In many Korean families, a rice cooker is one of the must-have items, as
rice is the principle staple food across the nation. In the past,
people used to cook rice in a large cast iron pot, but those pots have
now been replaced with electric rice cookers.
A few decades ago,
many Koreans bought so-called “elephant rice cookers” made by a
Japanese company whenever they had a chance to go overseas. For them, it
was an object of envy. Nowadays, however, such phenomena no longer
exist, as a rising domestic star has been able to carve out a niche for
itself in the global rice-making market.
This is the Cuckoo rice cooker, designed, fabricated and sold by Cuckoo Electronics of Korea.
The
higher-end models can speak to their users and can cook rice
specifically to meet the chef's needs. Differentiating between brown
rice and white rice, all Cuckoo rice cookers feature a special
technology that can maintain perfect heat and humidity levels to help
preserve the cooked rice. Cuckoos can also be used to make rice
porridge, rice cake and even rice bread. Thanks to the rice cooker,
people can also make bread and cakes with flour, as well as some tougher
dishes, such as
samgyetang, a chicken soup with ginseng, or
galbijjim, steamed beef ribs, simply by pressing a button.
Cuckoo
Electronics’ market share in the Korean rice cooker market reached 70
percent in 2013, with its sales recording KRW 508.7 billion that year.
Since 2001, when Cuckoo first entered the U.S. market, Cuckoo rice
cookers have been exported to nearly 30 countries, including the U.S.,
China, Vietnam and Russia. The firm has 800 shops in China alone and
runs direct warranty service centers and sales networks across Southeast
Asia, including in Vietnam and Myanmar, hoping to expand its customer
base.
Cuckoo rice cookers enjoy popularity in Vietnam, where they're seen as high-quality, high-feature kitchen appliances.
A PR event is held to promote Cuckoo rice cookers in Vietnam.
It
is easy to spot Asian tourists looking for Cuckoo rice cookers in the
duty free shops and department stores of Korea. Equipped with liquid
crystal display screens, some Cuckoo rice cookers also offer voice and
language services in their export destination's native language, where
the rice cooker makes announcements when the rice is done. They can also
be specialized for the local cuisine or varieties of rice found in that
country.
To meet its customers’ tastes, ahead of the January
2014 lunar new year "Golden Week," one of the largest national holidays
in China, Cuckoo introduced its CRP-HT1085F model, only available in
red, one of the preferred colors of Chinese consumers. In fact, during
the seven day-long National Day "Golden Week," which began October 1,
2013, Chinese tourists who visited Korea showed a strong interest in
Korean rice cookers. During the holiday, sales of Korean rice cookers
and other related white goods recorded about a 140 percent increase over
the same time period from the year before.
The popularity of
Cuckoo rice cookers is attributed to the firm’s efforts at localizing
its technology to meet its customers’ needs. The company doesn't only
have its rice cookers talk, but it also provides recipes and automated
cooking features for that country's cuisine.
Researchers at Cuckoo Electronics examine the cooked rice from a Cuckoo rice cooker.
For
example, when Chinese or Russian chefs place the necessary ingredients
in their rice cooker, select the menu option and press the button, the
rice cooker sets the appropriate time and pressure at which to start
cooking. With automated menu functions, it lets users make Chinese style
rice porridge, or
congee, which has more water than Korean-style porridges, or any one of many Russian dishes.
In
the case of the Cuckoo rice cooker export model for Vietnam, Vietnamese
users can make many kinds of steamed dishes, as the rice cooker has
various functions for steamed local recipes. For families that consume
Annam rice, especially in Indonesia or Vietnam, Cuckoo rice cookers are
now equipped with technology that can reduce the stickiness of the rice
when cooked. It can also control the temperature of cooked rice by
considering the average temperature and humidity of the ambient air, as
well as other environmental aspects.
Recently, Cuckoo
Electronics introduced multi cookers in European markets where people do
not necessarily eat rice as a staple. The Europe-bound rice cookers
allow people to make many steamed items, deep fried items, and even
roasted dishes, as this machine is equipped with extra cooking
functions. In light of these features, Cuckoo multi cookers are under
the spotlight in Russia, Spain and other European countries.
Cuckoo’s efforts to meet the tastes of the world continue to evolve.
Cuckoo multi cookers are on display at a white goods shop in Russia.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr