Perfect Rice

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!

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.

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.

Brown rice is simply white rice that has not had the brown-colored bran covering removed. So brown rice is considered a whole grain. Why remove the bran? Because most people prefer white rice since it is fluffier and cooks faster than brown.Since brown rice still has the bran intact, it has more fiber than white rice. One cup of brown rice has 3 1/2 grams of fiber while the same amount of white rice has less than one gram of fiber. We all need from 25 to 38 grams of fiber in our diet everyday.

Brown rice also contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc. White rice has reduced levels of these nutrients, but is often fortified with iron, and some B vitamins. Both can be readied in electric rice cookers.

One of the staples of the Mexican-American restaurant is the ever-popular Spanish Rice.  Making it isn’t too difficult.  All you’ll need is the following ingredients:

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-2 cup long grain rice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1/2-1 small onion, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons cumin
2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 cup water, boiled

Cook 2 cups of rice in a rice cooker.  Once it’s done, let it cool for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, fry rice in oil until slightly golden, about 3-5 minutes.

Add salt, cumin, onion and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomato, tomato paste and boiling water. This should boil almost immediately; turn down heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 mins, or until water has evaporated.

Simularities

Both require a liquid for the rice to absorb.

Differences

Cooking rice in a Rice cooker

• Shuts off autmatically when liquid is absorbed.
• Come in many sizes, from some that cook a few cups of rice to ones that can make enough for a restaurant.
• Forms a slight crust on bottom
• Drier, fluffier rice is produced

Cooking Rice in a Steamer.

• Slightly less liquid is required
• More time is required to cook rice.
• Rice and liquid are placed in a rice bowl, which is set inside the steamer.
• Need to set a timer to shut off.
• Rice bowls are small so limited to quanities
• Does not form a crust on bottom
• Moister rice is produced

 A nice rice side dish for fish or chicken.

1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
4 oz. feta cheese crumbled
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper

Combine rice, broth, and water in your rice cooker. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  The ‘cook and hold’ style rice cooker will switch over to warm setting and chime when ready.  The ’steam type’ cooker, set timer to 20 minutes and check.  The time depends on the type of rice used in recipe.  Brown rice takes longer than most white and converted rices.

Heat oil in large skillet.  Saute onion, mushrooms and garlic until onion is tender.  Stir in lemon juice and oregano. Add cooked rice, spinach and feta cheese; season with pepper.  Toss lightly until spinach is wilted and rice is heated through.
Garnish with roasted red pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

These are more additive than potato chips.

I use my Oster Steamer/Rice cooker for this recipe, but a rice cooker with a steaming tray will work just as well. Place a layer of small new potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter( scrubbed and unpeeled) in the the steamer basket.  Filling the water resevoir that goes underneath this basket, and replace basket on the steamer. Cover.

Set the timer for about 20 minutes. Test when time is up. If potatoes are not completely cooked, simply allow to steam a little longer with lid on.

If using a rice cooker with the tray, add about 3 cups of water to rice pot, place tray in cooker and arrange the layer of new potatoes on tray and replace cover.Turn on the rice cooker, and start timing from the time water starts to boil. Takes about 20 minutes as well.  If all the water evaporates add more water to pot to increase steam time if needed.

Put cooked potatoes in a serving bowl and serve hot with butter, a little salt and pepper.

OR

Steamed New Potatoes with Butter and Parsley.

Mix 2tbs. mellted butter/olive oil with 1 tsp. lemon juice, add 2 tbl. chopped fresh parsley.  Pour over the potatoes in serving bowl, toss to coat and see if you can eat just one. 

A slightly chewy textured side dish with a pleasant combination of sweetness ( barley) and bitterness (Wild rice).
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Provides 7 gms protein, 6 gm of fiber, 17 mg calcium, 0 mg cholesterol, 233 calories  (66 from fat), 591 mg sodium if 1tsp salt
added.

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinced
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley, rinced

3 cups water
1 tsp salt optional, I didn’t use any
fresh ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium/high heat.
Add shallots,garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Mixture should be well coated with oil.
Add wild rice and barley, continue to saute until barley looks toasted and wild rice becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Put mixture into a rice cooker. I used the Oster Rice Cooker
Add water, pepper and salt.  Turn cooker on.
When the rice cooker shuts off or switches to warm cycle check to see if grains are tender.
If not, add a little more water and let cook a little longer.
When done, fluff  and serve hot.

Just a thought:
 I don’t see why you couldn’t use 3 cups of stock instead of water. I would leave out the salt then as well, because most stocks have sodium.

 I was going over the internet to find a great deal on rice cooker, I noticed that all of them tell the same with regards to the quality of their products which I thought as biased way to promote their product and then the truth in advertising comes in my mind.So I think a better way to compare the competitiveness of each product is to search for independent reviews from actual consumers, like in my case, I searched the net for rice cooker reviews and came up with so many views and opinions that helped me in making the right choice.