Perfect Rice

This is an excellent recipe for Dijon chicken, five stars for sure!Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons cornstarch
A pinch of pepper

First wash the chicken and pat it dry.  Next you will want to place the chicken in the crock pot.  Combine the other ingredients together, then spoon them over the chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Crock pot Dijon chicken should serve about four.

Here’s an awesome recipe for oriental chicken!Ingredients:

1 onion (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1 ½ cups of rice
1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
1 6 oz. can chicken
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts
1 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms
½ cup butter

First mix the ingredients together in a rice cooker.  Set the rice cooker to “cook”.  When the rice cooker goes off the dish should be done, but check it yourself.  The easiest way to tell whether the dish is done is to taste the rice and ensure its texture is not grainy.  Simple and easy!  (Serves 4-6)

Any chef knows that chopping can take a good deal of time. In fact, even noted television chef Rachael Ray has acknowledged this fact. Her “30-minute recipes” have received a lot of criticism for taking more than the allotted half an hour. When directly asked about this issue, she confessed that the time did not account for preparation, which includes…you guessed it…chopping vegetables.

Hand chopping vegetables, however, is not only time consuming. It can also be dangerous. Especially if you’re trying to do something quickly, using a knife to chop can result in nicked fingers or serious cuts. That’s why every fully stocked kitchen should be outfitted with a high quality vegetable chopper. It could just save your fingertips!

Cooking can be a real time sink. A sit-down, family meal can take upwards of two hours to prepare. With only a few precious hours after work, not a lot of people have that kind of time to spare night in and night out. But there is a somewhat unlikely solution in the slow cooker.

Don’t be fooled by the name, slow cookers can be a great way to save you time. Sometimes known as a crock pot, these devices are perfect for making large stews, soups, ribs, or any other number of hearty meals. Just throw the materials in the pot, and walk away for hours at a time. When you return, you’ll have a delicious meal, full of soft veggies and tender meat.

If you’re always short on time, chop the ingredients the night before. Throw them in the pot in the morning, and let them stew all day while you’re at work. (They are safe to leave on for many hours at a time. But if they are going to be unattended, make sure the pot isn’t pushed up against anything.) When you get home, you’ll have your meal ready to serve. Freeze the leftovers for additional time saving.

Rice cookers are very versatile appliances.  They can steam vegetables, seafood and chicken, boil eggs, and cook oatmeal and other cereals and grains.  A rice cooker can either shut off or keep the food warm after it has finished cooking.

Rice cookers save time and effort because a pot on the stove does not have to be watched closely—usually they include an alarm that can be set for a time increment.  This appliance does not take up much space, and some of them come with detachable electrical cords for portability.  For convenience, low-effort cooking, and as a starter kitchen appliance, it is hard to beat a rice cooker!

Chopping mats or cutting boards are an important part of food preparation and cooking.  There are many variables in chopping mats and cutting boards, and which are best are a matter of debate.  Some cooks prefer wood materials, others synthetic.  Thickness, size (not only of the mat or board, but of the kitchen itself), shape, style, and cost are all factors to consider when choosing your chopping mats or cutting boards.  Some like the styles that fit over a sink or that have grooves around the edges to catch excess juices from the food, while others do not.

Many cooks feel it is more sanitary and healthy to use separate mats for chopping meats and vegetables to prevent cross-contamination.  This is up to the individual cook.  Whatever you prefer, there are chopping mats to be found to suit your culinary likes and dislikes.

Perfect Rice might have the perfect kitchen appliance for you.  The Chef Stir Pan offers complete hands-free cooking, allowing you the freedom to stir fry, sauté, simmer, and slow cook. 

With features that optimize stir control and uniform cooking, the nonstick Chef Stir Pan even has an air circulation and emissions feature for safety.    Several of this stir cooker’s key components are dishwasher safe, and it even comes with a cookbook.

Approximate cooking time:  20 minutes
Approximate advance preparation time:   20 minutes
Serves: 4Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni pasta
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1-1/2 cups shredded mixed cheeses (mild and Vermont cheddar, mozzarella, and fontina)
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Place pasta and liquids into rice cooker.  Close lid and press cook.  When pasta goes to keep warm, add the other ingredients, stir with paddle. Close lid and keep on warm till ready to serve. If a larger serving is desired, go ahead and double or triple this recipe…however, when adding the cheese, you may need to add an additional 1/2 cup of liquid if the pasta is not thoroughly cooked, and press cook again.

Rice cookers are typically used for the preparation of plain or lightly seasoned rice, but more elaborate recipes are possible using a rice cooker, and there are cookbooks devoted entirely to dishes prepared using a rice cooker. One of the more unexpected dishes that can be made in a rice cooker is a beef stew. By simply adding ingredients and setting it to “warm”, a rice cooker would cook that at about 150°F. In a few hours, the stew is fully cooked and ready to eat.

Some rice cookers are designed to accommodate a basket above the rice. This basket is generally used to steam vegetables, holding them in the steam coming off the rice. Most types of dumpling and buns can also be cooked this way.

Here’s a great recipe for making soup in a crock pot.  It tastes great and is worth a try:

Ingredients
-   3 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
-   4 tablespoons onion, minced
-   10 1/2 ounces can cream of potato soup
-   2 cups milk
-   8 ounces American cheese
-   1 cup wild rice, cooked according to pkg.
 
Directions
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon for 3-4 minutes or until slightly browned.

Add onions and sauté until onions are light brown in color and bacon is crisp. Remove onion and bacon and drain off excess bacon drippings. Set aside.

Prepare rice, instant or uncooked.

Add soup, milk, rice, cheese & bacon mixture. Simmer until cheese melts, approximately 10-12 minutes. If needed, thin with additional milk to appropriate consistency.