08 May 08 Rice Cooker

It’s a fairly common small kitchen appliance. I guess quite a number of you have them. To be honest I resisted for ages. Why? I cannot see the point of buying yet another space-robbing gadget when I can make perfectly good rice in a regular saucepan or even in the microwave.

So why did we get one?

It was my mother actually. She wanted to buy us a steamer. We had one in the UK a few years ago, and bought her one, and she got so hooked on it that she espouses their virtues everywhere (and quite rightly so).

We’ve never gotten around to getting one here, and she wanted to put that right.

Only thing is, we couldn’t find one.

Not like the one she has in England anyway. It has a base, that you put water in, and and a heater to make the steam, and then 2 or 3 stacking plastic containers that fit on top into which you put the food you wish to steam.

Couldn’t find one in the local stores here at all. Only rice cookers, with a small steaming basket, kind of an afterthought.

Anyway, Kathy wanted a rice cooker all along, so Mother bought it.

Kathy and I have always had this cultural food difference you see. I was raised on potatoes as my staple starch food item; she was raised on rice. We compromise, but generally, as I do the cooking (at least during the week), I tend to make potato based dishes more often than rice ones.

Perhaps that will change a bit now, as I have to admit that the rice cooker is SO easy.  Let me explain that.

I tend to put food on to cook, and get back to work while it’s doing so. I have to keep interrupting my work of course, to be sure nothing overcooks or burns. That’s what’s easy about the rice cooker of course. I can put in the rice, add the water, flick the lever, and go work, and practically forget about the rice. I tend to use a slow cooker a fair bit for the same reason, and more often than not, if I’m roasting or baking, I do it on a low heat, so I’m not going to get engrossed in my work, and burn stuff.

So, ok, I’ll concede, that sometimes, some gadgets can and do make life a little easier. Now, where can I find an automatic beer maker?

Tags: afterthought, burns, compromise, dishes, England, flick, gadget, local stores, microwave, plastic containers, potatoes, rice cooker, rice cookers, saucepan, slow cooker, small kitchen appliance, starch, steam, steamer, virtues