How To Use A Rice Cooker To Make Rice Easily

A rice cooker simplifies the process of cooking rice and makes the process more efficient. This appliance takes over the heating and timing leaving the cook with only the chore of adding the right amount of water. It does not only free the cook to take on other roles, it also frees one of the cooking burners to be used for other purposes.

Measure the amount of rice to be cooked and put it into the cooking pot. Use the measuring cup that accompanies the cooker or opt for your own scooper. Cookers are made in a variety of sizes ranging from small to industrial size depending on the volume of the cooking pot. Take into consideration that rice will triple in volume when it is cooked, so use the proper size that has a tight fitting lid.

Modern rice processing techniques are effective at removing impurities and producing clean and consistent rice. However, it is still necessary to rinse rice unless the manufacturer has explicitly stated against it. Some varieties are enriched with vitamins which are soluble in water and would get washed out during the rinsing process. Drain as much of the rinsing water to ensure all the dissolved dirt is run out.

Rice that has been soaked in water for sometime before cooking yields better results. This procedure is recommended for preparing sticky rice varieties. It improves the texture of the grains by softening them. The manufacturers recipe can provide information on whether or not to soak a certain variety and for how long. Soaked rice may retain water in amounts that may affect the cooking water proportions therefore, thorough draining is required.

Add water into the cooking pot. The amount of water required to cook the rice fully depends on the variety being cooked and how moist the end result should be. Most cookers have marked out measurements on the sides of the cooking pots indicating the rice volume and the corresponding water volumes. Manual measurements can be taken with the manufacturer's instructions as indicated on the packaging.

Add salt and other light seasoning at this stage. Ensure that all the grains are submerged into the water and none are sticking on the sides of the bowl. Level out the rice and let it settle and dry out the surface of the pot placing it into the cooker.

Close the lid and latch it tightly, place the pot into the cooker and connect it to the power supply. Switch into the cooking mode and leave to cook. Leave the lid in place through out the cooking until the equipment switches itself off, an indication that the rice is ready. The cooker will turn off when the water is evaporated at one 100 degrees Celsius. Different altitudes will require slight adjustments to ensure that the temperature levels are not attained before the rice is ready and to avoid overcooking.

The rice cooker turns into the warm mode automatically and you can leave it in this mode to keep the rice warm. Allow the rice to settle at steam off before serving. This minimizes the amount of rice that remains sticking on the pot. When stirring or serving rice use tool that will not scratch the inside of the pot and preferably a plastic spoon.