Rice cookers are popular among cooks who want perfectly cooked rice every time. They use electricity, timers, and precise measurements to cook rice and can have settings for different types of rice. Some models can also be used to prepare other foods. Commercial versions are popular in restaurants.
For some cooks, preparing overcooked or undercooked rice is a cause for concern. Slight temperature changes or leaving the rice sitting for a few minutes too long can contribute to meals not being as perfect as they could be. Many cooks turn to a rice cooker, to make sure they always get their rice cooked perfectly. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2005, for example, companies produced more than 80 million of these food-saving machines.
The typical rice cooker is a plug-in appliance that uses electricity, timers, and precise measurements to create perfect rice. Some models use gas instead, and some rice cookers are designed for microwave use. Most commonly, the rice cooker will simply use one of your home outlets and use the heat produced electrically. The more expensive types may have sensors, timers, settings for cooking different types of rice (white, brown or wild), and can keep the rice hot for a long time without overcooking it.
Usually, you add rice and water to a removable bowl in the rice cooker. This is then placed back into the rice cooker and sits on top of a heating element. The most important part is your ability to measure out the appropriate amounts of rice/water and choose the setting or set the timer for the type and amount of rice you want to cook. Rice cookers can vary in how long they will take different amounts and types of rice, and most take about the same time as rice cooked on a stovetop. The simplest cookers may only have indications and calibrations for white rice, but most, given the emphasis on complex carbohydrates, now have settings for cooking brown rice as well.
You will find that some rice cookers will allow you to prepare other foods. This can vary but you may find the manual that came with the rice cooker suggesting things like delicious beef stew made in the cooker. You can also find many recipes online, most of which are typical crockpot fare.
There are commercial versions of the rice cooker, which are popular in lunchrooms and restaurants that serve a lot of rice. If you’ve ever praised the goodness of rice in Chinese cuisine restaurants, its perfection is often attributed to cooking it in commercial-sized rice cookers. This not only results in excellently cooked rice, but also leaves the burners on the stove free for preparing other components of a meal.
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