Oh fuzzy logic rice cooker,
translucent white and inscrutable,
you stoop atop my counter,
and steam quite aromatically...
Seriously, we'd been eating so many burnt bottom soaked porridges and sprouted pilafs that when I saw "The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" at the library, I took it home and pulled this incredibly fancy Panasonic rice cooker we'd received as an apartment warming gift out of the box. It has made TF so much easier in the last two weeks I had to share the love. Come to think of it, we've probably saved a fortune by eating so many more good, wholesome whole grains and not throwing away so much ruined food.
So far, I make a batch of soaked, slightly soured Scotch cut oatmeal about every other day by mixing the ingredients up in the cooker bowl the night before and leaving it out. I have it programmed to prepare the porridge in time for breakfast, so my groggy self need only stir and serve in the morning. For the off days, I pour the leftovers in a glass loaf pan and chill, then we slice the "hardened" oatmeal and saute it. This is a very traditional Scottish dish I learned about from the Golden Spurtle website. Oh, and I nabbed my secret ingredient from a suggestion on the New Homemaker: grind a favorite houseblend of aromatic pickling spices into the oatmeal when you set it up to cook. The digestive herbs make a difference and add that something that keeps the oatmeal from being boring bland.
I make at least one batch of whole grain every day in it besides the oatmeal, typically short grain brown rice which needs no soaking. Usually, I'm content to make the rice plain, but the cookbook I mentioned had lots of recipes for pilafs, risottos, polentas, and even custards all prepared in the rice cooker without dirtying additional dishes, so I've had a lot of fun adapting them to our own table. Once you realize what you can safely do in a rice cooker, it becomes a kind of game. I'm fond of a traditional kasha made with barley instead of buckwheat, myself.
My tips if you'd like to go the technofoodie route to TF and use your own rice cooker:
1) Splurge on a top-of-the-line Asian rice cooker model, one that's programmable and touts "fuzzy logic." They are typically over $100, but well worth the expense. You can mix up the ingredients, turn it on, and let it go without fear of a fire hazard or a ruined meal. They have pre-programmed settings so you don't have to guess what to do differently to make Porridge or "Brown Rice" (the setting I use for pretty much any whole grain). You can program a timer so your food will be waiting for you when you get home or you can rely on the heat function, which I've found works beautifully. They're foolproof enough for children to use.
2) Make sure the rice cooker bowl inside is removable and nonstick coated (they seem to use an enamel based nonstick coating, nothing to be concerned about), especially if you're making oatmeal or experimenting with risotto.
Now, to finish that ode and begin the one to my crock pot ("Hail the slow cooker, brewer of bone broth, who succors us in our flu...").
translucent white and inscrutable,
you stoop atop my counter,
and steam quite aromatically...
Seriously, we'd been eating so many burnt bottom soaked porridges and sprouted pilafs that when I saw "The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" at the library, I took it home and pulled this incredibly fancy Panasonic rice cooker we'd received as an apartment warming gift out of the box. It has made TF so much easier in the last two weeks I had to share the love. Come to think of it, we've probably saved a fortune by eating so many more good, wholesome whole grains and not throwing away so much ruined food.
So far, I make a batch of soaked, slightly soured Scotch cut oatmeal about every other day by mixing the ingredients up in the cooker bowl the night before and leaving it out. I have it programmed to prepare the porridge in time for breakfast, so my groggy self need only stir and serve in the morning. For the off days, I pour the leftovers in a glass loaf pan and chill, then we slice the "hardened" oatmeal and saute it. This is a very traditional Scottish dish I learned about from the Golden Spurtle website. Oh, and I nabbed my secret ingredient from a suggestion on the New Homemaker: grind a favorite houseblend of aromatic pickling spices into the oatmeal when you set it up to cook. The digestive herbs make a difference and add that something that keeps the oatmeal from being boring bland.
I make at least one batch of whole grain every day in it besides the oatmeal, typically short grain brown rice which needs no soaking. Usually, I'm content to make the rice plain, but the cookbook I mentioned had lots of recipes for pilafs, risottos, polentas, and even custards all prepared in the rice cooker without dirtying additional dishes, so I've had a lot of fun adapting them to our own table. Once you realize what you can safely do in a rice cooker, it becomes a kind of game. I'm fond of a traditional kasha made with barley instead of buckwheat, myself.
My tips if you'd like to go the technofoodie route to TF and use your own rice cooker:
1) Splurge on a top-of-the-line Asian rice cooker model, one that's programmable and touts "fuzzy logic." They are typically over $100, but well worth the expense. You can mix up the ingredients, turn it on, and let it go without fear of a fire hazard or a ruined meal. They have pre-programmed settings so you don't have to guess what to do differently to make Porridge or "Brown Rice" (the setting I use for pretty much any whole grain). You can program a timer so your food will be waiting for you when you get home or you can rely on the heat function, which I've found works beautifully. They're foolproof enough for children to use.
2) Make sure the rice cooker bowl inside is removable and nonstick coated (they seem to use an enamel based nonstick coating, nothing to be concerned about), especially if you're making oatmeal or experimenting with risotto.
Now, to finish that ode and begin the one to my crock pot ("Hail the slow cooker, brewer of bone broth, who succors us in our flu...").
