A rice cooker is a busy cook’s best friend. Not only can it cook perfect steamed white rice, an essential component of chinese cooking, in less than half an hour, but it can also perform a variety of unexpected tasks, resulting in one-pot meals that are a cinch to make.
Rice Cooker Basics
Because a rice cooker does not let as much steam escape as cooking rice on a stovetop, not as much water is required. The usual ratio of rice to water is one part rice to about 1.25 parts water, but check the instructions that come along with the rice cooker. Usually, rice cookers come with a little measuring cup as well as measurements on the side of the rice pot. Simply rinse and drain the rice, add the water, then put the pot into the rice cooker and press the cook button. The rice cooker will automatically keep the rice warm after it is finished cooking.
One-Pot Steamed Chicken Rice
This is an easy meal perfect for students or busy moms. Cook the white rice as usual, but about 15 minutes into the cooking cycle, add some marinated chicken slices (a mixture of oyster sauce, oil and cornstarch works well as a marinade), some chopped ginger root, and a few vegetables on top of the rice. The chicken and vegetables will steam along with the rice and become deliciously tender. Serve the chicken and veggies on top of the rice in bowls, drizzled with lightly sweetened soy sauce.
Note: If you are using larger chunks of chicken with the bone in, it will have to steam longer.
Easy Rice Cooker Risotto
This comforting one pot meal isn’t quite your typical risotto, but it is both hearty and easy to make. Cook the white rice with the usual amount of water, but add a can of creamy soup (any flavor will do). Throw in some vegetables (green peas, carrots, corn, mushrooms, etc…). If using vegetables that become mushy when cooked too long, add them about 15 minutes after the start of the cooking cycle (for leafy greens, stir them in at the end). Stir it all up, and switch on the rice cooker. Stir occasionally while rice cooks. When the cooking cycle is finished, fluff up the rice and serve in bowls for a creamy, comforting, meal.
Other Uses for a Rice Cooker
There are many more rice cooker recipes possible.
A rice cooker is perfect for efficiently boiling a pot of potatoes without taking up a burner on a stove – great for a small apartment. It can also keep a pot of mashed potatoes, pasta, or other food, warm for long periods of time without burning. Dumplings and fish can be steamed either right on top of the rice, or in a steamer basket that often comes with the rice cooker. Eggs can be cracked on top of the rice just after the rice has finished cooking, and with the lid on, will steam gently on the keep-warm setting.
Adventurous cooks will enjoy experimenting by mixing different things with their rice. Pre-soaked lentils, brown or wild rice, or chopped bok choy can all be used to add a little variety to a pot of rice.
Rice cookers are common in Asian, Middle-Eastern and Caribbean households, where they significantly cut down on the amount of work required to cook a meal, and are quickly catching on in Western households. Korean BiBimBap and Chicken Biryani were just a few recipes featured in a 2008 New York Times article “The Steamy Way to Dinner”. Many who own rice cookers swear by them for their ease of use and the time they save. Available at very reasonable prices, rice cookers will not disappoint cooks who decide to experiment with them.
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