The Ultimate Rice Cooker

by Julie Kaufmann

  2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick; let it steam on Keep Warm for 10 minutes. This cereal will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Spoon into bowls and place 2 apple rings on each. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve with milk.

  old-fashioned steel-cut oatmeal

  Steel-cut oats are much chewier than regular rolled oats and the cooking time is considerably longer, but the rice cooker is perfect for cooking the hearty, old-fashioned grain, especially after an overnight soak. If you like your oatmeal creamy, substitute 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of the water.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3

  1¼ cups steel-cut oats

  3 cups cold water

  Pinch of sea salt

  Pure maple syrup and cold milk, for serving

  1. The night before serving, place the oats, water, and salt in a lidded bowl or the rice cooker bowl. Cover and set aside at room temperature until morning.

  2. In the morning, pour the mixture with its liquid into the rice cooker bowl, if necessary; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours.

  3. Spoon into bowls and serve hot, with a drizzle of maple syrup and the milk.

  creamy breakfast oatmeal

  Oats have a reputation for contributing to health similar to a homeopathic cure. Oats and milk are said to ward off the worst of chills, as well as making a great poultice-like mask for the face. With maple syrup and sweet dried dates, plain old oatmeal is a morning feast that raises its status above that of a humble grain. Note that this recipe calls for steel-cut oats rather than rolled oats, making an exceptionally creamy porridge.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 2

  ⅔ cup steel-cut oats

  1¾ cups milk mixed with 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or 1¾ cups vanilla soy milk

  1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

  Pinch of fine sea salt

  2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

  ¼ cup chopped dates

  1. Place the oats, vanilla milk, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with the dates. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Spoon into bowls and serve hot.

  hot apple granola

  This hearty grain and fruit blend cooks up into a flavorful and sustaining breakfast cereal.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 2

  1 cup Apple Granola

  2½ cups water

  Pinch of fine sea salt

  Cold milk or soy milk, for serving

  1. Place the granola, water, and salt in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Spoon into bowls and serve hot, with a moat of milk.

  mixed grain porridge

  This porridge, with almost more grains than you can count, is anything but dull. The farina and couscous give texture and an extra dimension of flavor.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3 to 4

  ½ cup Apple Granola or store-bought cracked seven-grain cereal

  ½ cup quick-cooking Irish oats (McCann’s)

  ¼ cup farina (such as Cream of Wheat or Arrowhead Mills’ Bear Mush)

  ¼ cup barley grits (Arrowhead Mills) or couscous

  2 tablespoons millet meal

  Pinch of fine sea salt

  3¼ cups water

  Cold milk and brown sugar, for serving

  1. Place the granola, grains, salt, and water in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Spoon into bowls and serve hot, with the milk and a bit of brown sugar.

  hot cornmeal mush

  Adapted from one of our favorite food writers, Deborah Madison, this is old-fashioned cornmeal mush laced with vanilla. Look for Cook’s Cookie vanilla at the supermarket; it is a combination of Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans and has a distinctly floral quality you will find positively addicting. It sweetens the mush, so to speak.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3 to 4

  1¼ cups stone-ground fine- or medium-grind yellow cornmeal

  4 cups water

  1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  Cold milk and brown sugar, for serving

  1. Place the cornmeal, water, butter, vanilla, and salt in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the cycle, if the mush looks too thick, stir in more water in ¼-cup increments and let steam on the Keep Warm cycle. Stir every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid lumping. This cereal will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Spoon into bowls and serve hot, with the milk and brown sugar.

  sweet breakfast grits with fresh fruit

  When you see the word grits, it is easy to assume it means cracked hominy grits made from cornmeal, but in reality grits can refer to any coarsely cracked grain, including millet, corn, oats, or barley. Grits can be in a fine, medium, or coarse grind; the finer the grind, the faster it cooks. Here old-fashioned grits ground from corn are cooked in milk and are perfect for the breakfast table. The stone-ground grits will have much more flavor than the quick-cooking variety, but we give both here due to availability.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3

  ¾ cup stone-ground or quick-cooking yellow or white grits

  2½ cups milk

  3 to 4 tablespoons honey

  ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  Hulled and sliced fresh strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, or peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches, sprinkled with a teaspoon or two of sugar, for topping

  1. Place the grits, milk, honey, and salt in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and creamy, and will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Spoon into bowls and serve hot, topped with the fruit.

  morning rice pudding

  In a conversation with California rancho cooking expert Jacquie McMahan, the talk turned to arroz de crema, rice pudding, a favorite in Mexican cuisine. Jacquie remembered leftover rice being cooked in milk for breakfast. Her version did not have the egg, so you can leave it out, if you wish. This dish works perfectly in the rice cooker on the Porridge cycle.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3 to 4

  3 cups cooked white or brown rice

  3½ cups milk

  1 large egg, beaten (optional)

  2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

  ¼ cup chopped dried apricots or golden raisins

  ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  3 or 4 small pats unsalted butter, for serving

  Freshly grated nutmeg, for sprinkling

  1. Place the rice, milk, egg (if using), sugar, dried fruit, and cinnamon in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  2. At the end of the
cycle, the cereal will be thick and creamy. Serve immediately. Spoon into bowls and top with a small pat of butter and a few gratings of nutmeg.

  maple cinnamon rice pudding

  This is a creamy breakfast rice pudding that is perfectly addictive. It can also be made with long-grain brown rice, but the white rice is the creamiest and most nurturing. Serve with pure maple syrup or sliced or chopped fresh or canned fruit, such as bananas, berries, or peaches.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic only

  CYCLE: Porridge

  YIELD: Serves 3 to 4

  2 cups cooked white rice

  2½ cups milk

  ¼ cup heavy cream or milk

  ¼ cup pure maple syrup

  ¼ cup dried tart cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins

  ⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

  Pinch of fine sea salt

  1. The night before serving, combine the rice, milk, cream, maple syrup, dried fruit, spices, and salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until morning.

  2. In the morning, coat the rice cooker bowl with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. Pour the soaked rice mixture into the rice bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

  3. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and creamy; let it steam on Keep Warm for 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve immediately.

  CUSTOM CEREAL BLENDS

  Given a jar of old-fashioned granola as a gift, we learned to appreciate the subtle art of impeccable ingredients streamlined to an individual palate. Homemade granola quickly became a pantry staple and a favorite ingredient in hot cereals along with oats, or just eaten cold with milk. You can store your mixtures in quart or half-gallon spring-top jars (they look nice on the counter) or plastic buckets with airtight lids for inside the cupboard. Beyond breakfast cereals, use your custom cereal blend as an ingredient in yeast breads, as a streusel topping for coffee cakes, in muffins, or in a crumb pie crust.

  apple granola

  This is a cracked grain blend we use to make a great hot morning cereal. All the grains are readily available at natural food stores.

  YIELD: About 5 cups (ten 1-cup cooked servings)

  1 cup steel-cut oats

  1 cup cracked wheat

  1 cup cracked rye

  1 cup barley grits

  ½ cup Cream of Buckwheat cereal

  1 cup minced dried apple

  ¾ cup dried tart cherries, dried cranberries, or dried currants

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. Store in a covered container or plastic bag at room temperature.

  four-grain flakes

  YIELD: About 5 cups (ten 1-cup cooked servings)

  1 cup rolled (old-fashioned) oats (not quick-cooking)

  1 cup wheat flakes

  1 cup rye flakes

  1 cup barley flakes

  1 cup minced dried apple

  1 tablespoon apple pie spice

  In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. Store in a covered container or plastic bag at room temperature.

  your own old-fashioned granola

  This is Beth’s friend Dan Snow’s famous granola. He got the recipe from a friend he met at a pottery workshop, who brought it to a potluck buffet. The group all ate big bowls doused with cold milk for dessert. After that, it was often a welcome and coveted gift in an old wide-mouth peanut butter jar. Luckily, Beth got the recipe from him, handwritten and stuck to the side of the kitchen shelf with a thumbtack, and is now giving it to you. The secret to making excellent granola is to use very fresh, high-quality rolled oats and brans. This recipe makes a big batch, so store it in an airtight plastic container or jars.

  YIELD: About 14 cups

  DRY INGREDIENTS

  6 cups (1 pound) rolled (old-fashioned) oats (not quick-cooking)

  1½ cups shelled sunflower seeds

  1 cup (¼ pound) wheat bran

  1 cup (¼ pound) wheat germ

  1 cup (¼ pound) oat bran

  1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

  1 cup almonds or other nuts, chopped or slivered

  1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

  ⅓ cup sesame seeds

  1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  WET INGREDIENTS

  1 cup mild honey

  1 cup cold-pressed canola oil

  1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon pure almond extract

  1½ cups raisins, dried currants, or dried cherries

  1¼ cups dried apricots or other favorite dried fruit, such as figs, chopped

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir well. In a medium-size bowl, combine the wet ingredients and beat with a small whisk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients; stir until evenly moistened.

  3. Spread the mixture evenly over the baking sheets. Bake on the center rack, stirring every 20 to 25 minutes with a spatula for even toasting, until pale golden and dry, about 1 hour. When done, the granola will slide off the spatula and be a very light color. Do not let it brown, as the granola continues to cook while cooling and will become too strongly flavored.

  4. While hot, stir the raisins and apricots into the granola on the baking sheets and place the sheets on wire racks to cool completely. The mixture will become crisp as it cools. Transfer to a tightly covered container and store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

  triple-oat granola with dried cranberries

  This is a dark amber, deep-flavored, lowfat cereal. It is as good hot as it is cold.

  YIELD: About 9 cups

  DRY INGREDIENTS

  3 cups (½ pound) rolled (old-fashioned) oats (not quick-cooking)

  3 cups (½ pound) quick-cooking Irish oats

  1 cup shelled sunflower seeds

  ½ cup oat bran

  WET INGREDIENTS

  ½ cup mild honey

  ½ cup pure maple syrup

  ¾ cup water

  ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

  ¼ cup cold-pressed canola oil

  1 cup (¼ pound) honey-toasted wheat germ

  1½ cups dried cranberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine all the wet ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Pour the hot mixture over the grains and stir well.

  3. Spread the granola evenly over the baking sheets (you will have to bake this in batches). Bake on the center rack, stirring every 10 minutes, until evenly golden in color, about 30 minutes.

  4. While hot, stir the wheat germ and cranberries into the granola on the baking sheets and place the sheets on wire racks to cool completely. Transfer to a tightly covered container and store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

  RICE PORRIDGE

  The Porridge cycle on your rice cooker was invented for a food that many in the United States have never even heard of, much less eaten: rice porridge, a staple in much of Asia. It’s served for breakfast, for snacks, and as an easy-to-digest and restorative food for the sick, whether they are seriously ill or just dealing with a passing case of the blahs. Called okai or okayu by the Japanese and shi-fan, congee (the second syllable is pronounced the same as in “gee whiz”), or jook (pronounced juk) by the Chinese, rice porridge takes myriad forms. At its most basic, it is simply rice cooked in lots of water until it forms an oatmeal-like mass. It can be served absolutely plain, a shimmering, pure white bowl of creamy comfort. Even the salt is optional. From there, the symphony of creativity begins.

  A Japanese cook may pour a splash of green tea over the rice, or nestle one of the tart pickled plums called umeboshi into the porridge, or top the bowl with something sa
vory: seasoned shiitake mushrooms , homemade or purchased pickled or preserved vegetables such as cucumber, daikon, eggplant, or Napa cabbage, some thin shreds of the crisp seaweed nori (cut a sheet designed for wrapping sushi with a pair of sharp scissors), or some other tidbit from the pantry or the fridge. Another type of Japanese-style rice porridge, called zosui, is made with leftover rice.

  A few slices of green onion are almost always scattered atop Chinese-style rice porridge. A Chinese cook of Mandarin heritage might set out a small array of toppings for plain porridge, anything from shreds of dried pork (called pork sung, it’s sold in plastic tubs in Asian markets) to pungent pickled or preserved vegetables (you’ll find a huge variety of these in jars in Asian markets) to the startlingly colored but absolutely delicious preserved eggs. To serve preserved eggs, peel as with hard-boiled eggs by cracking the shell all over by rolling gently on the counter. Remove the shell to reveal the black jelly-like “white.” Rinse the egg under cool running water and dry it. Slice the egg into wedges or chop it. Stir the egg into fresh porridge. One egg is enough for at least two people.

  Cantonese-style porridge is often prepared with broth rather than water and frequently features savory ingredients cooked along with the rice. Pork with pieces of preserved egg is the type most commonly served at dim sum restaurants. One Cantonese restaurant near our homes has five porridges on their regular menu, featuring everything from aromatic and deeply flavorful roast duck to delicate seafood. We’ve included just one recipe here.

  The rice cooker Porridge cycle makes perfect rice porridge, yet, because the feature is relatively new (it debuted in the fuzzy logic machines), even experienced rice cooker owners may never have tried it. “It is just the way I always make it on the stove,” one friend exclaimed in pleased amazement when we asked her to evaluate rice cooker porridge. As always, we recommend starting out with the proportions of water and rice recommended by the manufacturer of your rice cooker. If you like the consistency thinner, try using a bit less rice; if you like it thicker, use a bit less water. Write down the proportions you like best, but be sure not to use more water than the maximum amount of water recommended by the manufacturer for your particular machine. And be careful not to accidentally program your machine for the regular cycle. Either error will lead to a boil over. And try to eat rice porridge right after making it. As it stands on the Keep Warm cycle, it will thicken and grow starchy. Please note: These rice porridges cannot be made in the on/off machines.