My best mate actually had a rice cooker in his room and I soon formed the habit of being at the right place at the right time when perfectly cooked rice would emerge just around 7.30. He taught me much about Chinese food and its extraordinary variety which was nothing like the ‘I’ll have a 41, and 36 and a bag of prawn cracker’ fare I had grown up with.

Initially I was skeptical about the efficacy of adding a rice cooker to the vast array of kitchen gadgets I owned, that could potentially be used once, then pushed to the back of the cupboard. But having seen how with the addition of a little butter, a beautiful golden crust would form at the bottom of the cooker, I was quickly converted and have never been without one in one form or another since.

Therefore I was more than happy to road test the Cuisinart Rice Cooker CRC. As far as good looks are concerned it certainly beats my battered version. Made of stainless steel and weighing in at 2.89 kg it has a height of 31cms, width of 28 and depth of 26cms and is a very cool customer it must be said. I noted its 5 year warranty, 650 watt energy expenditure, added some butter and then a cup of fragrant Thai rice, added water, replaced the lid and switched on.

Being in a decadent mood I stir fried some Tiger prawns with a beautifully tart sweet and sour sauce, home-made of course; perked the whole thing up with some home grown chilli just as the light informed me my rice was done. The intense perfume of the rice as steam wafted from the cooker was a pleasure in itself. Having poured a glass of Pinot Grigiot the pleasure was further intensified and I tucked into fluffy rice with sweet and sour prawns. It turns the dirty business of cooking rice into a discrete art form and no burnt-on starch rings to battle with on the hob after the meal is over either. Being non-stick this rice cooker obligingly shrugs off the food like a silk scarf falling from bare skin lol!

I have to confess to cooking nothing more adventurous in my old cooker than home-made savory rice which is a great mid-week standby so I decided to test out porridge. The highest quality rolled oats, organic milk and water mix, a slight sprinkle of salt and a quick shower and all was ready. I topped off with some Jersey cream and a splash of Maple Syrup and have decided my Cuisinart Rice Cooker CRC can live on my worktop as this Autumn I feel rice, porridge and risotto are going to feature significantly on my menus. I may even venture into sushi rice . So, if you are in a hurry or like your cooking to take care of itself this rice cooker will certainly add value to your kitchen.

You can check out the Cuisnart rice cooker for yourself here on Amazon.

Cuisinart prides itself on having the ability to produce products finely honed for customers’ cooking needs. For 30 years Cuisinart products have been winning plaudits for the simplicity of their design, ease of use, quality and long life.  Click here to begin your love affair.

Being educated at boarding school can throw up some interesting experiences! Being introduced to a rice cooker was one of them. I boarded with a number of Chinese pupils who would excitedly plan their evening meals through break time and did everything in their power to replicate the food for which they were obviously homesick.

The science behind cooking rice may not seem like a really important one, however if you know what you are doing you greatly increase the quality of the taste of the rice you eat. Many of us don’t know how to cook this simple but amazingly versatile staple – so, here is some insight to help you improve.

Rice should be fluffy and each grain should be distinct and not all together in a mush of sorts. This can all be achieved with the right combination of water, rice and time.  Of course, using a rice cooker simplifies this process greatly.

Rinsing Rice Before Cooking

Rinsing is important and it should be done in cold water. There are two reasons for rinsing the rice before it is used. Firstly, talc is often used as a milling aid in some mills and this is not necessarily good for eating. Secondly, the rinsing of rice will remove starch and make the whole food less sticky, this will prevent the mush we talked about and keep it from losing texture. Soak rice for around half an hour.  Here’s a handy rice rinsing bowl to make it easy.

Cooking Rice

Rice is not hard to cook and the simplest method to do so is through the use of absorbance. This is where rice is boiled and the water is absorbed into the rice. As the water leaves the pot the steam that is trapped will complete the cooking meaning the need for complex rice homewares is not necessary.

Generally 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water are used for each cup of rice and this will decrease with shorter grain rice’s and increase with brown rice. More water creates stickier rice, whereas less water creates harder. Firm rice is always more ideal for salads and other meals where the rice is eaten cold.

Letting The Rice Rest

As the rice takes around 12 minutes to cook in the liquid, you’ll find that there is a distinct difference between the top and bottom of the rice. The top layer will be harder than the bottom, which will be wetter due to the fact it has received more liquid for longer. Leaving the rice now for the steam to do its work is a must. Rice should be left for five minutes with the lid on as this allows the redistribution of steam, which will make the texture the same all over. This is very important for tasty rice.

Rice Cookers

One of the best items for cooking with rice is a rice cooker. This member of the rice homewares family is one that is often used in countries where rice is more commonly eaten. This is down to the fact that the rice cooker will give the rice a uniform texture and flavor and cooks good rice each and every time. Getting rice cooking correct each time takes a lot of effort and so a rice cooker may be worth it if you eat a lot of this food.

Of course, there are other items and rice homewares that can add to the experience, however a rice cooker is often deemed the best.

Olive Loves Alfie offer a great range of Rice Homeware items which look great in a kitchen as well as being practical.

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Home cooking has never disappointed our palate for delicious meals. People would go to restaurants and diners, yet finding themselves ordering the same dishes cooked by their mothers and wives. As common as the saying goes, our favorite foods are those cooked by our mothers. This is definitely true! It is because home cooked meals are fresh, healthy, clean, great tasting and are prepared with love. It is what our taste buds are used to. For some people, cooking is a combination of passion and art. Some consider it as a hobby to relieve their stress and anxiety. Of course, professional chef and restaurateurs looks at it as an opportunity.

Healthy Cooking

Low carb, detox and vegan diets are just some of the few diet meals invented today to lose weight. People go crazy watching their weights by having these types of meals. Food innovations are common in our time because of the increasing number of diseases and death related to health and nutrition. More people are becoming obese, diabetics and at young age already have heart problems. As a solution, people turned to dieting to create a healthy lifestyle. Some would simply buy food packs from stores which are a bit expensive, while some prefer to make it themselves.

Health Benefits of Vegetable and Tofu Fried Rice

This is my own version of a vegan diet. It is not considered low carb, but still a complete and healthy meal. This fried rice contains tofu which is helpful in lowering bad cholesterol and in alleviating some symptoms of menopause. It can also help an individual’s middle-aged bones become stronger.  Make sure as well to use olive oil. Studies show that frequent use of olive oil may help lower blood pressure. Olive oil also contains vitamin E which can help lessen one’s vulnerability to cancer diseases. To make this fried rice even more nutritious, one can add mushrooms.  Mushrooms are rich sources of potassium which not only lowers blood pressure but it also reduces one’s risk of suffering from stroke. Mushrooms are also rich in minerals riboflavin, selenium and niacin. This recipe also has green peas which are good sources of Vitamin B complex which can greatly improve one’s mood and memory to make individuals become better at coping with stress and anxiety. One can vary the vegetables used, depending on their preferences or what is available in their pantry. This is a very easy yet healthy and tasty vegan recipe.

1 cup – cooked brown rice

2 tbsp – olive oil

3 tbsp – soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion – coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic – finely chopped

¼ cup – diced carrots

¼ cup – green peas

¼ cup – corn

2 medium sized mushrooms – coarsely chopped

2 bars tofu – fried and diced

A few sprinkle of Salt, pepper, thyme and cayenne pepper

Making Vegetarian Fried Rice

Heat the wok in a medium heat. Add olive oil when ready. Sauté the onions first till they become translucent, before adding in the garlic. This will prevent the garlic from burning first before the onion is cooked. Then add the vegetables one by one, starting from the hardest which takes greater time to cook, followed by the softer ones. The order would be carrots, corn, peas then mushroom. Estimate a one minute interval before adding the next vegetable. Season this with salt and pepper together with the other spices. Add the cooked rice, mixing well to incorporate all the flavor and ingredients. Pour over the soy sauce for more color and taste. Remove from heat and serve, top with the chopped tofu.

There are hundreds of other recipes in the internet and magazines that one can enjoy. Check out some of our other rice recipes here.  Simply mix things up according to your preference and start living a healthy life. Being healthy should not be expensive or tasteless. Enjoy cooking healthy dishes at the comfort of your own home. Invent and improve recipes cooked by your mother. Incorporate it with a healthy twist. Through this, we can live a healthier and happier life together with our loved ones.

About the Author:

Ryan Rivera used to suffer from panic attacks for seven years. He now advocates healthy living as the best weapon against panic, anxiety and depression.  You can read more of his articles at Calm Clinic.

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Sushi is a widely known Japanese dish which is famous all over the world. This dish has become really popular. Just like any kind of dish, there are also new innovations. One of which is now known as California Maki. The main ingredient of this dish is the Japanese Rice. This kind of rice characterizes a small rice grain that has sticky texture. Japanese rice or known to many as sushi rice is the kind of rice used in preparing California Maki. This type of rice is often confused with the ordinary rice that most people use. But if you want to make sushi rolls then you have to use Japanese rice.

You can actually create your own Maki dish without spending too much. There are many free recipes that can be downloaded for free over the Internet. These recipes have online users’ reviews and ratings. Thus, it is easy for you to know which of these recipes are delicious.

If you want to make your own Maki rolls then you have to get the following:

Maki Roll Ingredients

• cooked Japanese rice (in a rice cooker, cook 2 cups short-grain sushi rice in your rice cooker)
• ground white pepper
• mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• bowl of water
• nori (seaweed) sheets, cut in half
• wasabi
• Japanese mayonnaise
• ripe mango slices
• cucumber slices
• crab sticks
• fish roe
• bamboo sushi mat

After preparing the necessary ingredients, you now have to make the vinegared rice. All you have to do is to season the cooked rice with a little bit of ground white pepper and with 4 tablespoon of mirin. Stir the cooked rice with the use of a wooden rice paddle and mix the seasonings well.

Now that you are done with the rice, you can start creating your own Maki rolls. Using the sushi mat, lay down the nori. After putting the nori, you have to put the layer of rice. Make sure that the layering is even. After that, you can now spread the wasabi and you can start putting fresh salmons or tune together with Japanese mayonnaise.

To finally get these rolls done, you have to roll and seal these Maki rolls and slice them one by one – 1 inch thick. Of course, the ingredients that you are going to use may vary depending on your taste and preference. You can replace the salmon with another kind of fish. In fact, you can even incorporate other ingredients. For some people, they add cucumber or mangoes in their California Maki dish. There are several ways for you to create your own version of this dish. But if you do not want to hassle yourself then you can create this dish the traditional way.

This article is written by Demy Reposo exclusively for ricecookerfetish.com.  She has also written different articles on fast food franchise opportunities.

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The rice cooker is an appliance that tragically spends its life tucked away in the far corners of cupboards and shelves in many Western homes. Perhaps hindered by its name, the rice cooker’s full potential is rarely realized by the masses. Contrary to popular belief, rice cookers can do far more than just cook rice; these little babies are culinary wonder tools, capable of producing full course meals anywhere you can find an outlet. There’s nothing quite like a home cooked meal, and a rice cooker can make the cooking process faster, easier for both savory and sweet dishes. Read on to see why the rice cooker is your culinary BFF.

Spiced apple tea cake made in a rice cooker. Photo by Bonbon

First things first, to explore the culinary options of a rice cooker, you’ll need to have a modern rice cooker, i.e., one with timer options rather than a single button. Rice cookers are easy to use because you generally don’t have to mess around with different temperature or cook settings. In addition, they are designed to keep a consistent temperature, so there is some room for error in measurements since the rice cooker will usually even out the temperature. Of course for breads, you’ll probably want to be a little more precise to avoid a mess of yeast and dough. If you don’t want to mess with yeast, you can make some super quick banana bread by mashing up a banana, adding a cup of pancake mix, 1/3 cups of sugar, a half cup of milk, an egg and a bit of butter and vanilla extract, and just pop it in the rice cooker for about 30 minutes. It really is that simple. There really aren’t many limits to the flavorings you can use, so get creative!

For more savory dishes, you can mix ground pork with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and scallions, wrap them in won ton or dumpling wraps and steam them in a bit of chicken broth. You can also make stews with pan seared pieces of meat. Just put in the liquid and seasoning of your choice and cook until it is thick enough. Unlike slow cookers, the rice cooker will not burn or overcook your food this way. For perfect steamed salmon, simply marinate and cook, perhaps over a bed of rice or vegetables if you like. And don’t forget your rice cooker can handle pastas as well – anything from boiling eggs in your rice cooker to penne to macaroni and cheese, all can be easily prepared in a rice cooker.

Eggs steamed in a rice cooker. Photo by Alex Schultz

Whether your oven is out of commission, you are restricted by a small living space, or you just don’t want to deal with the hassle and cleanup of traditional stove top cooking, you really ought to give the rice cooker another look.  As an added bonus, steamed food is a much healthier alternative to fried processed foods.  And living a healthier lifestyle can help you both physically and financially; many insurance companies offer lower premiums for both medical coverage and life insurance to healthy individuals. If you haven’t given this mini wonder rice cooker a try, there’s no time like the present to start!  Why not check out some of our great free recipes for the rice cooker?  And, if you don’t have a rice cooker – it’s time to get one!

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