Vegan Practically

I grew up with rice and I have always known how to make perfect long grain white rice on the stove top. You measure out the rice, and then you measure out twice as much water into a pot with a good lid. One cup of rice takes two cups of water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the rice. Put the lid on the pot. Bring it down to a simmer for 30 minutes. Do not touch the lid. After 30 minutes take it off the heat and leave the lid on until you need it. Perfect rice.

I’ve modified my approach only slightly over time. I usually put the rice in at the beginning, with the cold water. Yes, it boils over sometimes but with the glass cooktop it’s not as much of a mess as in the past. For brown rice, the ratios and timing are a bit different. One cup of rice needs two and half cups of water and 40 minutes, with an additional five with the burner turned to off but the pot (and lid!) stay put. Often I will rinse brown rice. Some say this makes it less “gummy.” Others say it’s good practice simply to rinse away dust and dirt.

Back in the spring I started cooking brown rice the way you’d do pasta, in a big pot with way more water than it will absorb, and then drain it after. For a description of this method see Cookie + Kate [note that the site is vegetarian, not fully vegan].

Basmati needs less time and less water. I’m not as conversant with basmati — I just do what the package says. Same with Jasmine. If I’m using arborio rice it’s usually part of a risotto recipe. Same goes for sushi rice (here’s a vegan sushi recipe).

All this to say, getting your rice to turn out isn’t particularly difficult. And that’s why I never thought I needed a rice cooker. All you need is a pot with a good lid and way you go.

But you have to tend to it. You have to wait for the water to boil then add the rice and turn it down. Or, if you put your rice in at the beginning you need to make sure you turn it down before it boils over. And then you need to set the timer so you can turn off the stove when it’s done.

For me this works when I’m in the kitchen and prepping other things. But sometimes I just want to put on the rice and walk away. And the pot-on-the-stove method tethers me to it.

Enter the rice cooker. Measure out the rice. Add water to the corresponding line inside the cooking bowl. Put on the lid. Flip the control switch. Walk away.

When the rice is ready it will lower the heat from the cooking temperature to the warming temperature. And the rice is perfect every time.

I bought my rice cooker about a month ago and I absolutely love the simplicity of it. I have a gut negative reaction to one-trick-pony kitchen appliances. But this one quickly earned its real estate (I store it away when I’m not using it, but storage space is almost as precious as counter space).

I have since learned that rice cookers aren’t just for cooking rice. The booklet contains cooking times not just for different kinds of rices, but also for oatmeal and hot cereals. My little 6-cup cooker actually came with a steaming basket, and the booklet has a chart with preparation instructions and time ranges for steaming vegetables. A friend told me the other day that lots of people use rice cookers to make ramen (though I hardly ever eat ramen and if I do I’ll probably not use a rice cooker).

So far I haven’t used mine for anything other than rice, but I have made long grain white rice, long grain brown rice, and basmati rice. And all three came out just right. I was able to walk away. In fact, right before I started writing this post, I flipped the switch on the cooker to make some basmati for later.

I’m no expert when it comes to rice cookers. The little 6-cup Black and Decker from Canadian Tire for $29.99 is as basic as basic gets. It’s literally the cheapest one they sell. But it works, takes up very little space, and is easy to clean. Many are over $100 (like this one that is a tiny bit smaller and seems to do exactly the same thing but is $109). Others have a larger range of settings for different kinds of rice, like this fancy 3-cup cooker for $179 (I see it has a more sealed lid than the little glass lid on mine). They also come in different sizes. The 16-cup size of the one I bought was on sale for $29.99 that day, but I figured (thank goodness!) that in this case, for my purposes where I’m usually making rice for one, the ability to make more wouldn’t be better even if at half the original price.

No doubt there’s a lot I don’t know about rice cookers. But the one I have is making me happy and I’m glad I bought it.

Do you have a rice cooker? If so, do you use it for anything other than rice?

Bon Appétit!