Rice is one most eaten food around the globe. There are countries that have people whose meals are never complete without having rice. You can now imagine how essential rice is. This grain is also eaten in a varied number of ways. Any cuisine, be it Indian, Chinese, Continental or Mexican, has a unique way of making rice. And all of them are equally loved.
But the most important thing is, the way rice is cooked. Rice has just one correct method of its basic cooking. If that is missed, your rice has no starch left and consequently no nutrients left. Rice that is made by evaporating that water its cooked in has everything you want in terms of taste and nutrients. But when rice is made by discarding away the extra water after its cooked, the nutrients are also discarded with it. The rice cooker is an ideal appliance to make your rice the perfect way.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required : 15 to 20 minutes
Estimated Cost: $1-$2
Resources Required:
1. Rice Cooker
2. Rice
3. Water
4. Measuring Cup
5. Salt (optional)
Instructions:
1.Do the rice:
Measure the rice first. Take one cup of rice for instance. While measuring the rice do not put a mountain on the cup; that is, with a knife cut off the extra heap of mountain that comes with the full cup. Now wash the rice. This has to be done carefully. Do it slowly like a massage with your fingers. You will see that the water is dirty. Throw it and keep repeating with fresh water until you see clear water. Now your rice is ready to be cooked.
2. Adding water to the rice:
If you see the carefully, you will see the âlevel 1â mark in the bowl of the rice cooker. This is the mark till which you will add water for the one cup of rice you have taken. Alternatively, you can first put the rice and water in another bowl, mix it and then put this mixture in the rice cookerâs bowl. Salt can be added here if required.
3. Cooking Instructions:
Put the rice cookerâs bowl in the rice cooker. Put the lid on and switch the cooker on by pressing the cook button. All rice cookers have different methods of starting the cooker. Reading your manual will help you best. You rice cooker may beep after the rice is done completely or it may just come on to âkeep warmâ. This means you rice is done. You do not need to transfer this to your hot pot. The keep warm method is made to keep the rice warm until you switch the cooker off. This can be kept for hours.
Frequently asked questions:
What else can I make in my rice cooker?
You can make a wide variety of rice in the cooker. If you want to make something like the steamed rice with vegetables and meat and related dishes, you can put all the ingredients in a pan, fry them, add the required spices and then mix this into your uncooked rice with water and put in on the rice cook. Follow the same instructions given above.
Quick Tips:
- While washing the rice, keenly notice the dirty water. The white color of the rice will usually make you not see the dirt in it.
- If you want to cook the rice quicker, soak it before making for about half an hour. Also, donât forget to use lesser amount of water while cooking in case you soak it.
- Stir the rice a couple of times with a plastic spoon for even cooking
- An approximate ratio of water and rice should be 2:1. That is 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.
Things to watch out for:
- Do not forget the wipe the cookers bowl before putting it on the cooker. This may lead to short circuit and damage the cooker too.
- It is recommended to eat your rice after it is done as soon as you can. After very long hours, the rice tends to dry out a bit.
