How good is cheesy rice tho

I’ve been loving my rice cooker. Between that and the air fryer it makes it super easy to prepare work-from-home lunches without having to do much of anything at all.

It’s a little Cuckoo 6-cup pressure rice cooker, which is the perfect size for me. And, look, probably the perfect size for anyone unless you have a massive family. I don’t know why rice cookers are always so enormous.

I’ll usually throw in a bit of seasoning, some msg, assorted herbs, bit of chilli depending on my mood, then put some marinated chicken in the air fryer, pop some some steamed veg on, and voila! It’s a low effort meal, and I can keep working at my desk while it cooks. It’s healthy and tasty, and one of my go-to CBF food strategies.

But today I was feeling a bit of a malaise. I didn’t just want rice and chicken, I wanted something more. Something extravagent. Something with a bit of fat to it, actually.

So when the rice cooker finished I had the genius idea to grate a bit of cheese into it, and stir it through. With a bit of parsley, some chicken salt, a springle of MSG you get cheesy rice! Fucking brilliant.

Continental  Cheesy Rice

There used to be a Continental cheesy rice sachet thing I loved when I was a kid. I haven’t had it for decades so I had no idea if they still do it. The real thing was a surprise I didn’t know I needed, but I was curious so I googled it. And what the controversy!

The product is still listed on the Continental website, but the product reviews section is abuzz with activity. Lucy says:

This is my sons favourite food! I add garlic and ginger to spice it up and we love it! We have it at least twice a week. Please tell me you will never discontinue this product! I have just found out woolworths will no longer be selling this product. I am so disappointed. It looks like Coles still sell it so they will become my new weekly shopping destination.

To which the team at Continental replied:

Hi there, Lucy! We are glad that your family are enjoying our Cheesy rice. The team will be thrilled to hear this feedback and rest assured this will be noted for future product development. This has been deleted in Woolies and Coles, but you may still find this in IGA. Hope this helps!

Deleted in Woolies and Coles! I don’t know how Lucy will be able to rest assured about that.

I can’t say I’m hugely surprised it’s disappearing, given the explosion of the more convenient pouch- and microwaveable-rice segment. But the loyal Cheesy Rice consumers are not to be underestimated. Zarli says:

I have been eating cheesy rice for at least 7 years and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I have it with creamy garlic prawns , chicken wedges , any other meal , on a sandwhich , by itself. I might turn into a cheesy rice if I keep going but please never stop making cheesy rice it’s the best thing ever

One thing is clear, the fans will be devastated when this made-in-Australia staple of ’90s pantries finally stops production. I might pop down to IGA and see if I can hunt down a packet for old time’s sake. Bit of weird food nostalgia.

That said, one reviewer wasn’t happy with the product at all. Phil gave it a scathing 1 out of 5 stars, saying “Not very cheesy.”

“The previous packs from last year were 100% better”