I can’t have rice week without talking about a controversial topic–rice cookers.
“What’s wrong with a stove and a pot?” the anti-rice cooker people sneer. “It’s not that hard to make rice. I’ve been making it since I was 9 years old.” Others state their aversion to appliances that only do one thing.
To them I say, “go ahead and use your pot. As for me and my house, we will use a rice cooker.”
You can call me lazy. I don’t mind. While I can make rice with a pot and a stove, I prefer not to. When I make rice, I am normally making some type of stew or stir fry that requires at least one of the burners, sometimes several, and paying attention. My rice cooker allows me to set it and forget it while I work on the rest of dinner and frees up a bit of space on the stove. In addition, you can use it for much more than rice.
I had a nice large one, but it went kaput. When I had a large version, I used to put kale and beets in the top basket and it would steam the vegetables as the rice cooked, also flavoring (and coloring) the rice a pretty pink from the beets. You can also use it for many types of grains and if you’re still not convinced there’s a whole book that gives tons of recipes that you can make in the rice cooker: The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook – Rev: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings, and More.
Now I have a small one that makes enough rice for the two of us with plenty for leftovers. It was a cheapie but works just fine–although the “keep warm” runs a bit hot so I usually unplug it once it’s done rather than rely on it to keep the rice warm while the rest of dinner finishes up.
Tips for if you DO want to make rice in a pot . . .
Measure rice and water into the pot; bring to a boil; turn down to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until all the water is absorbed.
- White rice takes 15-20 minutes; 1 cup of long-grain white rice to 1 1/2 cups of water; 1 cup of short-grain white rice absorbs 1 cup and 2 Tbsp.
- Brown rice takes 40 minutes; 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water
- consider adding a tsp of butter and a pinch of salt for flavoring and to help keep it from sticking together.
- let the cooked rice rest 5-10 minutes before fluffing.
What’s your preferred rice-cooking method: rice cooker or pot?
Interesting post! I received a rice cooker as a wedding shower gift. I returned it because a) I thought cooking rice on the stove worked just fine and b) I didn’t want to store one more small appliance. Since then, I’ve heard a few people raving about their rice cookers and I’ve wondered if I made a mistake. So far, my stove-top cooked rice has been working just fine, though.
I got my first rice cooker as a wedding gift… before that I made it in a pot on the stove and couldn’t justify spending the money… 6 years later, I’m a converted rice cooker person. I love how easy it is to forget it and let it cook on the counter while I’m busy doing other things over the stove.
I can honestly say that I pretty much stink at making rice on the stove-top now… (learned that after my wedding gift broke and didn’t have one for a month or two.)
Hmmm…I was gifted a rice cooker without an owner’s manual. I’ve experimented with it a bit (after a fruitless search for a manual online) and had disasterous and decent results. Of course, since I only cook rice once every couple of months or so, I can’t remember how I did the “decent” rice.
I’m just going to go ahead and admit it, I am horrible at making rice on the stove top. I’m a decent cook and I’ve read every single tip in the book about how to make it come out right and without burning to the bottom of the pot, but none of it works for me. So, I gave up and ordered a rice cooker and I JUST got it in the mail today! Hopefully I have better results with it than on the stove. Plus, I was completely drawn to the other features, like being able to steam veggies while rice cooks. Huge benefit if you ask me!