Consider the humble rice cooker – Gadget clack

As I’ve mentioned before, the kitchen in my apartment is TINY. Tiny enough that pack rat me must be ruthless about the kitchen gadgets I keep around taking up space. So far, I have managed to forgo a blender, a Cuisinart, a pasta machine and many other handy machines. I don’t think I would use them enough to merit the cabinet space they would consume.

But my wee little 3-cup rice cooker? You can pry it from my cold, dead hands. (Though if someone wants to buy me this cute little fuzzy logic rice cooker, I won’t say no!)

I’ve heard that one can cook rice on the stovetop, or even in the oven, but nothing beats a rice cooker for convenience. I never worry about my rice burning on the bottom of the pot. I can walk away from it and turn my attention to the other components of my meal, and in less than 30 minutes (for white rice), my rice is ready to serve.

Even these simple 3-cup rice cookers aren’t just for white rice anymore. They can be used to cook many grains. I’ve used mine to cook white rice and barley (in a 1:1 ratio), brown rice (with and without lentils) and quinoa. Just follow the recipe that accompanies your grain of choice and cook in the rice cooker instead of on the stove. Whole grains like brown rice will take longer than white rice, and since these require more water, be sure to leave some headroom at the top of the cooker. Get creative! You can cook your grains with broth instead of water (or use bullion) and add finely diced veggies, herbs and spices to add flavor and interest.

Rice cookers come in many shapes and sizes, with lots of features. This link has some good info on the various types of cookers available. A simple cook-and-turn-off or cook-and-warm cooker (which is what I have) will be sufficient for most users, though a fuzzy logic machine can be used to make porridges (including oatmeal), risottos and even puddings. If you ask me, a rice cooker is well worth its kitchen footprint.