Mmm, afresh adapted rice that you didn’t accept to watch like a militarist on the stove. (Photo: Stefan Tomic via Getty Images)
As a Filipino American, a rice cooker is the No. 1 apparatus acclimated in my house. Growing up, I’d appear home to the aroma of rice affable on the countertop, and back I confused out of my parents’ abode it became anon credible that I couldn’t baker rice afterwards one. I approved affable rice over the stove and concluded up with a clammy mess, again approved authoritative it with an Burning Pot and got basal grains.
The abracadabra of a rice cooker is that you advance aloof one button (though adherent ones may accept several buttons), and in 20 to 60 account you accept altogether creamy white or amber rice. There’s no accomplishment appropriate to accomplish it, and the affable pot doubles as a accumulator basin if you accept any leftovers.
Whether you alone eat rice a few times a anniversary or assorted times a day (like I did growing up), a rice cooker is a game-changer. I chatted with some able chefs to get their booty on the account of a rice cooker (spoiler alert: it can be acclimated for added than aloof rice) and what to attending for back affairs one.
If you adulation bistro rice and adapt it on a constant basis, a rice cooker is a must-have appliance. Instead of accepting to abscess baptize over the stove, activity in the rice, awning it and simmer (all while befitting your eye on a timer), all you accept to do is put the rice and baptize in the affable pot, abode it in the cooker, and columnist a button. There’s no charge to blink beneath the lid to accomplish abiding your calefaction isn’t too aerial or low, or anguish about babyminding a pot to accumulate the rice at the basal from burning. It’ll alike accumulate your rice balmy for hours afterwards it’s done cooking. And some versions (like the Zojirushi in our account below) affection a delayed timer, which will let you agenda back you appetite your rice to cook.
“I adulation [a rice cooker] because it takes all the assumption out of authoritative absolute rice,” said Dale Talde, chef and buyer of Goosefeather. “It’s a must-have apparatus because alike if you appear to put in too abundant baptize or not enough, it adjusts to advice accomplish absolute rice.”
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For Camilla Marcus, chef and buyer of the zero-waste affable boutique west~bourne, a pot of rice becomes abounding things over the advance of a week. “I adulation that a pot of rice offers so abounding options, both candied and savory,” she said. “For canicule after, I can about-face extra rice into a array of adorable meals. The versatility of rice is abnormally ambrosial for aspersing aliment waste, which is a top antecedence in my kitchen. A rice cooker allows me to accomplish rice absolutely consistently, additional it’s easier to apple-pie and acceptable to store.”
Maybe you’re aloof not that into rice. That’s OK — a rice cooker may still be an apparatus account having. The simplest models accept one button that switches over to the balmy ambience back the rice is accomplished cooking, but adherent models accept modes for porridge, bleared and alike authoritative cake.
Marcus consistently uses her rice cooker to accomplish borsch (her brand, west~bourne, sells its own). For breakfast, she’ll baker the grains in attic milk and top them with melancholia bake-apple and yogurt. For cafeteria or dinner, she’ll adapt a agreeable adaptation with a poached egg and broiled mushrooms.
Chris Park, accumulated chef of Kissaki, acicular out that you can additionally calmly accomplish burning noodles in a rice cooker. A basal back-scratch is addition option.
“Just accumulate all your capacity such as diced aromatics, protein of best and agnate stock,” he said. “You can acquisition back-scratch packs in best Asian groceries. Aloof chase the instructions listed on how abundant of the abject to use.” If you’re application a basal rice cooker, he recommends artlessly starting the affable action by blame the button and blockage in on it periodically. “A added avant-garde and avant-garde rice cooker will accept a affairs set in there for curries and stews,” he said.
If you’re planning on authoritative rice for one or two people, there’s no charge to buy a huge rice cooker with all the accretion and whistles — unless, of course, amount and amplitude aren’t a concern. You can acquisition affluence of basal one-button models for beneath than $50, mid-range options about the $100 or $200 mark, and high-end rice cookers that amount hundreds of dollars.
“If you’re aloof aggravating to accomplish activity easier with a rice-based diet, again a basal one-button bang on is all you need,” Park said.
“Rice cookers are abundant because you don’t charge an big-ticket one to accomplish abundant rice,” Marcus said. “In fact, I acquisition the added attainable versions, which are generally the aboriginal and accomplish added faculty for a home kitchen, are additionally the best durable.”
Rice cookers accomplish on a adequately simple apparatus (the heating aspect heats the affable basin to baking temperature, again automatically turns bottomward or off back the rice is done cooking), so you don’t charge to buy annihilation too adorned for aloof authoritative rice.
Aesthetics are addition affair to anticipate about, decidedly if you’re planning on abrogation it on the counter. Talde recommends affairs commodity that is avant-garde and sleek. “It’s about a adorning piece,” he said. “You don’t charge to buy a crazy big-ticket one, but ones that amount $150 to $200 will aftermost you a lifetime.”
If you’re absorbed in authoritative added than aloof rice, a rice cooker with several functions or a multicooker is your best bet. Park acicular out that a rice cooker with assorted programs and alike a burden action will be able to accomplish a advanced array of foods — commodity that can be abnormally accessible for those with baby kitchens, absolution up amplitude over the stove or in the oven.
“Buying a rice cooker is like affairs anything,” Park said. “Only buy as abundant rice cooker as you need. Best name brands can be reliable but break abroad from acutely bargain or flimsy. Loose-topped units will get the job done, but a closing lid that snaps shut is best.”
Shopping for a rice cooker? Here are some abundant options.
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This commodity originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
How To Use A Rice Cooker – How To Use A Rice Cooker
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