Switched back to plain old Morton's after realizing the fancy stuff was just pretty.

Your wheat paste went bad mid-application? That is a straight up nightmare and I cannot believe you had to strip the whole text block because of it. I would have sat down on the floor and questioned all my life choices right there in the kitchen. As for paste versus PVA, I keep both around but paste only gets used when I want that old look and I mix it fresh the same day, never store it. PVA wins for anything I actually want to hold together and not turn into a jellyfish.

A bamboo steamer basket isn't the same thing as a rice cooker, so the texture change is probably coming from how you cook it now, not the basket itself. Steaming rice works because the steam heat is even and the water drips away, but you have to soak the rice first and line the basket or it sticks and cooks uneven. A rice cooker just holds a temp and shuts off, so it's more of a set it and forget it deal. If the steamed version tastes better to you that's real, but it's the method doing the work. A cheap pot with a lid and a strainer can get you the same result if you ever want the stove space back.