12 Foods You Can Make In A Rice Cooker, Other Than Rice
Basic, white rice, the side we look to for easy, comforting meals is the perfect foil next to spicy Indian curries and Latin cuisine. And if you're one to create the perfect bowl or plate of white rice frequently, then you have a rice cooker on hand. The appliance makes the creation of steamed white or brown rice easy — no pots in danger of boiling over or risk of overcooking. But, unless you are making rice in some capacity for dinner or lunch, said rice cooker may be sitting dormant, gathering dust while it's shoved in the furthermost reaches of your cabinet.
What if we told you that rice was the very least you could cook in that rice cooker? The legends are true, and with a little know-how, the average home cook can easily prepare everything from sponge cakes to steamed fish to a luscious bowl of oatmeal in a rice cooker. Here are 12 things you can make in your rice cooker.
Cake
It may seem slightly crazy, but you can cook a cake in your rice cooker. Not only will you be able to successfully create a moist, spongey cake like a pro, but you won't need to heat up your kitchen with the hot oven. It's important to note that the cake will be a bit different than a regular layer cake you'd make in your oven since the rice cooker version relies on steam, but it'll be delicious nonetheless.
To successfully execute your baking prowess via a rice cooker, you'll need to take a few additional steps. First, make sure your rice cooker is well-protected with a layer of parchment paper. This will help prevent your cake from sticking and make removal much easier later. Next, thoroughly vet the recipe — like Japanese sponge cake — you're using for rice cooker-specific instructions, especially as it pertains to timing. Rice cookers don't tend to get as hot as an oven, so you'll need to bake for a bit longer. Additionally, you won't be able to lift the lid or check on the progress, so timing is everything. Some newer rice cookers have cake settings, which will take some of the guesswork out. Once your cake is cooked and ready, decorate and present it as you normally would.
Fish
Looking for a healthy weeknight dinner with little to no actual "cooking"? You can make steamed fish and vegetables right in your rice cooker. Steaming your fish — which is essentially what you'd be doing in your rice cooker — helps retain the fish's flavor and moisture, so you'll be delivering a flavorful and healthy dish where the true essence of your chosen seafood can shine.
You can whip up a steamed rice and fish dinner using your rice cooker, some tin foil, and a few basic seasonings. Layer your rice and water or broth in your rice cooker as you normally would, then cook. You can add some basic vegetables at this point, too, like green beans, which cook quickly. While that's working, place your fish filets (salmon works well here, as would a firm white fish like cod) on a piece of foil and season with whatever you like — salt, pepper, lemon, and a bit of olive oil works great. Fold the foil over, making "envelopes" for your fish and keeping the juices inside. Quickly open the rice cooker and place the fish packets directly on top of the rice about 3-5 minutes before the rice is done. Cook for the additional time, then remove the packets, set aside, and serve over top of the rice.
Beans
Beans, beans, they're good for your heart! Jokes and rhymes aside, making a pot of beans from scratch can make all the difference in the world in terms of flavor and the ability to really drill down on seasonings. But starting a pot of dried beans on the stove can be a little time-consuming, so having the option to cook your beans in the rice cooker is our new favorite way to prepare legumes.
Any beans can easily be made in your rice cooker. Lentils — a fiber and protein powerhouse — can be cooked in the rice cooker, with the yellow variety holding up best. Brown and black lentils can also be made in the rice cooker, although you may want to cook in the broth and add more seasoning, as they tend not to be as flavorful. As far as cooking regular beans — black, kidney, white, navy, and others — in your rice cooker, Strength and Sunshine offers a one-pot option for everything from soaking to cooking. Take dried beans and soak overnight in the removable portion of your rice cooker. Drain, rinse, and return to the rice cooker with filtered water, then cook for about two cycles, depending on your particular cooker.
Polenta or grits
If you love grits, you'll love the Italian version, polenta, as a luscious, creamy side for everything from Osso Bucco to grilled fish. If you're unfamiliar with it, polenta is simply boiled yellow cornmeal with a grits-like consistency when it's cooked and cools to a harder loaf that can be cut and grilled or baked. As with most grains, this dish can easily be made in your trusty rice cooker.
As the two are basically the same, the rules for cooking polenta in a rice cooker also pertain to grits. In your rice cooker, saute onion and garlic in a bit of butter with the lid closed and stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. You can also do this in a pan on the stove and transfer, but we love a one-pot wonder. Once the onion is translucent and softened, add in vegetable or chicken stock, whole milk, and polenta — working with a ratio of two cups of liquid for ½ cup of polenta. Cover and cook on a full cycle, stirring occasionally, until the polenta is soft and has absorbed the liquid. To upgrade your polenta, add parmesan cheese, black pepper, olive oil — anything you like.
Eggs
If you've got a crowd coming for breakfast, serving up a delicious meal can be the least of your worries if you break out of the rice cooker. Eggs can easily be made for a crowd without the stove — and you won't be at a loss for any of the fluffiness you'd be getting making them by hand. From there, you can offer your guests a delicious, basic scrambled egg or a build-your-own situation complete with herbs, cheeses, tortillas, and more.
To create delicious, fluffy scrambled eggs in your rice cooker, whisk your eggs with a little water and set aside. Grease the bottom of your rice cooker with nonstick spray or — even better — butter to ensure you'll easily be able to remove and serve breakfast. Pour in your egg mixture, close the lid, and cook for two to three minutes, uncovering, stirring, then replacing the lid. Continue repeating this method until the eggs are done to your (and your guests') liking. You can add mix-ins during this time period, too. Feel free to toss in diced ham, scallions, and a bit of cheese for an easy and impressive breakfast.
Rice pudding
If you can cook rice in a cooker, it feels like a bit of a no-brainer that you can also cook rice pudding. Unbeknownst to many, rice pudding is one of the older desserts in existence. India traces a rice pudding-like dessert, kheer, back to around 6000 B.C., and in China dishes similar to rice pudding go back to 1000 B.C. In both cases, the abundance of rice and rice-based dishes made creating a dessert from the grain a natural pathway.
In terms of making rice pudding in your rice cooker, the process is pretty straightforward. To make the dish for a crowd (or a few really hungry people), add 5 ½ cups of skim milk and 2 cups of short-grain white rice to your cooker and a cup of sugar, cinnamon, and any other spices you want. Cardamom, nutmeg, and even vanilla are all great here. Cover the rice cooker and cook on one full cycle or until the pudding is creamy. Add an additional 2 ½ cups of milk, stir, and let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then set it up in the refrigerator for an additional hour or so before serving.
Deep dish pizza
Yes, you can make a pizza-like dish in your rice cooker. Don't expect a crispy, New York-style crust or wood-fired taste, obviously. But, you can create something akin to a deep dish pizza using steam power. The crust will be more fluffed and less crisp, but if you're fiending for that combo of dough, mozzarella, pepperoni, and sauce, your rice cooker can absolutely help.
According to Dear Nom Diary, to create your own deep-dish pizza in your rice cooker, you'll need to either make your own dough or buy a ball of the store-bought variety. Once you have your dough in hand, split it in half and grease the inside of your rice cooker. Press one piece of the dough into the bottom, moving it up the sides, creating a sort of hand-built pie crust. Poke a few holes so the dough can steam, then add about half of your marinara, half of the mozzarella, and half of the pepperoni if using. Place the second piece of dough on top and close the sides as you would a pie. Spread on the rest of your sauce and cheese, then close up your rice cooker and set it to steam. The pizza needs to cook for about 40 minutes.
Pasta
If you're in no mood to stand over your stove and make pasta, your rice cooker can absolutely help. Using your rice cooker to make pasta is a wonderful option if you're cooking a lot of dishes at once — perhaps for a summer barbecue or party. Being able to set the pasta and forget it — no draining or stirring required — can let you put your attention elsewhere.
To make pasta in your rice cooker, you'll want to choose a shape that'll fit. That means spaghetti, angel hair, and fettucini are likely out of the running. Choose shaped pasta like farfalle, tagliatelle, elbows, penne, or even rigatoni. Second, understand that pasta doubles in size, so a cup of dried pasta is going to expand to two or more cups. When you're ready to make your pasta, add in your dried pasta and just enough water to cover it. This should give you a nice al dente bite. Add a bit of salt and a bit of olive oil, then close the lid and set to cook. You can open the lid and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remember, the water is going to evaporate, so not tending to the pasta as soon as your cooker is done could mean browned bottoms or overdone pasta. Give it a try!
Chicken
Like fish, chicken, too, can be made in the comfort of your rice cooker. Though relatively simple, a dish of steamed rice, chicken, and vegetables in especially comforting if you're feeling a little under the weather, have an especially picky eater, or need something healthy that can be "doctored" with sauces and spices after it's done cooking.
To make a one-dish chicken and rice dinner in your rice cooker, first, season your chicken — thin-cut, boneless, skinless breasts or thighs will work well — with salt, pepper, and any other sauces and spices you like. A little soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic in a marinade would work well. Remember, you won't want a piece of chicken that is too thick here, or else it may not cook. Next, add your rice and liquid to your rice cooker as you would normally. Next, rest your seasoned chicken and any vegetables directly on top of the rice. There's no need to stir anything, as the chicken will simply steam on top of the rice and stay moist thanks to the broth or water. Place the lid on top of the rice cooker and cook for one full cycle.
Oatmeal
As with rice, polenta, grits, and other grains, oatmeal, too, can be easily made in your rice cooker. In fact, a rice cooker is an excellent option for this morning staple since you can make a large serving of basic oatmeal for guests and serve up toppings and accouterments on the side, be it fruit, chocolate, maple syrup, or more savory options like bacon and cheese. You can also truly set it and forget it regarding rice cooker oatmeal. There's no standing over a pot, and stirring is required.
For luscious, creamy oatmeal, try a ratio of one cup of old-fashioned oats to 1 ¾ cup liquid — be it water, tea, milk, or something we haven't thought of yet. Add a big pinch of salt, which will help boost the flavor, and any other flavorings you like: a splash of vanilla, a handful of dried fruit, a bit of brown sugar, or even a diced apple and a bit of cinnamon. Then, close the lid and set your rice cooker to the "porridge" setting if it has one, which will use a lower temperature and a lower cooking time.
Yogurt
If you've always wanted to explore the art of making homemade yogurt, having a rice cooker may be your best and most practical opportunity. Store-bought yogurts are tasty and convenient but can also have tons of added sugar and not-so-amazing additives for shelf stability. Plus, many rice cookers — like the Zojirushi — have a yogurt-making option, so you can easily create your own concoction at home.
Most recipes for making yogurt in a rice cooker use either plain yogurt or citric acid as a starter. Zojirushi's recipe requires two quarts of non-homogenized milk and 1 ½ cups of plain yogurt with active cultures. Add the milk to the inner pot, set to yogurt, then close the lid and hit start. After about four hours, you'll want to remove the formed curd, then take two cups of the cooked milk and add it to a bowl with the premade yogurt. Stir, then add back to your rice cooker. Cover, cook for another cycle, then, after cooling, you'll have your own bowl of yogurt!
Hot chocolate
If you've got company coming for a winter dinner, the best way to cap off the night is with a warm, comforting cup of hot chocolate. A rice cooker is a perfect tool for creating a creamy cocoa — the kind made with real chocolate, cream, and spices without having to rely on the shelf-stable envelopes of powder containing barely any chocolate at all. Thanks to its ability to gently cook all of the ingredients together and stay warm, your rice cooker should be pulling dessert duty.
For luscious hot chocolate, choose a good quality hot chocolate mix (like those found at Dandelion, French Broad Chocolate, and Fruition Chocolate) and dark chocolate. In your rice cooker, combine the hot chocolate mixture and milk, stirring until the mixture is dissolved. Add in the milk and dark chocolate, using the cooker's steam functions to blend everything together. Add in more milk, cream, half and half as desired, and cinnamon, cayenne, or a little nip of liquor for the perfect cup (Bailey's or Chambord are excellent, as is a little Kahlua).