I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Rice cookers: Not a one trick pony
Rice cookers can make more than just rice. In college, my Chinese roommates and I used to get around dorm rules against burner cooking in our rooms by making things like ramen and fish ball soup in our rice cookers. And when I lived in Japan in the 90’s, I worked in Japanese consumer electronics companies whose higher-end rice cookers had settings for Chinese rice porridge (congee or jook). But my coworkers didn’t seem to use their rice cookers for anything other than rice, reminding me of Betty Crocker & Morinaga’s failed push to sell cake mix for rice cookers in Japan.
So I was intrigued to come across this tip from a Japanese-language book on how to save energy by steaming slow-cooking vegetables on top of rice in your rice cooker. This is convenient if you already use a rice cooker to prepare rice — you can steam some vegetables for meals at the same time. Along the same lines as multi-boiling, multi-broiling, multi-frying or multi-grilling, this is a handy way to kill two birds with one stone. (Click to read cooking directions…)
Cooking: To cook a whole carrot or other hard vegetable, prepare your rice for cooking as usual and put it in the rice cooker pot with your standard amount of water. Choose a clean metal strainer that’s small enough to fit inside without touching the rice cooker’s inner pot, which would damage the inner pot’s protective coating. Set the strainer right on top of the rice with a whole washed carrot inside, which keeps the vegetable suspended above the rice so that it steams rather than boils. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker directions. When the rice is ready, the whole carrot will be steamed and nutrient loss minimized as the rice absorbs the cooking water. The Japanese book used brown rice, but my three-year-old prefers white rice so that’s what I went with. I did detect a slight vegetal smell to the cooked rice, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The Japanese book also shows how to make a hard-boiled egg by nestling a washed egg right down into the rice and cooking water. I haven’t tried this out as I’m very content with my current method of boiling eggs, but it’s interesting nonetheless. My fancy yet reasonably priced rice cooker
Recipes: For other rice cooker recipes, Panasonic/National has a free online cookbook here with tested gourmet-type recipes, Cooks.com has a number, and then there’s always The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker
FURTHER READING:
- Multi-boiling speed cooking
- Multi-broiling speed cooking
- Multi-frying speed cooking
- Multi-grilling speed cooking
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
February 27th, 2008 | Categories: rice, tips | 
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February 27th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Hi biggie, I usually add veggies in my rice before closing the rice cooker. For example, I put the rice with it’s normal amount of water and add dried mushrooms. Or, I put rice with carrot’s cubes or onions, saffron or paprika, celery…. I also cook quinoa just the same way. It is a funny way to eat vegetables, specially for kids. They like the colorfull rice with peppers and corn mixed with the riec.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:36 am
My roommate puts eggs in when he cooks his rice all the time, so it does work really well and is pretty much hassle free hard boiled eggs. I’d give it a try.
Thanks for the tip about steaming. I think one of our rice cookers has a steamer basket, but I wasn’t sure how it worked. Now I get it - over the cooking rice. Duh.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Necessity being the mother of invention I did the same because our kitchen in Japan was actually too small to go under the name of kitchen. I really have no clue what to define it as really ;).
Anyway, I cooked rice in bulk, leaving a portion or so to make something the day after, like an indonesian rice hash (kow pat) or something. A friend commented on eating “overnighted rice”. It meant total disrespect and devestation to the poor rice. I had to let pragmatism rule though. I cook rice in a pot now, been meaning to get a rice cooker since the other croaked in a thunder storm but am short of space already. To steam veggies in the steam basket is very neat. Saves time, and in these days, energy.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hmm, eggs in a rice cooker. I want to try that. Do you just wash the eggs and put them in?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I fix those little packets of Mahatma saffron rice and add a small can of chicken (drained) while the rice steams. Sometimes I’ll toss in a few raisins and some toasted sliced almonds for instant…something.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
- I load my steamer tray w/ potatoes, and steam those. the pre-steamed potatoes store in my fridge for weeks, and are super useful for my indian cooking
- I also cook lentiles in the rice cooker- just substitute any lentil in place of rice, and jazz them up with a dash of hot oil and spices when they are done.
- And yes, any kind of rice w/ any additives (chicken/ veges/ herbs/spices) make for reasonable pilaf, but I make a mean biryani in the rice cooker as well- just need to regulate the liquids very carefully (I add milk and water both to biryani rice, so have to time the steaming well).
February 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I always wanted to have a rice cooker but I am not sure if is worth to have one since it spends so much energy.Do you your rice cooker often?Have you noticed the diference of using it in your eletricity bill?
February 27th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I’ve made quinoa in my rice cooker, and sometimes I add dried veggies or seasoning to the rice. Hardboiled eggs, I’ll have to try that.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
My husband is Chinese and his mom plops a few chinese sausages (lup chong) on top of the rice as it begins to steam. I’ve tried it at the beginning of the rice cooker cycle with the same results. Instant dinner. The rice has a savoriness to it that is nice.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Chinese people have a dish that can be roughly translated to “clay pot rice”. Usually it’s cooked in a pot but you can probably do it in a rice cooker. Basically you add meat to the rice after it’s come to a boil on the stove. I’ve never made it in a rice cooker but I’m sure you can put it in when you start the rice cooking. I have made the “clay pot rice” in a clay pot. The idea is that the rice will have the flavour of the meat.
As Phyllis mentioned above, we also put chinese sausages on top of the rice. We also cook our salty duck eggs in the rice.
When I was a kid, my mom used to bring the rice cooker with us when we went on road trips. She cooked lobster in the rice cooker when we were in PEI.
My mom makes Chinese sticky rice in the rice cooker too.
A rice cooker is a truly wonderful invention.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Sometimes the “clay pot rice” is called “little pot rice” for anyone who wants to find out more.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
We always do our hardboiled eggs in our rice cooker as well, using the steam basket…those shells pop right off.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I only cook brown rice in my rice cooker, so I am not sure how this would work with shorter cooking times of white rice. I cook two to four boneless skinless chicken breasts on top of the rice in my cooker. Sometimes I add peppers and onions. When it’s all done, I dice the chicken and stir it in the rice.
This is especially tasty when I buy flavored Mesquite smoked chicken breasts. I’ll serve grated cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on the side and we have it on tortillas.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I thought that pot was familiar, we have exactly the same rice cooker! I hadn’t used the steamer tray yet, I’ll definitely try it next time I use it though. I’m making curry rice tonight so perhaps I’ll try the boiled egg out of curiosity.
That cooker makes the best congee too, I made some last time with dashi, soy sauce, a touch of mirin, sake, flaked salmon (Mitsuwa does scraps for $1/lb), tofu and chopped mushrooms. When it was cooked I stirred in some beaten egg and a handful of dried shrimp and it was delicious, very flavorful. I bet it’d be even better with more veggies next time, but it’s now one of my favorite lazy recipes.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
How do you normally boil your eggs? i can never seem to get it right…
February 27th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Growing up in the Philippines, I learned to put okra on top of the rice after it’s cooked in the rice cooker. After it’s steamed I put it on a bowl & add pepper & soy sauce. Very yummy! I can survive on a meal of this okra & the rice.
I haven’t tried cooking vegetable with rice so that’s something I’ll try next. Rice cookers is one of the best inventions.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
rice cookers.
the most wonderful invention. and also the number 1 best seller and wedding gift that any person can receive here in the phils.
my first cooking venture was rice cooking of course. (but it was in our seasoned antiquated rice pot). My mom was so afraid to use the rice cooker then. It was new! No touching the rice cooker. For display purposes only.
(Seriously!)
February 27th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
My most favorite meal is actually cook in a rice pot.
Steamed fish and rice. =D
The fish comes out perfect every single time.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I never thought of that. Brilliant idea and what a way to save on cooking fuss and washing up!!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
@1 from fossettes: That sounds kind of like the Mexican yellow rice that I make on the stovetop. I’m a big fan of mixing veggies into rice and pasta to get kids to eat it. Pretty and healthy!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
@2 from Midknyt: Will do on the egg next time I do a pot of rice. Thanks for the encouragement!
February 27th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
@3 from Jessika: Oh my goodness, that reminds me of my first apartment in Osaka — two rooms, with the “kitchen” up along one wall of the “living room”. Tiny, but ALL MINE for the first time.
I haven’t made kow pat before — I’ll add that to the list of “interesting dishes from Jessika” that I want to try out!
February 27th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
@4 from Shelly: Yup, just wash the shells and pop them in with the cool water and rice at the beginning.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
@5 from oh_mom: So when do you add the chicken, raisins, etc.? At the beginning or partway through?
February 27th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
@6 from Shweta: Wow, I love the pre-steamed potato idea!!! You’re full of great ideas for easy Indian food in a rice cooker, thanks!
February 27th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
@7 from Nadeshiko: I use my rice cooker once, maybe twice a week to make rice in bulk. We use way too much electricity in our house right now — I’ve been trying to figure out ways to cut it down. You use less electricity if you don’t use the Keep Warm function to keep the rice warm for a long time after you cook it. Portion it out into individually wrapped servings and freeze (or refrigerate), then microwave or resteam briefly to revive it.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
@8 from june: Speaking of quinoa, I haven’t made that in over a year. I wonder if I still have some in the pantry…
February 27th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
@9 from Phyllis: I used to do that with Chinese sausages when I made a lot of Chinese food in college! Man, blast from the past.
February 28th, 2008 at 12:00 am
@10/11 from wendy: Mmm, sticky rice with Chinese sausages — that’s what I had for lunch today! Thanks for the info on clay pot rice (or little pot rice); very interesting, and I like the idea of the add-in meat flavoring the rice.
February 28th, 2008 at 12:02 am
@12 from Kylo: I’d still want to wash the eggs well even if I were cooking them in the steam basket, but I do like the idea of using the basket instead of nestling them down into the rice as there wouldn’t be any flavor transfer benefit to having them down in.
February 28th, 2008 at 12:07 am
@13 from DeputyHeadmistress: This sounds like a great one-pot meal. I especially like the idea of throwing in a chicken breast to steam — do you find it to be moist at the end because of the moist cooking? Chicken breasts do tend to dry out easily…
February 28th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Hi, Biggie, about @5 & @24: I have an older National fuzzy logic rice cooker that has a steam cycle near the end of the cooking time. I put the canned chicken and raisins into the rice +/- 10 minutes before the rice is done - when most of the water has evaporated. You can put the almonds in then, too, but if you like them crunchy you might want to wait until the very end.
Note: You can put the chicken in at the very beginning, but if you use the Mahatma yellow rice you’ll end up with yellow chicken.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Oh, I apologize…we DO wash everything first!! LOL…that goes w/out saying.
This is something my little guy likes to do when we are in the kitchen-he has a little strainer and “scrubs” veggies, fruits, etc., but looooves to wash and peel eggs!
Thanks Biggie-I am enjoying your site and glad I popped out of hiding.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I am not much of a precision cook, and I cook for a large family (nine people), so others may need to fiddle with proportions abit.
I do find the chicken breasts stay moist. If I am cooking a larger amount of rice and chicken breasts, I thaw them first. But if I am only cooking two breasts, I don’t even thaw them. Just pop them, frozen, on the top of the rice.
I usually put in the frozen breasts when we’re going off to church, so it’s going to be about two hours before we get back home and eat. I suspect this keeps the chicken from drying out (plus, if you buy the seasoned sort, it’s got all those juicy chemicals in it to keep it moist).
February 28th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
i love the rice cooker. i use it and the steam basket for veggies all the time.
Do you know if you could also steam tofu this way?
February 28th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Curious how large is everyones rice cooker? Mine is only a three cup (single girl that I am)…. I think I might need to scale up to a larger one in order to do all this combination cooking!! That is a good excuse to buy a new one, I suppose.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
My friend swears she made a moist green tea cake in her rice cooker; I used to tease her all the time (she is a self admitted non-cook) about that. My mom made some mixture of rice, chicken, mushrooms in our rice cooker a month or so back that smelled and tasted wonderful… she said “I wanted to test out the mixed rice function” . It works. Hahaha. She has the 10 cup Zojirushi one… and is insisting I get one as well but suckers are expensive! Great ideas though, I used to love steaming a bit of spinach on top of my rice in my tiny rice cooker (dorm sized) - I’d wash it and put it in the steamer basket but only put the basket on top about 5 minutes before the rice was done; sometimes I’d put it after the rice popped because I didn’t calculate the time properly, but a few minutes and it was done, since it’s spinach and doesn’t need too much cooking time.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I was watching an anime once, called Yakitate and it’s about bread. In one of the episodes, they actually made bread in the rice cooker. I thought it was done only for the cartoon, but at the end of it, they gave instructions on how to actually make it! It was no joke! haha. Haven’t tried it though, but if you want it, I could dig it up. haha.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:33 am
@14 from Otana: I’ll have to try out the congee setting on my rice cooker then — thanks for the heads up! I’ve accumulated just about enough chicken bones & carcasses in the freezer to make homemade chicken stock; some congee with that might taste great on a cold day. Now to pick up some 1,000-year eggs!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:37 am
@15 from Jackie: Cover with cold water in a pot. Heat on high until boiling, then turn off the heat and cover. Wait 10 minutes, then transfer to an ice water bath and wait another 5 minutes. Perfect every time with no green ring around the yolk due to overcooking. If I’m making molded eggs, I pop them in their molds before putting them in the ice water for 10 minutes to take shape. (see my tutorial here: http://lunchinabox.net/2006/06/22/williams-sonoma-for-egg-molds/)
February 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
@16 from Macky: Do you chop the okra or leave it whole when steaming with the rice?
February 29th, 2008 at 9:44 am
@17 from kat: That’s so funny about your mom’s ‘display-only’ rice cooker! Does she use it now, or still the old rice pot?
February 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
@18 from Sarah: The same book on energy-saving showed fish steaming on top of rice, but not in a rice cooker — on the stovetop. Is there a residual smell in the rice cooker when you make fish in it?
February 29th, 2008 at 9:47 am
@19 from Metanoia: Thanks, Metanoia! Hope you get some use out of the tip.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:49 am
@35 from ginger: I don’t see why you couldn’t steam tofu this way — it’s gentle steam heat, and if you’ve got the tofu in a steamer basket or something it should be fine. Let us know how it works out for you if you try it!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am
@36 from Jani: I’ve always bought the largest rice cooker I can afford, even when I was living alone, for when I have dinner parties. Now I just make big batches of rice in bulk, and freeze the excess — saves on energy.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:54 am
@37 from Yvo: Mmmm, your mom’s rice, chicken and mushrooms sounds lovely — how inventive! And I have seen recipes (maybe a mix, too?) for the green tea steamed cake made in a rice cooker. Totally plausible! (Mmm, mushi-pan. Now I’ve got a craving…)
February 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am
@38 from Astoria: I’d absolutely welcome the recipe for rice cooker bread, thank you so much for offering!
February 29th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
i read in a review for that “ultimate rice cooker cookbook” that if you cook different foods in the rice cooker the next couple of batches will have a residual odor. has anyone had a problem with this? like, cinamon or curry flavoured rice the next day?
February 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
melissa, I store folded newspaper in my rice cooker and have no problem with residual odors. It’s a trick I learned from my mother - it works well in other containers, too…sounds odd, I know.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
About the rice cooker okra, I just put it in the cooker whole. If it’s cut up it gets smooshy & I don’t want it getting in my rice. But it is very very good especially with fish…making myself drool thinking about it LOL!
February 29th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
My dorm-mates last year kept on leaving the kitchen in a disastrous state (cockroaches crawling out of the sink… you get the idea), so I did all my cooking on my desk in my room in my rice cooker, including pasta, chicken stock, vegetable soup, risotto, even a cake. It’s a terrific invention; I’m not sure how I would’ve survived last year without it.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Thank you so much for the rice cooker recipes links you have! I love this entry. I’ve been trying to find ways to cut cooking time because trying to juggle work and studies is already strenuous enough for me.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:32 am
@49 from melissa: (In case you haven’t subscribed to comments on this post, reader oh_mom posted a reply to your question about residual odor — she uses newspaper stored inside to cut the smell.) I haven’t cooked really stinky things in my good rice cooker, I may bring my old rice cooker upstairs from storage for that if it’s a problem. I haven’t noticed any residual smell from just cooking vegetables, though.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:34 am
@51 from Macky: Good point on the okra slime factor if it’s cut before cooking. I love okra, but not the slime!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:35 am
@52 from Alphabet Salad: I’m glad you didn’t use that revolting kitchen! Hooray for clean cooking in your own rice cooker, the saviour of hungry dorm-dwellers!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:36 am
@53 from Gloria: Glad you’re enjoying the recipe links! Let us know if you make something really stand-out from them — I’d love to hear your feedback!
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
ohmy!
my mom used it eventually. the old rice pot was retired. the pot from the ricecooker is now the ricepot!
but we do have 2 ricecookers on standby. in cases of family parties and mega lunches.
they’re no longer for display purposes.
the microwave got that display now!
March 5th, 2008 at 9:23 am
My father-in-law makes yellow cake in his rice cooker. He uses a boxed cake mix. They eat the cake plain with no icing…just a simple treat with coffee. The cake has a slightly denser texture than if baked in the oven.
This post is great — it reminded me that our rice cooker has a steamer basket (I just need to find it). I’m looking forward to trying it out!
March 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am
@59 from Tenae: Does your father-in-law use just regular boxed cake mix, or something formulated specially for rice cookers? Tell me more!
March 5th, 2008 at 10:58 am
He uses regular ol’ cake mix like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. I’m not sure if he follows the exact directions on the box when adding eggs, oil, or whatever — I’ve seen him prepare other storebought items (frozen pie, pizza) without following the directions. He makes up his own methods, I think! BTW I prefer to bake cakes from scratch myself. But I love his rice cooker cake. Anything my in-laws make, I’ll try it.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:13 am
@61 from Tenae: “Anything my in-laws make, I’ll try it.” I see you’re a very wise woman, Tenae! Family harmony with the in-laws = good.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
my rice cooker is a major lifesaver! i’ve been making rice porridge in the rice cooker for my 13-month-old since he was maybe… 7 or 8 months old. over the weekend, i make a big pot of stock by boiling pork bone, and i freeze 2/3 of it. with the remaining 1/3, i throw in 1/2 cup of rice, lots of finely chopped vegetables (whatever i have on hand) and some shredded rotisserie chicken. then i just let it cook. super easy! makes enough to last a couple days.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:51 am
@63 from elle: Good point, elle! Why waste money on dehydrated “rice cereal” for babies just starting solid foods when you can make something a whole lot tastier (and cheaper, I suspect) on your own? Brava!
March 27th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I steamed tofu in the basket with my rice last week and it worked just fine! nice and firm but creamy. I’m definately going to do it again - beats frying tofu everytime i have the taste for a veg curry!
March 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
@65 from ginger: Steaming tofu wouldn’t have occurred to me — great idea! Thanks for the feedback.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I’m Chinese and my mom makes steamed meat patties (just chopped up pork w/ diced shittake mushrooms and small bits of salted fish in a metal plate. She also does steamed egg plain or w/ preserved scallops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conpoy) on the bottom in a large enamel soup bowl. It’s delicious.
My mom used to also steam cake in a wok w/ some water in a large soup dish/plate. It was quite dense and I don’t think she used cake mix. I will ask her but honestly, I think the cake was pretty horrible.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
@67 from Chinamerican: Ooh, steamed meat or egg sounds fantastic. I think I’ve had steamed egg with shrimp before, but now I’ve got a craving for that steamed meat patty… Thanks for throwing that in the mix; I appreciate it.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I have nestled eggs, you can do up to 3, in the rice in the rice cooker. I have also mixed in chopped potatoes/yams or frozen veggies like peas and carrots. Just use the same amount of water you would do if you weren’t cooking with extra stuff. the eggs cook like any hardboiled eggs.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 am
@69 from Janie: How big is your rice cooker? I’d think that the pot size would be your limiting factor for how many eggs you can do at once. Thanks for the input on the other veggies as well, Janie!
September 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
[...] Et puis on peut facilement en fabriquer un, comme nous le montre la toujours géniale Biggie: [...]
November 13th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
We’ve always made custard in our rice cooker. 3 eggs and a quart of milk, a bit of sugar and some vanilla. It comes out loverly.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
These are some really great ideas! Rice porridge sounds sooo good!!
November 21st, 2008 at 9:19 am
Rice cookers are a must have for anyone who is vegan/vegetarian. We follow the rule of a grain, beans and a vegetable to make a complete protein at my house and this can so easily be done with a rice cooker. We found one at a thrift store for 4 bucks. It had a small rack for steaming and a small cup for measuring out rice. Our roommate bought the same one and then we had two, so we almost never used to stove or microwave.
December 29th, 2008 at 3:08 am
Great to read that rice cookers have so many options! I’m looking to buy one soon and have a question which i can’t really seem to find the answer to. Perhaps someone here can help me. Is it worth buying a more expensive rice cooker that comes with a steam basket that fits into it or is it possible to use any steam basket inside a rice cooker? If so, is there anything i should watch out for?
December 30th, 2008 at 9:50 am
@75 from Fred: You can use any steam baskets inside rice cookers, but if the pot of your rice cooker is nonstick be sure that any metal steamer basket you put inside is smaller and doesn’t touch the sides (don’t want to scratch the nonstick coating). As for what kind of rice cooker you should buy, think about how much you think you’ll use it. In general terms I’d advise getting a rice cooker with a tight lid that locks down onto the base instead of just sitting on top. This allows the rice to really steam and cook evenly, and you shouldn’t have burned bits on the bottom of the pot when you’re done. I’ve had better results with the slightly more fancy models, but this may be personal preference.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Thanks for the info and advice Biggie! I will consider this when I go buy one next weekend. Looking forward to it
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
sometimes with left over rice in the rice cooker the next day, i just add some water and press cook, it doesn’t take as long as when you first cook it. when finished, i mix the rice with the plastic spoon and tada revived rice!
April 26th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
i have a medium size rice cooker i guess from black and decker. I’ve had it for a few years now, maybe 3yrs. being puerto rican i eat a lot of rice so even though its just me i use it a lot. i never heard of using your rice cooker to steam veggies til recently and i want to try it but my rice cooker didn’t come with a steamer basket. i’m not sure how i can create one. in the pix above it looks like a regular handless metal strainer but it also appears to be in the water and i was under the impression to steam veggies they weren’t supposed to touch the water. can someone explain this to me further? thanx
May 26th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I’m a newbie to this website. We just got a 10 cup Panasonic rice cooker that has a setting for cake, but the recipe calls for a smaller pkg. than the usual 18+ oz. cake mix pkg. The amount of water listed seems very small for the rest of the ingredients. Could it be correct?!? My husband is all fired up to try making a cake in the rice cooker….I don’t want to disappoint! Any help out there?
(Have an older smaller cooker also, and have always make rice or pudding. Thanks for the ideas on also cooking veggies, chicken, etc. with the rice!)
September 14th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Hi Biggie-I love your blog!
Actually I make an entire Japanese-style dinner for my husband and my 4-yr old son in my rice cooker. I make a chawanmushi mixture and pour on top of shiitake mushrooms sliced in the bottom of a Japanese-style teacup (covered with aluminum foil), and nestle the cup into the uncooked rice so that the bottom of the cup is on the bottom of the rice cooker pot.
Then I put raw ground pork or chicken into plastic wrap, along with some seasonings to give it a “soboro” flavor. I wrap it really well, and it goes on top of the rice.
Then a third packet of diced carrots and frozen chopped spinach also goes in on top of the rice.
Once the rice is cooked, all 3 side dishes are done - all I have to do is add a soup and pickles and I’ve got the Big 4 ingredients to a Japanese meal/bento (+1) done! (Of course you’d eliminate the chawanmushi for a bento, since it won’t pack well.)
I saw this on “Oogon Densetsu Setsuyaku Seikatsu” awhile back, and thought it was ingenious. I haven’t found any Japanese cookbooks that feature whole dinners cooked in a single rice cooker yet, though there are many that feature single dishes put in to cook with the rice.
xoxox
Carly
September 14th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Hooray! I’ve been baking cakes using regular-sized boxed cake mixes in my 10 cup Panasonic rice cooker, using cake setting, for a while now…chocolate is our favorite. Use any of the popular brands and just follow the recipe using the amounts listed on the box. I live in AZ. where it is crazy to use the oven in the summer when the AC is on. The rice cooker is just the ticket! The cake cooks in about 45-50 minutes (use toothpick test after timer rings). July 4th I took the rice cooker with me when we visited family in CA., and our 5 yr.old grandson and I made a chocolate cake for everyone. Everyone raved about the “rice cooker cake”, and we got loads of compliments on the moistness and texture…a big hit all around! The cake is smaller, denser, and perfectly wonderful! Reminds me of a coffecake.
By the way, I do use the rice cooker for it’s intended purpose…rice, and sometimes I have thrown in veggies and chicken, as suggested by others. I would find it very unfortunate to not have my fuzzy logic rice cooker when preparing meals or desserts! They do cost more….but, in my opinion, are worth every dollar spent. Happy cooking!
September 18th, 2009 at 9:40 am
@81 from carlyjcais: I love the idea of an entire meal made in the rice cooker, but am a bit wary of cooking in plastic wrap from a food safety (and chemical leeching) perspective. Maybe parchment paper instead?
Now you’ve got me craving chawanmushi… Hmm, make myself or eat out?
April 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 am
Biggie, amazing site you have here! I also had the same question as Monique (#79), and would appreciate any insight you might be able to offer.
I can’t seem to find a strainer online that will fit my Zojirushi NS-LAC05. Thanks so much!
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 am
I’m on my 3rd ricecooker in about 50 years.The latest has fuzzy logic and is amazing.
About ten years ago I bought a cast and machined rather than pressed aluminum stovetop rice cooker/steamer in a thrift store. Stamped on the riveted handles is “Made in Japan” the lid handle/knob has a “mark”. I can find zero,zip,nada about this cooker anywhere. Not being the sharpest knife in the drawer probably doesn’t help much but I thought maybe you could point me in the right direction to find out more about this cooker. None of the Japanese stores in your list seem to have websites but they do seem to sell non-electric stovetop cookers..I am stumped..
Thanks,
Bill
November 13th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
I have a very basic rice cooker, just has a swiych for warm, cook or unplug to completely shut off.. No steam basket, no varied settings for different kind of rice! But I can throw in the usual rice and water, and some frozen sausages, and they’re cooked quite through when it’s done without getting dry. I’ve thrown in chicken breasts, they come out quite tender; tonight I learned that if I use sweet wild rice everything else in the pot will turn dark purple (including the carrots, onions, and peas!)
It’s fun to think of differernt things to try and cook with the rice. Sweet potato works, onions, carrots and other root vegtables like turnips and parsnips. Sausages and chicken work. Had never heard of doing eggs this way- will definitey try!
Thank you!
October 16th, 2012 at 4:42 am
This is a great post! I am looking around for rice cooker recipes as I’m about to invest in one (I used to have one but I had to give it back to an ex-boyfriend! waah!) and I’d like to learn some tasty, simple and economic one-person recipes!
Can anyone recommend a good recipe book for Japanese recipes, even if it is in Japanese please? I can see there are a lot of books on various international recipes, but I will be living in Japan and I need to use the ingredients that are easily available!
Also, a great recipe recommendation for a congee would be perfect… just the thing for when you are poorly and need some comfort food.
Oh… and kimchee recipes! yum yum!
OK, I am getting greedy now so I’d better stop, but just to say that this blog is fabulous, thank you!