I use my rice cooker weekly - mostly for ice. More recently, I've been experimenting with other foods you can make in these small, slow cookers. A rice cooker is simple to operate and easy to clean, so there's a real benefit to expanding its workload from rice and simple grains.
Yes, the rice cooker deserves a permanent spot on your counter -- not just for rice, but for everything from a morning porridge to an easy evening dessert.
I put mine to work, and talked to recipe developers and culinary professionals about the dishes they keep coming back to.
With their input, here are 12 ways to use a rice cooker that may surprise you.
1. Other grains
Oatmeal couldn't be easier than when made in a rice cooker. Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images
At its core, a rice cooker cooks rice by relying on a water-to-grain ratio and switching to warm mode once the water is fully absorbed. To that end, any grain that relies on this method can also be made in the rice cooker, such as quinoa, barley and farro, to name just a few.
Oatmeal is also a grain whose prep can be relegated to the rice cooker, making for a fuss-free breakfast. "A rice cooker is my favorite way to make steel-cut oats because it maintains steady heat and requires zero stirring, which prevents scorching," says Shawna Clark, founder of Healthy Foodie Girl. "I recommend lightly spraying the insert with oil and using the porridge or brown rice setting if available," she says, "since oats foam more than rice and benefit from slower cooking." In that vein, the rice cooker can even be used to make a warm breakfast of overnight oats, a marked improvement over overnight oats made in the fridge.
2. Savory oats
As a variation on the grain theme, with a little light sautéing that can also be done directly in the rice cooker, savory oats also make for a good rice cooker project. "I'm a savory breakfast gal at heart and this is one of my top three breakfasts," says Farwin Simaak, recipe developer at Love and Other Spices.
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