The Ultimate Rice Cooker

by Julie Kaufmann

  4. In case you lose your special rice cooker measuring cup, or prefer otherwise, you can measure both your raw rice and water with a standard U.S. measuring cup with excellent results. This is the case with many of the more complex rice recipes in this book.

  5. If a friend shares a rice cooker recipe with you, it’s a good idea to ask, in the case of both solid and liquid ingredients, “Is this in rice cooker cups or regular U.S. cups?”

  Making That First Pot of Rice in Your Rice Cooker

  Your first look at the rice cooker can be a bit confusing, especially with the digital face on a fuzzy logic machine. But the procedure is exactly the same with all models: Choose a recipe, assemble your ingredients, measure and wash the rice, load the rice bowl, add the water, close the cover, plug it in, and press the button. Here are the details.

  1. Measure the desired amount of rice. Don’t mound the rice in the measuring cup—level it off with a sweep of your finger or a table knife. For reference, 1 pound of raw rice is equal to a bit more than 3 rice cooker cups.

  2. Some cooks swear by coating the rice bowl with a film of nonstick cooking spray or 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to prevent sticking and keep the rice grains a bit more separate (especially brown rices); while some of our recipes call for this step when applicable, it is purely optional.

  3. If desired, rinse or wash the rice, or follow the instructions in each specific recipe for any presoaking, depending on the type of rice. Many cooks wash the rice right in the rice cooker bowl, even though the instructions that come with many machines say not to. (If you choose to do this, and we frequently do, we promise not to tell.)

  4. Place the drained rice in the bowl of your rice cooker; if the rice is wet, you may need a rubber spatula to get all of the grains out of the bowl. Place the bowl into the body of the rice cooker machine. With your hand or your rice spatula, spread out the rice into a fairly flat layer over the entire bottom surface of the bowl. This helps it cook evenly.

  5. Measure and add the required amount of cold liquid to the bowl. Use bottled or filtered water rather than tap water for the best tasting rice. You can use the lines on the inside of the rice cooker bowl as a guide. If you have put in 1 rice cooker cup of rice, add water to the “1’’ line. More elaborate rice cookers (especially the fuzzy logic models) often have several sets of lines on the bowl, indicating the amount of water needed for regular rice, “soft” rice, “hard” rice, brown rice, sushi rice, or rice porridge. Follow the correct line for the type of rice you are making. If you choose to measure the rice in U.S. dry measuring cups, of course the lines on the bowl will not apply. You will add liquid measured in a U.S. measuring cup according to the recipe you have selected.

  Many people, especially those raised in Asian households, swear by the finger-measuring method. Plop in the desired amount of rice, smooth it out, and add water until the level comes to the first knuckle on your index finger, with your finger tip just touching the surface of the rice. Many experienced rice cooks measure in this manner, a relatively constant level (about ½ inch) of water above the level of the rice, regardless of the quantity of rice.

  Some people like their rice a little bit softer; some, a little bit harder. As you become an experienced rice cooker owner, you will develop your own preferences. If you want softer rice, you’ll add a bit more water; for firmer rice, you’ll add a bit less.

  Add salt, if called for in the recipe, give the mixture a swirl with your finger or a rice paddle, and close the cover.

  6. Plug in the unit and arrange the cooker on your counter away from the wall and out from under the cabinets so the steam can escape the vent without hindrance.

  7. On fuzzy logic machines, choose the regular White Rice/Brown Rice cycle, then press Cooking/Cook. On the cook-and-keep- warm or cook-and-shut-off machines, simply press down on the switch. No peeking, please! The hot steam inside the machine is what is cooking the rice; open the cover and the moisture is lost as the steam evaporates, and the moderate pressure and heat that have naturally built up will dissipate in an instant cloud. The rice cooker uses the same principles and process of cooking as a covered pot on the stove: You boil the mixture until all of the water is evaporated or absorbed. The main advantage of a rice cooker is that it knows when to stop cooking automatically, thanks to a sensitive built-in thermostat rather than your judgment, and prevents the scorching normally associated with stovetop methods.

  8. The steaming period at the end of the cooking cycle is crucial to your success. It is the time when the rice “rests” and any extra liquid is absorbed. In fuzzy logic cookers, this period is often automatically programmed in. When the finish “beep” sounds, the rice is really done, steaming and all. In on/off cookers, you must listen for the “click” when the machine switches off the cooking cycle and into its Keep Warm cycle. (In very inexpensive on/off cookers, there is no Keep Warm mode. The rice will rest, covered, for the specified time in the machine.) Set a timer or note the time on a piece of paper. For the best textured rice, it is advisable to let the cooked rice rest for 10 to 15 minutes after the cooking cycle has ended with a small or medium rice cooker, 15 to 20 minutes with a large one. This rest period gives the rice time to settle and absorb a bit more moisture, softening the starch a bit further.

  9. When the “resting” period is over, open the cooker cover and stir the rice thoroughly but gently with a wooden or plastic rice paddle, or a wooden spoon. If you are not ready to serve the rice, re-cover or close the lid immediately to keep it warm on the Keep Warm cycle, if your model has one.

  10. Enjoy eating your perfectly cooked rice!

  Cleanup

  It is recommended that all parts of the rice cooker be washed by hand, not in a dishwasher. Even with cooked-on rice, a quick soak in cold water has always been all that is needed to quickly clean the bowl. The most simple machines have an uncoated aluminum bowl. If your bowl has a Teflon or SilverStone nonstick coating, use a sponge or plastic scrubber that will not scratch its surface. The machine housing only needs a sponge-down after unplugging; it should never be immersed in water.

  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

  This is a book dedicated to recipes that can be made in electric rice cooker machines. It is important to note that there are many models of rice cookers but just two basic styles: the on/off and fuzzy logic machines. Many of the following recipes can be made in either type of machine, but some can be made only in one or the other. If you are not sure what type of machine you have, Before starting a recipe, please check to make sure you have the type of machine recommended for that recipe. For more information on the cycles.

  CLICK TO SEE KEEP WARM CYCLE

  A note about machine sizes: In addition to information about machine type, each recipe is labeled with a size of rice cooker: small (4-cup), medium (6-cup), or large (10cup). The size given is the one that works best for the recipe. In many cases, though, you can adjust the recipe for a smaller or larger rice cooker by increasing or decreasing ingredients. However, do not exceed the manufacturer’s stated capacity for your machine.

  The Regular Cycle

  In the recipes, the regular cycle refers to the basic cooking program for the on/off and fuzzy logic machines. To begin the regular cycle in the on/off machine, you press or flip the switch to the Cook position. To begin the regular cycle in the fuzzy logic machines, you program for the regular/Brown Rice cycle by pressing that button. The Quick Cook program is an abbreviated cycle of the regular cycle on the fuzzy logic machines.

  The recipes in the following chapters can be made in both types of machines, but for the best results, be sure to check the key information at the top of the recipe regarding the machine size and Keep Warm limits.

  The Perfect Pot of Rice

  Simple Everyday Rices and Little Meals

  The Family of Pilafs

  The Whole-Grain Cooker

  Sushi

  Beans and Legumes

  The Porridge Cycle

  The Porridge cycle is an excl
usive feature of the fuzzy logic machines. While we have found that many of the recipes in the chapters listed below can be made in the on/off machines using the regular cycle on the Cook position (check each recipe), the results are not as satisfactory as on the Porridge cycle. This is because the on/off machines run at a higher temperature that maintains a full rolling boil and, if there is a lot of liquid in the recipe, such as for risotto, the machine will not automatically turn off. The Porridge cycle has a longer, more gentle simmer. For the best results, be sure to check the key information at the top of the recipe regarding machine size to avoid boilover.

  Risotto

  Polenta, Grits, and Hominy

  Hot Breakfast Cereals and Porridges

  Sweet Puddings and Fruit Desserts

  Steaming in the Rice Cooker

  Unless foods are placed directly on top of the rice, steaming is a feature that works best in the on/off machines. We recommend the large (10-cup) cooker fitted with a steamer plate in the bottom of the bowl, an insert tray, or a set of stacked steamer baskets for most of these recipes.

  The fuzzy logic machines with their attached covers do not have the wide range of steamer capabilities of the on/off machines. For the best results, please carefully read the hints for successful steaming on before making the recipes in the following chapters.

  Vegetables in the Rice Cooker

  Whole-Meal Steam Cuisine

  Dim Sum, Dolmas, and Tamales:

  Little Bites

  Custards and Steamed Puddings

  THE FACE OF THE RICE COOKER

  On the front of each rice cooker body is the cooking control panel. There are only two distinctly different faces to the multitude of rice cookers: One is the simple on/off machine that has a manual cooking indicator switch and prominent power indicator light; the other is the digital face of the fuzzy logic cookers, which has a clock and buttons in place of the switch used in the cook-and-shut-off cookers, cook-and-keep-warm cookers, and electronic cookers. Here is a simplified guide to these controls. As always, carefully read your manufacturer’s manual to familiarize yourself with your particular machine.

  On / Off Cookers

  The on/off cookers have a switch that can be clicked into an up or down position—down being the On or Cook cycle and up being the Off or Keep Warm cycle. Both positions snap securely into place. Cook and Keep Warm both deliver a constant heat, although at two different temperatures: On is the high temperature and Keep Warm is the low temperature.

  The power indicator light is lit as soon as the machine is plugged in, and the machine immediately heats up depending on which position the switch is in. There may be a secondary indicator light labeled Cook or Keep Warm, the easy visual for identifying immediately where the switch is set. The Cook position equates to the regular cycle in the fuzzy logic machines. To cook rice, you must press the switch down to Cook; when the cooker senses the rice is done, it will automatically snap to the up, or Keep Warm, position. It will hold on the Keep Warm position until you unplug the machine (which you must do to turn it off). Note that the least expensive cookers do not have a Keep Warm feature.

  Digital-Face Cookers

  You can immediately recognize the modern digital face and display clock of the fuzzy logic and induction heating rice cookers. The digital control panel, manipulated with buttons (also referred to as keys), will vary slightly from brand to brand, but they all have basically the same features. You will have a main Cooking/Reheat button, one for Keep Warm (which can be used to reset the program by stopping the cycle at any point). You may have a button for an Extended Keep Warm cycle on models in which the regular Keep Warm is designed for only the first three hours after rice is made. The Timer button can be used to trigger the memory capabilities of the machine and preset the timer for starting the machine automatically. Refer to your manufacturer’s manual for the specific steps for setting the timer. Remember that your rice will be soaking while waiting for the machine to turn on. To prevent spoilage, never leave rice soaking in a meat or poultry broth or with perishable ingredients.

  All the buttons/keys have their own indicator lamp to visually cue you where the machine is in the cycle. Only one indicator lamp will be lit at one time. The first few times you might be a bit awkward getting the sequence to program the keys, but once you get the hang of setting the controls on your machine, you will find it a smooth and almost automatic procedure.

  Keep Warm Cycle

  When the rice is done, both the on/off and fuzzy logic machines will automatically switch to the constant low temperature of the Keep Warm mode, designed to be a nice temperature for serving. On the fuzzy logics, there may be a digital record of how long the rice has been on Keep Warm from the end of the cooking cycle, given in units of hours. In machines with a two-cycle Keep Warm function, the Keep Warm cycle will automatically shut off after three hours, or you can stop the machine by pressing the button (the light will go out). In these machines, the light for the Keep Warm goes out at the end of the time period, the Extended Keep Warm clicks in, and an even lower set temperature will take over for an additional eight hours. In some machines, at the end of the eight hours, the machine will automatically switch back to the Keep Warm cycle. You can press Extended Keep Warm at any time and press Keep Warm to prepare the rice for eating. In the on/off machines, the Keep Warm is on until you unplug the machine.

  These cycles are based on cooking medium-grain white rice. Be sure to refer to specific recipes for the recommended amount of time to safely keep warm various types of rice and more complex rice preparations. Even white rice will dry out or spoil when left for extended periods on Keep Warm. Dishes that include any type of meat, fish, beans, or vegetables should always be eaten as soon as possible after the cooking cycle is completed to avoid spoilage. Brown rice can sour when left on Keep Warm for more than an hour (especially in hot weather), and glutinous rice loses its desirable texture. The Keep Warm cycle also automatically clicks in after the Porridge cycle has completed, but rice porridge, such as congee, should not be left on Keep Warm.

  Menu

  The Menu button is the first button you will press to make your choices for how your machine will cook your rice. It is automatically set for a white rice cycle. You select the desired texture (Regular—sometimes called Normal—Softer, Harder, Porridge, Quick Cook), and an audio signal will beep and a visual indicator signal will rotate counterclockwise through these positions as you press the button. The white rice button is sometimes labeled White/ Brown, but some machines have separate settings for both brown rice and sushi rice, which need to be cooked to textures very different than regular white rice.

  Regular/ Softer/ Harder

  The machine is automatically set for regular (or normal) when the machine is plugged in. If you want something other than that, you will use the Menu button to set it. Regular is usually the setting for cooking white rice, brown rice, mixed rice, and glutinous rice. Softer is a good setting if you like your white rice a softer consistency. Harder is a good setting for rice that will be used in rice salads and other preparations, such as stuffings, where the rice will be further cooked with other ingredients.

  Quick Cook Cycle

  Some fuzzy logic rice cookers have a Quick Cook cycle as well as a regular cycle. The Quick Cook cycle bypasses the regular cycle’s built-in soak time and is very convenient when you want rice in a hurry. It is also handy in one other situation: when you are sautéing ingredients in the rice cooker bowl. In this case, you want to program the cooker for the Quick Cook cycle when you are heating the oil or butter and sautéing the ingredients. Then when you are finished sautéing and are ready to add the liquid and proceed with the recipe, you have a choice. You may cancel the Quick Cook cycle and program whatever cycle is required for the recipe, the regular cycle or the Porridge cycle, for instance. Or, if the recipe does not require the Porridge cycle, you may simply let the Quick Cook cycle complete. In the Quick Cook mode, you cannot select the texture of the rice, so th
e texture may be slightly different than when you cook on the regular cycle.

  Porridge Cycle

  The fuzzy logic machines all offer a Porridge cycle designed to cook the staple savory rice breakfast porridge enjoyed throughout Asia. It has a medium-low, constant set temperature different than that for the regular cycle for white rices and the Keep Warm cycle. The on/off machines do not have this feature. For more information on the Porridge cycle capabilities, see the following page.

  Reheat

  Some fuzzy logic machines have a Reheat mode. The Reheat mode is on the same button as the main button for turning on the machine, labeled Cooking. It can be used to bring the rice that has been kept on the Keep Warm cycle, or leftover or refrigerated rice, back up to a hot serving temperature. (On machines without this feature, Keep Warm is serving temperature.) The machine will beep as soon as the right temperature is reached, usually about 5 to 10 minutes, then switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Most rice on Reheat, especially cold rice, needs a tablespoon or two of water per cup drizzled over it to rehydrate properly to a soft consistency. We recommend that you eat the rice as soon as the Reheat cycle indicates it is done rather than leave on Keep Warm (possibly for a second time) for the best consistency and to prevent a tough bottom layer from forming due to drying out.

  THE PORRIDGE CYCLE

  We had a big surprise during the testing of recipes in the electronic fuzzy logic rice cooker—we love the Porridge cycle. It is incredibly versatile. It was developed for perfect “rice porridge,” a versatile and nourishing dish that is a staple in Asia, yet hardly prepared at all in Western kitchens. The gentle heat of the 45-minute cycle works well for the soupy Italian rice called risotto and for mushes like polenta, grits, and hominy, as well as hot breakfast cereals.

  But the Porridge cycle is not limited to these savory preparations. It makes knockout applesauce, creamy tapioca, and rice pudding right in the rice bowl, as well as exceptional fruit desserts that are poached in a liquid bath. We think you will be pleasantly surprised.