It’s time you outsmarted the machine.
You have been lied to your entire life.
A rice cooker can cook more than rice.
Yes, a standard electric rice cooker is designed to bring rice to a boil, sense when it needs to reduce to a simmer, then lower the heat again to keep rice at serving temperature without overcooking it.
In her excellent New York Times piece on the topic, Julia Moskin explains it just right: “Cooking foods other than rice in a rice cooker is like baking a layer cake in an Easy-Bake oven: best approached with patience, curiosity and something to snack on in the meantime.”
But it’s worth the experimentation, especially for people who don’t have a full stove or a large kitchen. Just take it from Roger Ebert (RIP). Put a bunch of ingredients in there and give it a go. Melt a little butter, add onions or shallots, and use it the same way you might a big dutch oven. Know that the heat doesn’t get very high. Here are some recipes to try.
1. Tofu And Asparagus
Put the ingredients in, turn on the rice cooker, come back 15 minutes later and you have a meal. Find the recipe here.
2. Mac And Cheese
Using chicken stock makes for some interesting mac and cheese. Find the recipe here.
7. Poached Pomegranate Spiced Pears
Rice cookers are surprisingly great for poaching fruit. Find the recipe here.
11. Balsamic Dijon Chicken With Farro And Mushrooms
A complete meal in one pot! Find the recipe here.
16. Banana Pudding With Caramel Sauce
Making caramel in a rice cooker is seriously impressive. Find the recipe here.
This video is from the end of an episode of the popular Japanese manga turned anime series Yakitate!!, about a boy on a quest to create a national bread for Japan. Get the full translated recipe at WikiHow.
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