Super-cheap, super-convenient rice-cooking mug is a new kitchen gadget all-star from 3 Coins

A perfectly cooked single-serving of rice with just this mug and a microwave, no rice cooker needed.

Japanese lifestyle brand 3 Coins gets its name from the fact that most of its items are priced at just 300 yen (US$2.15), meaning that you can pay for them with three 100-yen coins. Just like with 100 yen stores, though, some of 3 Coins’ wares carry a slightly higher price. We were willing to drop a few more coins, though, when we found out about a very convenient handy kitchen gadget that 3 Coins is selling for 550 yen (US$3.95).

It’s called the Kitinto One-Person Rice-cooking Mug, and though it looks like a lidded coffee cup at first glance, what it’s really for is making rice, and it lets you make a single-person serving in the microwave, with no dedicated rice-cooking appliance required.

The mug can be used to cook 150 grams (5.3 ounces) of rice, and after adding the uncooked grains you first attach the outer lid only.

▼ The outer lid

The outer lid’s slats let you pour in water to wash the rice, and also let you drain the water off without worrying about accidentally pouring out any rice. Once the rice is washed, remove the outer lid, add water up to the making on the inside of the cup, and then attach the inner lid first, and the outer lid on top of it.

▼ Diagrammed steps showing the outer lid (外蓋) and inner lid (内蓋)

3 Coins then says to let the rice soak in the water for 20 to 30 minutes (20 minutes in summer and 30 in winter), then put the mug in the microwave to cook for 10 minutes. Once that time is up, take the mug out and let it sit for 20 minutes to finish steaming, and when you open up the lid, you’ll have a cup full of freshly cooked rice!

The rice is soft, fluffy, and flavorful, on-par with what the results we get from making rice in a rice cooker.

From start to finish, it takes about an hour to make rice with 3 Coins’ mug, so you’re not really saving a whole lot of time. If you’re just making a single serving, though, there’s a lot less to wash, since the mug is compact and has just three parts, and while we decided to be classy and transfer our rice into a bowl before eating, you could actually just eat right out of the mug, giving you even one fewer thing to wash. The Kitinto One-Person Rice-cooking Mug is also a fraction of the price of a dedicated rice cooker, which can easily cost over 10,000 yen, so if you’re looking to set up a home kitchen on a budget or without a lot of counter space, this lets you opt for just a microwave. It’s a great portable option too, since it allows you to cook rice anywhere you’ve got access to a microwave, and the single-person portion means that you’ll won’t have to worry about storing leftovers.

▼ You can also use the mug to cook takikomigohan, rice dishes where additional ingredients and seasonings are cooked together with the rice.

So while the 550 yen price tag means the Kitinto can’t be bought for 3 Coins’ regular price, we think it’s definitely worth the five and a half coins they’re asking for it, and it can be ordered online here.

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Diagram: 3 Coins
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