nwmr: anyone use a rice cooker?

groovygrl

tell me your favorite things to make in it & how you like it. I'm a bit intimidated learning to use it but am excited to be able to set the timer to have it cooked when I get home b/c I love rice but never have time after work to cook it.  Also interested in non-rice things that can be made (but not pasta).Thanks!

[Deleted User]

I don't have a rice maker but I have the same issue. Love rice and quinoa but I am hard pressed to make it after work.

It's not as cost effective but I buy Trader Joe's or Birds Eye Steam Fresh microwave rice. It takes 3 minutes. Best timesaver ever.

groovygrl

I also get the tj frozen rice it is awesome for quick rice but am excited about cooking different varieties of rice and in batches where I can use it during the week... Jane i got a zojirushi but there are a lot of them w delay timers I think!!

ricekez

We cook lentils in it sometimes. Pretty much any rice pilaf or rice and lentil dish goes in the rice cooker. It's been a while since I've cooked rice outside of the rice cooker. It'll do oatmeal too, but we haven't tried that yet.

23Tez23

Steel cut oats are amazing in the zojirushi.

Kewii

I had a friend who always used to use her rice cooker to make cake. She brought it to every potluck we had--it was pretty tasty.

DiveFrog

I make all our rice in the microwave. It has a sensor cook setting and always comes out perfectly. Is 20 minutes really too long? I just pop it in first thing and it is ready to go when I've finished cooking the rest of the meal. 

HisChamaoleGirl

We eat calrose medium grain rice with just about evey dinner meal. The best combination we have found is equal parts water and rice. 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water.

[Deleted User]

DiveFrog said:

 Is 20 minutes really too long?

Yes.

DiveFrog

MarlaSinger& said:

DiveFrog said:

 Is 20 minutes really too long?

Yes.

To each their own. The very last thing I need is another kitchen appliance I have to keep on my counter or store in a cabinet and dig out. It seems like one of those things that is great in theory and I would use it for a month straight when I first got it, and then it would be relegated to taking up space on a shelf in my walk in pantry next to the food processor, kitchen aide mixer, immersion blender, crockpot and bread maker. 

[Deleted User]

DiveFrog said:

MarlaSinger& said:

DiveFrog said:

 Is 20 minutes really too long?

Yes.

To each their own. The very last thing I need is another kitchen appliance I have to keep on my counter or store in a cabinet and dig out. It seems like one of those things that is great in theory and I would use it for a month straight when I first got it, and then it would be relegated to taking up space on a shelf in my walk in pantry next to the food processor, kitchen aide mixer, immersion blender, crockpot and bread maker. 

I agree.  I don't even have a food processor or Kitchen Aid mixer.  

My rice takes longer than 20 minutes if I use the stovetop.  I don't use a lot of convenience foods but Birds Eye Steam Fresh Rice is one of my must-haves. 

Ago

Ours is pretty old, but I use it a lot.  It has a steamer basket in the top and I use it to make steamed veggies.  Bonus - super easy to make baby food in!

ss265

When I make rice, I usually make double or triple the portion we need and freeze it in the appropriate serving size. Takes about a minute to microwave and more cost effective than getting the frozen rice from TJ's. Plus I prefer brown rice and hubby refuses to eat it so this way, we can easily have both. 

DiveFrog

socialmediamommy said:

Confession: I f*ck up rice every time I make it - it's either burnt or too soggy or something weird. So I'd totally get a rice cooker if it would ensure my rice came out edible. But we don't really eat rice often enough for that to matter. (But maybe we would if I could cook it correctly!)

This is why I make it in my microwave. The sensor cook rice option. I always screw it up if I have to babysit it on the stove top, and it takes longer on a stove top. But, I can do 1.5 cups in my microwave in 18-20 minutes. and it comes out perfect every single time.

groovygrl

Never heard of the micro sensor cook...just checked mine & don't have anything like that!
Yes 20 min is too long considering it takes another 5-10 to get the water to a simmer, and especially considering I make brown rice which takes more like 30 after getting the water to a simmer...so when you get home at 615 and the rice isn't done until close to 7, that is a problem for me. 

socialmediamommy if you can borrow a rice cooker to try it, you might want to make rice more often- it really is pretty brainless & turns out perfectly. I tried out the delay timer yesterday, it is awesome- you actually set it for the time you want it to be finished cooking, not start so even better! it finished within 2 min of when I set it to...

Agreed on appliances you don't use but if you like rice & just hate the time it takes to cook good rice, it's a good option... I don't use my cuisinart or kitchenaid terribly frequently either but I sure do love them when I do

NADA-H

I got one as a wedding gift, I thought it would be such a time saver but I dread it now and I'm considering selling it. My stove is so darn hot that rice cooks in no time and I end up always grabbing the regular pot and just let the rice cook while I prep the rest of the meal or while I eat dinner so the big rice cooker (HUGE one) is just sitting there eating up space in my very few cabinets in the kitchen and it's not dish washer safe so it adds a hassle that I dont have with regular stainless steel pots. mine is a Black and Decker.

I never made anything but regular short white rice in it and I follow the directions on the manual for water amount.

rodiesmum

I use mine every single day for rice but Noy for anything else. Probably became I'm not as adventurous and my cooker is an old school.

leela02

Short grain Japanese white rice is my favorite 'cause I like my rice on the sticky side. The international supermarket in my area carries it. I also like medium & short grain brown rice. Cooking plain rice in a rice cooker is virtually foolproof so don't worry. I'm lazy (and Asian) so I don't even really measure anything, I just eyeball how much rice I need and measure the water with my finger, and it still comes out perfect. My rice cooker is pretty basic but it lets you select brown or white rice. After the rice is done the cooker stays on warm mode until you turn it off. It also came with a steamer basket for veggies but I haven't tried using the cooker for anything other than rice. My mom makes rice in her cooker and just leaves it on warm for the rest of the day if she is home.

rodiesmum

leela02 said:

Short grain Japanese white rice is my favorite 'cause I like my rice on the sticky side. The international supermarket in my area carries it. I also like medium & short grain brown rice. Cooking plain rice in a rice cooker is virtually foolproof so don't worry. I'm lazy (and Asian) so I don't even really measure anything, I just eyeball how much rice I need and measure the water with my finger, and it still comes out perfect. My rice cooker is pretty basic but it lets you select brown or white rice. After the rice is done the cooker stays on warm mode until you turn it off. It also came with a steamer basket for veggies but I haven't tried using the cooker for anything other than rice. My mom makes rice in her cooker and just leaves it on warm for the rest of the day if she is home.

Haha this is me! Wanted to share eyeballing rice water with a finger but I doubt other posters would understand. I think it is an Asian thing!

groovygrl

LOL actually I have seen the finger method in several places while I have been searching for recipes & info, including in the one cookbook I have- the ultimate rice cooker cookbook. They provide explicit instructions for the finger measuring method . I'm totally not brave enough for that, I would def end up w/ burned up or soggy rice...