Rice sold in Europe and a rice cooker?

Can rice sold in Europe (parboiled, basmati, brown rice etc.) be cooked well in a rice cooker made in Japan? What does this taste like?
I'm going back home soon, and there is no chance to buy real Japanese rice there.
I'm planning to buy a rice cooker/overseas model. Is this a good idea?
Appreciate your help.

Hello Francesca,

yes, they will work well, too. You might have to adjust the correct amount of water slightly, but that'll be easy enough to find out. As for the brown rice, there should even be a special menu setting or button, Œº•Ä.

However, how sure are you that there won't be any Japanese rice available? You didn't write where you're from, but in general, it is available from Asia stores - normally marked as "sushi rice" (don't know why).
If all else fails, rice used for rice pudding will also do the trick, as well as risotto rice.

Kai

Which country do you live in? Europe is kinda big...Anyway I brought my parents a rice cooker (theyre in the UK) and they havent looked back since. They use it for plain american longgrain and basmati and it turns out beautifully. We bought the rice cooker in the UK. In fact ive just made onigiri with sushi rice that I bought in Sainsburys, they were quite good :)

I use my rice cooker for all sorts of grains , like barley, millet etc. and to cook vegetables or even cook boneless chicken I place on uncooked rice..You just got to experiment!

Hello Francesca,
In Vercelli area (Northern Italy) akitakomachi rice is cultivated. Also Italian Arborio and Baldo rice varieties should be similar to Japanese ones.

If you ever do want to buy Japanese rice and live in England or Europe, then try buying it from Japan Centre. (www.japancentre.com)

Like someone else said, Akita Komachi is grown in Italy and in Spain. The kind I have is the Spanish kind, but I guess I prefer the Italian kind.