STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bumblebee · Coach

rice cooker question

Cricket · Gucci

I don't know about making anything other than rice in a rice cooker. I've never heard of that. MAYBE you could steam veggies in one, but I don't know. I have one, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have a Black and Decker. I think it was $20. We've had it at least 4 years now, and we use it a lot. It's just so easy!

laken1 · Hermes

I am really not a rice person & the only thing I used my rice cooker for was steaming veggies. I would steam squash, zucchini & mushrooms - very good. I lost the rice cooker in my divorce & never bought another one though.

Cricket · Gucci

laken1 wrote:

I am really not a rice person & the only thing I used my rice cooker for was steaming veggies. I would steam squash, zucchini & mushrooms - very good. I lost the rice cooker in my divorce & never bought another one though.

Laken1, what was the ratio of water to veggies that you used? Did you let it cook the whole cycle? I have some squash & mushrooms in my fridge. I might try that tonight!

laken1 · Hermes

I honestly don't remember. I really don't remember putting in water at all - maybe let it make it's own juice since they are water based veggies? I could be making that up! But i seriously wouldn't put much because i do remember ending up with lots of water in it. Let me see if I can find it - i doubt i made up the recipe - i had to get it from somewhere.

ETA: cricket, i don't guess you have the directions for your rice cooker, do you? I was looking online & it looks like it has a steaming insert. I do remember it being something different / additional than just the cooker part. And yes, i do remember just turning it on just like i did rice. Do you have a steamer insert like this?

-- Edited by laken1 at 17:13, 2006-01-19

Tara · Dooney & Bourke

Our rice cooker came with a steamer basket. Basically I just put a small amount of water at the bottom ~1/4 inch. The basket keeps the veggies high enough above the water to steam them well.

As for buying tips - do NOT buy a cheap one. Go the extra mile and pay a little more - so worth it. We bought a cheap on for ~$20 and it sucked. Our rice was always either under or over cooked and we ended up hating it. Also, it wouldn't keep rice warm with the warming function - it would just end up drying it out within ~1 hour. With our better one (which was ~$50) we have had much better luck. Also, the warming function will keep rice warm for at least a day.

Lilykind · Hermes

I use mine only for rice, but the rice cookers often come with a little griddle thing so that you can raise items up inside the rice cooker. They're perfect for steaming dumplings and dim sum.

Not sure this is what you're thinking, but I went to Thai school every Sunday when I was little. They always fed us at least one meal and sometimes they would boil hotdogs in the rice cookers and proceed to slap it on wender bread.

I think mine is a Proctor Silex that my parents paid about $35 for and made me bring out to LA. It's been very good to me so far.