As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Anyone have a rice cooker?
I am thinking about purchasing a rice cooker.
But, I am clueless about them and I am hoping someone can give me advice about what to look for in a good rice cooker.
I don't want to spend a small fortune. I know that there is a wide price range with them!
Thanks in advance for any info!
Trust me. Spend a wad of money on a "fuzzy logic" rice cooker. DH got us a Zojirushi one from his work rewards program which cost us nothing but retailed at the time for about $200.
It is unbelievably easy to use and truly does make perfect rice of any kind every time. You can also set it to start your rice at a particular time. Keeps it perfectly at serving temp for ip to 12 hours, too.
When we got it, I already had a little one I'd paid about $20 for which was okay but only cooked rice for a given amount of time. If the rice was left much past when done, it would be overcooked. Strictly a cook-and-use-immediately one. I soon goodwilled that one after trying the Zojirushi a few times since it would even adjust cooking time automatically if your rice was very fresh or old and a bit dry so as to give you perfect rice every time. Brown, white, mixed rice, rice porridge--no matter. Just dump in the rice with the included measuring cup, add water to the line mark for whatever type you were making, close lid and push the start button. That simple!
A rice paddle is included, and the kettle is super easy to remove and wash. Has a non-stick surface which the cheap one did not.
As a result, I recommend a Zojirushi without any reservation. One may seem awfully expensive, but they are sooooo worth the cost.
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I'm on a mobile or would link to Amazon to the listing of the model we have. Here's its model number to plug into the search if you want to see what ours is like. Zojirushi NS-ZCC10
We've had it for over ten years and used it daily, sometimes twice a day, up until two years ago when health issues caused us both to quit eating rice. I've read reviews saying people have used one of this brand for 15-20 years with no problems.
We could likely have gotten by with a 3-cup model, but I'm glad we got the 5-1/2 instead as I found making extra was great for making fried rice the next day. Fried rice is much better when made with day-old rice that's dried out slightly.
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Dot - are you able to do other grains in your rice cooker?
I have also read that you can do other things like boiled eggs in the cooker as well?
Have you done anything other than rice in your cooker?
Curious, I just looked through the instruction manual which says nothing about using it to cook anything but rice.
I'd be fearful that it either wouldn't cook other foods properly or that its "fuzzy brain" might be messed up by a food that hadn't the characteristics of rice. It is specifically designed to cook rice.
A rice cooker is likely a luxury appliance for anyone who doesn't cook a pot of rice once or more daily, so I can understand the urge to try using it to cook other foods. If that's why someone is wondering if it will cook other things, then I'd recommend buying a cheap one which is basically a small lidded kettle over an electric element that operates for a set amount of time and shuts off automatically. Except, since they're timed to cook rice, I shouldn't think one would cook other foods at all well. At least, if attempting to do so caused a boilover that ruined the element, it wouldn't be such a waste of money.
Because they're so costly, a fuzzy logic rice cooker is only practical, IMO, if you cook rice daily or need to keep it ready to eat for several hours as we used to do.
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Last edited by Her Dotness; 01-10-2016 at 10:47 AM..
Pfft, you do NOT need to spend $200 on a rice cooker.
I have a little 6cup cooked Oster rice cooker with steamer basket and it works just fine. Currently going on amazon for ~$20.
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No one says you need to, of course. A less expensive one may be good enough for someone who makes rice occasionally.
However, the fuzzy logic cookers are well worth their cost, IMO, for anyone eating rice daily. As I said above, they are fantastic at keeping rice at serving temp for hours with no difference in texture from rice that's just finished cooking.
The $20 rice cooker I had made okay rice, but it would get crusts around the sides if I attempted to keep it warm for any length of time. I never ever had anything but soft, moist rice of perfect serving consistency come out of the Zojirushi when it had been kept warm from lunch to dinner or even all day.
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Last edited by Her Dotness; 01-12-2016 at 12:19 PM..
How many people are you cooking for? Is it just for your family? For the past 20 years, I've been using a microwave rice cooker that cost me about $15. It's never let me down. I put one cup of rice and 2 cups of water in it. Set in the microwave and go. Perfect rice every time. And it's easy to clean. It's similar to this :
I have the cheapo $20. one. I restrict carbs so don't use if very often anymore butt it was well used when the kids were here. I think it is quick and much easier than cooking rice on the stove. I have done brown rice and quinoa in it.
If I didn't have a rice cooker, I would start with the $20. model, See how often you use it and if it is something you use several times a week you can always upgrade. If not, the basic one is fine.
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Yep mine was a around $20, and it steams veggies, etc. too. I use it about once a week, and my rice turns out perfect. I make what we'll eat, so I've never had a problem with any crusting, etc. from rice sitting in it. When I have had any leftover rice, it's been just fine.
We have an Aroma rice cooker that we've had for at least 5 years. It probably cost about $20.
It gets used about once a week and it has never failed us. We put the flavoring right in the cooker. Family favorites are white rice with cut limes and cilantro, brown rice with salsa, and just plain sticky rice.
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