I just cooked a pair of tongue-style liners for my Scarpa t2 ecos using the rice method. I much preferred it over the oven method, which I have done several times.
The main advantage is that you don't have to shove a hot, amorphous liner into the boot before stepping in.
This, I believe, was the reason for the rice and some other (hot water, etc.) methods--not just handling a hot, soft, liner but reducing the chance that a fold or wrinkle will be set in. Of course, the convection oven heating was once the standard. Now, it seems, many companies suggest using the vertical ot air blowers, especially, I guess, for the newer hybrid liners (like in my TLT5M and Zzeus boots) that combine strobel construction and firms support areas with moldable areas around the foot and ankles and the newer fully moldable but preformed liners.
