Why your kitchen needs a rice cooker
Rice is a staple food the world over. It appears in Asian and Middle Eastern cooking, as well as in many different world cuisines. There’s so much that you can do with this incredibly versatile grain that it forms the backbone of hundreds of thousands of dishes. If done correctly, rice is absolutely delightful. That fluffy, white, soft consistency makes it incredibly more-ish. The problem comes, of course, with getting consistently done, perfectly cooked rice every time.
Even people who are incredibly adept chefs in the kitchen get rice wrong. We’ve all overcooked or burned rice, turning a previously lovely meal into a burnt tasting, crispy mess, or a gelatinous gloop with no real texture. But all of that can be avoided with the use of a rice cooker.
Here’s why your kitchen needs a rice cooker.
Firstly, what’s a rice cooker?
A rice cooker is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a dedicated kitchen appliance for cooking rice. It’s much the same as a slow cooker, in that you add the ingredients and water to your dish, switch it on and it will cook whatever you’ve put in there over a period of time, without you needing to pay any special attention to it. They consist of a large cooking pot, a heat source, and a thermometer for monitoring and modulating the internal temperature (helping to make sure that you cook rice perfectly every time). They come in a number of different sizes, ranging from the very economical, with a 10 cup capacity suited to families all the way to a 20 litre capacity for busy restaurants. If you're wondering what is the difference between a rice cooker and a slow cooker the answer is the temperature. Rice cookers work fast to bring the water to a rapid boil to deliver the steam needed to produce perfect fluffy rice. Slow cookers on the other hand are designed to cook low and slow which is best suited to tenderising meat.
Why should you use a rice cooker?
Anyone who is adept in the kitchen knows that there are several ways to cook rice, but obviously the most common way to cook it is in a pan on a stovetop. While this isn’t exactly a labour-intensive process, it is one that requires a lot of your attention. Not only do you have to add your ingredients and spend time watching your rice to make sure it’s not burning or sticking to the pan, but in a lot of cases, you’re also having to listen for a particular sound. This can be a little irritating. Once you’re cooking rice, you can’t really leave it alone and do something else in your kitchen, and this can be a problem if you’re trying to multitask a complex meal with many different components.
However, none of that is necessary with a rice cooker. It’s the very definition of efficiency and convenience. All you have to do with a rice cooker is put your ingredients in the pot, put the lid on, and press a few buttons. You don’t need to mess around with any temperature settings, watch the pot or even be in the same room as your rice while it cooks. And at the end of the process, you end up with perfectly cooked, fluffy white rice every time. No burnt rice, no more gloopy messes stuck to the bottom of the pan, and endless scrubbing afterwards.
More than just rice
The best part of a rice cooker is that they’re also incredibly versatile. Of course, they’re adept at cooking rice, but it’s a large pot with a heated time source and thermometer. Who’s to say rice is all you can cook in it?
No one. Using a rice cooker, you can take care of a lot of different grains, like polenta, quinoa, risotto rice, and even oatmeal. And it doesn’t stop there. Using your rice cooker, you can steam vegetables, and make soups - some even bake cakes with it.
A rice cooker is an absolute kitchen workhorse that can provide you with an incredible amount of uses and value for money.
More than just a mainstay of Asian kitchens
You’ll find a rice cooker in every Asian kitchen the world over in varying capacities, from large households to students away from home making cheap and convenient meals. But this incredible piece of kit needs to be in your kitchen yesterday.
If you make rice even semi-regularly, investing in a rice cooker will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. Browse our range of quality rice cookers now!
If you wish to enquire about any of our products or services, or if you are just after some friendly, professional advice, contact us today using the form on our website, by calling 0161 886 4989, or by emailing info@cooksmill.co.uk.
