What Kind of Rice to Use in a Rice Cooker
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Rice cookers are handy to have at home. It’s an appliance that can automatically cook rice for you, allowing you to have a perfect bowl of rice any time of the day. Unlike cooking rice on the stove top, a rice cooker is a set-it-and-forget-it device; you don’t have to babysit it just to make sure that it cooks correctly.
If you’ve acquired a rice cooker recently, congratulations! You’ve taken the first step in making rice cooking easier for you. Now that you have your rice cooker, you may be asking: What kind of rice can I cook in it? Here’s an article to help you out.
Can You Make Regular Rice in a Rice Cooker?
The best thing about rice cookers is that you make almost every type of rice with it. Regular white rice, brown rice, long-grain rice, short-grain rice, black rice, or even wild rice — a cooker can make them all!
Now that you know you can use any type of rice and of any grain size, something that you should keep in mind next is the rice-to-water ratio. Using the correct amount of water ensures that the grains are cooked right. Too little water and the grains will remain uncooked at the top. Too much and you may end up with mushy grains.
The water-to-rice ratio varies per rice type. Long-grain white rice uses 1 3/4 cup of water per 1 cup of grains, 1 cup of brown rice needs 2 cups of water, 1 cup of sticky rice needs 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of jasmine rice needs 1 3/4 cups of water, and so on.
Can You Use Instant Rice in a Rice Cooker?
While you can use almost every type of rice in a cooker, one that you should avoid is instant rice. When you make instant rice in a cooker, you risk overcooking it. Instant rice is partially cooked already to shorten the cooking time. Putting it in a cooker may result in the grains turning to mush. Instead, follow the cooking instructions on the packaging of your instant rice.
Do You Need a Rice Cooker to Make Perfect Rice?
A rice cooker is not an absolute need as you can also make rice using the stove or even the microwave. However, making rice on the stove or the microwave doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a perfectly cooked bowl of rice.
A cooker, on the other hand, is designed to cook at a precise temperature, ensuring that the rice cooks evenly. You don’t have to watch or stir it while it cooks. The device will do everything for you.
Is It Better to Boil Rice or Use a Rice Cooker?
Using a cooker is definitely an easier method compared to boiling over the stove. All you need to do is load the rice and the correct amount of water needed, press a button, and you’re all set. You can freshen up or do other things while it cooks. Boiling grains over the stove is also a good method but compared to using a cooker, it needs more effort and can be quite taxing as the result of your cooked grains may vary depending on the temperature, how much you stir it, the pot you use, and so on.
Final Note
Rice cookers take the guesswork out of making rice, making them a handy tool to have in the kitchen. Most rice cookers can make any type of rice, from white rice to brown to sushi rice, and even wild rice.
