My husband thinks that if he puts his dirty laundry in the hamper, it magically comes out clean and folded. He swears it’s magic. He is also convinced he saw Bigfoot one time.
I want MY magic machine that does all the work for me and results in a perfect product every time. What? Can you hear that in the distance? It sounds like angels singing! It….it must be…ITS A RICE COOKER! Few things in my kitchen get as much use as my rice cooker. It has produced hundreds of batches of brown, white, long, short, jasmine, and wild grains without a single hiccup. This truly is the fork fluffed life.
Sure, you could take some dehydrated product from a box and boil it for a minute. You could also take a plastic bag filled with “rice” and a bunch of chemicals, preservatives, and who knows what else, and then attack it with microwaves until it is warm enough to soften. Who wants to feed that to their family? It can be quite expensive to save 15 minutes…
Here are a few important attributes to look for when buying a rice cooker:
- Make sure your rice cooker has options that you are comfortable with. There are many options ranging from a simple lever to Bluetooth connectivity that syncs with your phone. For my money, simple is usually better.
- Ensure your rice cooker has simple instructions so you can measure the water to rice ratio. Different rice calls for different amounts of water (or broth). Mine has graduations on the inside of the cooking pot to make it simple.
- Make sure the cooking pot is heavy duty and non-stick. The last thing you want is to buy a brand new machine after a short time because the coating is coming off, or the pot is warped.
- Clear glass top with a vent is a must. Do not buy a cooker that requires you to take off the lid to look at the rice. Some rice has more starch than other types, and this can result in an opaque geyser of sticky rice juice. Make sure the lid vent has a small cover or is in a place where you could easily place a cover over it.
While not a requirement, some great bonus features of a great rice cooker are: stay-warm functions, delay-start mode, and an insulated lid to hold in the steam. Any good rice cooker should let you turn it on and walk away, providing perfect rice every time. Make sure there are redundant safety systems to shut off the machine if you forget you are cooking!
Now that you know how to select a rice cooker you’re ready to cook perfect rice every time with no fuss or worry.
-Janine
Are you adventurous with your rice cooker? Share some of your recipes and tips or tricks you have learned.
