Cooking rice is easy with an electric rice cooker. The raw rice and the appropriate amount of water are placed in a saucepan. The kitchen appliance is turned on and the rice is cooked during the process by the source rice method. The water is completely absorbed by the rice grains and partially evaporated.
After all the water has evaporated and been absorbed by the rice, the temperature inevitably increases. This in turn automatically leads to a complete shutdown or to a warming circuit. Keeping it warm at a reasonable temperature prevents the growth of bacteria that can quickly infest cooked rice and cause food poisoning.
How the rice cooker works
The rice cooker is very simple – but still ingenious. If you want know how to the rice cooker works, you can read more rice cooker reviews on homeplix. The rice is boiled in it according to the swelling method: as much water is added to the rice as it can absorb.
The water is then heated and the rice slowly swells. When all the water has been absorbed, the rice cooker switches off. An ingenious principle is used for this: As long as water is available, it slowly warms up. If the water is absorbed by the rice, there is air on the heating plate and the temperature rises suddenly. If the rice cooker detects this, it knows that it is time to switch off and it automatically switches to keep warm mode.
Special functions
Some rice cookers still have special functions – for example, there are models with a steaming insert or with special temperature settings or a timer. If you want to learn more about these functions, it is best to refer to the instructions for using the rice cooker.
By far most models are relatively simple – and therefore very inexpensive. A switch that switches between cooking and keeping warm is usually the only control button.
Step by step instructions
- Take the measuring cup or a cup that is often supplied to measure the rice.
- Pour the raw rice into the pot.
Note: You can expect a cup of uncooked rice to make about a cup and a half of cooked rice. According to the label, some types of rice do not need to be washed. If you are unsure or bought the rice in large bags or even in a sack in the Asian shop, then clean it before cooking.
Pro tip: Natural or wild rice becomes very tender if you let the rice swell for 15-60 minutes before the cooking process. That means leave it in the water that is not yet heated.
- Wash rice. To do this, let cold water into the pot and stir it a few times with your hand and you can already see dirt particles floating above. Carefully pour the water off and repeat the process once or twice.
Pro tip: If you wish, you can let the rice swell for about 30 minutes, but it doesn’t have to be.
- Next you have to measure the cooking water. Cold water is recommended. Some types of rice need a little more water to cook others a little less. There is a rule of thumb that you can’t go wrong with. Accordingly, you should take as much cups of water as you took rice and add half a cup.
Note: The markings on the pots of the rice cookers are helpful.
Pro tip: You can add flavorful refinements right away, depending on your taste, perhaps bay leaves or cardamom. In Asia, travel is not salted, but you can now add a little salt, butter and oil.
- Now you dry the outside of the wet pot.
- Now you put the pot with the rice in the rice cooker and close it with the lid.
Note: The cooking process will not work without the lid, because the evaporating water should remain in the pot and rice.
- Turn on the rice cooker.
Note: You will hear a click after the actual cooking process. The rice cooker has switched off or has jumped into the warming process. Often there is no further switch to switch off completely, then please pull the plug. You should never lift the lid while cooking.
- Then lift the rice with the rice spoon to loosen up the rice.
Pro tip: After cooking, you can let the rice soak for 10 minutes with the keep warm function. This improves the consistency of the rice and the rice is not mushy.
If there is anything left of your beautiful rice from the previous day, you can make it a delicious fried rice the next day.
Conclusion
Rice cookers are not only suitable for cooking rice. They can also be used for other purposes – for steaming vegetables or fish, for soups and even for baking brownies and cheesecakes. Just search for rice cooker recipes and kitchen & dining reviewsyour can go through homeplix.
