. The 3 cup method didn’t allow for enough expansion of the 'upper' rice to keep the grains fluffy and separate.Still, if you’re more interested in the tahdig, then all you need to use is the 1 cup method.(In later use, if I did make 2 cups of rice, then after separating the regular rice from the tahdig rice, I transferred the remaining regular cooked rice into my smaller-size Asian rice cooker—using the quick-cooking rice selection to reheat and add fluffiness to the cooked rice that was in the upper section of the tahdig. Hey...I have a thing for Asian rice, and I have the Asian rice cookers, so that works well for me if I need to reheat the regular rice.)Whether to add rice up front - or - wait to add rice once it comes to a rolling boil: The instructions indicate to add the rice once the water comes to a boil. If I'm standing by the cooker doing other things, I'll add the rice once it's boiling. However, if multi-tasking away from the kitchen, then I’ll add the rice upfront so I don’t forget it. I did not find any discernable difference between the two methods.I'm glad I got it. So glad, that I bought another to send to my tahdig-loving sister! She hasn’t received it yet, but I’m confident she will enjoy using it and presenting nice and easy tahdigs for her future parties.

I absolutely love this rice cooker. It’s been on my wishlist for years and my husband finally bought it for me, but I wish I had gotten it sooner. He originally got the 7 cup one, but you have to cook a minimum of 3 cups, so we returned for the 5 cup, which allows you to cook just 2 cups (dry). Instructions are a bit confusing, but we followed other people in the reviews. Add the water first and bring it to a boil. Wash the rice. Combine the rice, oil, and salt and pour into the water once it’s boiling. Wrap lid with tea towel. Cook for about 50 minutes depending on desired crust.